Heritage Lottery Grant aid has been awarded to The Filey Bay Initiative for an exciting investigation into underwater cultural heritage in Filey Bay.

The Battle in Filey Bay September 1779

A classic sea battle of unparalleled ferocity was fought in Filey Bay on the 23 September 1779 between Commodore John Paul Jones of the American Continental Navy commanding Bonhomme Richard and Captain Richard Pearson of the Royal Navy commanding HMS Serapis. The battle would cost about half the lives of both ship's crews, send the Bonhomme Richard to the bottom of the North Sea and allow Jones to escape in the badly damaged HMS Serapis to Holland. John Paul Jones's mission was to circumnavigate the British Isles from the west and draw off British Naval forces to facilitate a major Franco - Spanish attack on the British mainland.

Jones's squadron originally consisted of six vessels, but two French Privateers soon departed leaving him with the continental frigate Alliance with Captain Pierre Landais, the Pallas with Captain Denis Cottineau and the Vengeance with Captain Philippe Ricot. The squadron circled England and Ireland and while off Flamborough Head on the Yorkshire Coast intent on raiding Bridlington, it sighted a strategically important British convoy carrying stores for the Royal Navy, escorted by HMS Serapis of 44 guns, Richard Pearson commanding and the sloop Countess of Scarborough of 20 guns, Thomas Piercy commanding.

Captain Pearson signalled for the convoy to make for safety and in the true traditions of the Royal Navy he immediately engaged the squadron of twice his number. During the night in light winds with both ships on fire, they fought a bloody close quarters action. When asked to strike by Captain Pearson, Commodore Jones replied, "No, I‘ll sink, but I’ll be damned if I will strike". This was later erroneously recalled as "I have not yet begun to fight".

The battle ended when one American seaman, Thomas Hamilton, climbed out on one of the Bonhomme Richard’s yards overlooking the Serapis and threw a grenade down one of the Serapis’s hatchways on to the gun deck below, setting off cartridges below and killing at least 20 men. At 10:30 pm., his mainmast in danger of falling, Captain Pearson surrendered. Jones received Pearson's sword in surrender and transferred his command and wounded seamen to HMS Serapis.

The Bonhomme Richard was so badly damaged that it was not possible to save her and, shortly afterwards she sank in the North Sea in an unknown location by which time, Jones was under a jury rig on the Serapis bound for Texel, Holland escaping the dragnet of Royal Navy vessels pursuing him.

Cruise of Bonhmme Richard

John Paul Jones did not capture the Baltic convoy and thus cause severe disruption to the Royal Navy so in that respect, he lost the day, but in that classic sea battle, he gave the fledgling American cause much needed international prestige and from that battle, the Americans learned the lesson of the value of projection power by sea. Jones is credited by some as being the father of the American Navy and Captain Pearson was knighted for his courageous action in saving the convoy in Filey Bay on that day. The wreck of the Bonhomme Richard has attained iconic status and is the most sought after relic of the American War for Independence.

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