But first, the Mr. Berhens' piece from the Yorkshire Post:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He
is as familiar to American maritime students as Admiral Lord Nelson is to ours
– not least for having uttered the immortal words, “Surrender? I have not yet
begun to fight” as his ship sank off the Yorkshire coast.
But while John Paul Jones went down
in history as the father of the US Navy, the final secret of the stricken Bonhomme
Richard is only now beginning to emerge from its watery grave.
Previously believed to be some six
miles out to sea, explorers now say the site is walkable from the beach and
visible from the cliffs above.
The revelation, at a meeting in
Filey, before an invited audience of 100, has set off a scramble to claim the
land for tourism, with the lucrative US market in sight.
Mystery has for decades surrounded
the exact location of the wreck. It went down in flames during the American
Revolutionary war, at the bloody Battle of Flamborough Head in 1779, in which
Jones led a makeshift flotilla of French ships into the North Sea, harassing
commercial shipping as far as Bridlington.
In a deadly skirmish in which both
sides claimed victory, Jones – who had fled his native Scotland to become one
of the first commanders in the rebel service – took over the 50-gun British
frigate HMS Serapis, and went to America a hero. As a result, the name
of Flamborough Head is as embedded in US schoolbooks as Gettysburg.
 |
| Bonhomme Richard fights Serapis off Flamborough Head |
The prospect of Americans making
pilgrimages to Yorkshire to see at first hand where it happened, is a
“considerable opportunity” for the region’s thriving tourism industry, one of
the men behind the search for the shipwreck said.
“It’s one of the most significant
elements that make up the founding history of the of the USA, and it’s right on
our doorstep,” said Bruce Blackburn, chief executive of Merlin Burrows, a
marine archeology firm based in Harrogate, which has now registered the site
the Government receiver.
“It’s an amazing maritime find. It’s
just brilliant.
“You can walk out on to the wreck
from the shore. You can literally go to the beach and look in the water and see
where it is. And you can go on the cliffs and look down on it and see the
shadow’s outline. The question for the community is, who owns the land and who will
build a visitor centre on it.”
American explorers have over the
years spent an estimated $200m on trying to find what is left of Bonhomme
Richard, a one-time merchant vessel given to the new colony by a French
shipping magnate.
 |
| Bonhomme Richard by Jeff Hunt |
But Mr Blackburn said: “It’s not
where everyone thought it was going to be. We have made a brand spanking new
determination of where the wreck is actually located.”
The exact location has not been
disclosed. “We’re not about to put the site at risk of souvenir hunters,” he
said.
His firm made the discovery two
years ago but withheld the information until registration documents had been
lodged.
The delegates at Filey’s White Lodge
Hotel were the first to hear of it, along with news of the discovery of wooden
figurehead of a lion and shield that adorned the bow, and a carving of a
shepherdess from the stern.
Mr Blackburn said: “We expect a task
force to be formed that will get the visitor strategy in place. They can set up
a Bonhomme Richard trail – people will land at Leeds Bradford or
Manchester and make their way from there.
“We’re talking about a generation of
employment – it’s that far reaching. Once the Americans learn of it, it will
generate a lot of interest.”
Some of the debris recovered from
Bonhomme Richard betrays burn marks consistent with the explosions that sank
it, said Tim Akers, head of research at Merlin Burrows.
“The site itself is not easy to
research. The debris is covered in sediment and it is very cold, but the
preservation is very good,” he said.
More than 250 men died at Flambrough
Head, with John Paul Jones’ ship lost as a result of what would now be
considered “friendly fire” from a companion vessel.
Mr Blackburn, whose firm is now the
wreck’s custodian, said: “He’s considered one of the founding fathers of the
United States, despite the fact that he was effectively a Scottish pirate.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
Not sure we would label him as a "Scottish pirate" but then we aren't English. Perhaps, given the times and Jones' history, "mercenary" might be more appropriate! In any case, should more appear on this (and I suspect it will) we will endeavor to update our readers, which as a matter of interest (to us anyway), are closing in on 80,000! WOW!
Until next time,
Fair winds,
Old Salt
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