Grenade
date: label: Fleet of 1733 shipwreck
content: 1733
notes: label: Description
content: Physical Description
label: Description
content: Cast-iron spheres.
label: Description
content: General History
label: Description
content: Grenades of this type played an important part in the biggest naval battle of the Revolutionary War. The <i>Bon Homme Richard</i> under the command of Captain John Paul Jones entered into a battle with the British ship the <i>Serapis</i>. The <i>Serapis</i> was a much faster and heavier ship. As the battle continued, the two ships ended up side by side. Jones relied on the eighteen-pound large cannons in the gun room. As six of the cannons were discharged, two of the fired guns burst. This explosion blew out the deck above and killed a large number of the people below. Jones was forced to abandon his most powerful weapons. As the firing halted, British Captain Pearson asked Jones if he was surrendering. Jones’s comment has endured the test of time. He replied, “I have not yet begun to fight.” The fighting continued but with the battle guns disabled there was little the <i>Bon Homme Richard</i> could do. As the crew of the <i>Serapis</i> fought below, the seamen of the <i>Bon Homme Richard</i> began throwing grenades onto the upper two decks of the <i>Serapis</i>. Others followed suit, throwing the grenades through the ports of the <i>Serapis</i>. One seaman climbed to the very end of a yardarm and with a bucket of grenades achieved such precision that he was able to land grenades through the main hatchway. The powder-boys of the <i>Serapis</i> carelessly laid out a row of cartridges on the main deck. One of the grenades hit loose powder, setting off a domino effect igniting one cartridge after another. The explosion was devastating to the <i>Serapis</i>. It is estimated that 60 men were instantly disabled by the single, well-placed grenade. The <i>Serapis</i> was permanently disabled and the <i>Bon Homme Richard</i> under John Paul Jones was victorious.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: found at
content: United States: Florida
label: shipwreck location
content: Florida Strait
title: label: Title
content: Cast Iron Naval Hand Grenade
topic: label: related event
content: Revolution and the New Nation
label: related event
content: Colonization and Settlement
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Naval
label: See more items in
content: Military
label: See more items in
content: ThinkFinity
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Edwin A. Link
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: AF.58224-N
label: catalog number
content: 58224-N
label: accession number
content: 224979
objectType: label: Object Name
content: grenade
label: Other Terms
content: grenade; Ammunition, Artillery; Hand
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: iron (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 4 1/2 in x 3 1/2 in x 3 1/2 in; 11.43 cm x 8.89 cm x 8.89 cm