USS Bonhomme Richard ( 1765 ) Bonhomme Richard , formerly Duc de Duras , was a warship in the Continental Navy . She was originally an East Indiaman , a merchant ship built in France for the French East India Company in 1765 , for service between France and the Orient . She was placed at the disposal of John Paul Jones on 4 February 1779 , by King Louis XVI of France as a result of a loan to the United States by French shipping magnate , Jacques - Donatien Le Ray . Origin . Little is known about the early career of " Bonhomme Richard " other than she was originally an East Indiaman named " Duc de Duras " ; a merchant ship built in France for the French East India Company in 1765 . In that capacity she sailed between France and the Orient until purchased by King Louis XVI of France in early 1779 and placed under the command John Paul Jones on 4 February . The size and armament of " Duc de Duras " made her a rough equivalent of half of a 64 - gun ship of the line Jones renamed her " Bon Homme Richard " - usually rendered in more correct French as " Bonhomme Richard " , to honor Benjamin Franklin , the American Commissioner at Paris whose " Poor Richard ' s Almanac " was published in France under the title of " Les Maximes du Bonhomme Richard " . First patrols . On 19 June 1779 , " Bonhomme Richard " sailed from Lorient accompanied by , , , and " Cerf " with troop transports and merchant vessels under convoy to Bordeaux and to cruise against the British in the Bay of Biscay . Forced to return to port for repair , the squadron sailed again 14 August 1779 . It went northwest around the west coast of the British Isles into the North Sea and then down the east coast . The squadron took 16 merchant vessels as prizes . Battle of Flamborough Head . On 23 September 1779 , they encountered the Baltic Fleet of 41 sail under convoy of HMS " Serapis " and HM hired armed vessel " Countess of Scarborough " near Flamborough Head . " Bonhomme Richard " and " Serapis " entered a bitter engagement at approximately 6 : 00 p . m . The battle ensued over the next four hours , costing the lives of nearly half the American and British crews . British victory seemed inevitable as the more heavily armed " Serapis " used its firepower to rake " Bonhomme Richard " with devastating effect . The Commanding Officer of " Serapis " then called on Jones to surrender , who replied , " Sir , I have not yet begun to fight ! " Jones eventually succeeded in lashing the two ships together , nullifying his opponent ' s greater maneuverability and allowing Jones to take advantage of the larger size and considerably greater crew of " Bonhomme Richard " . An attempt by the Americans to board " Serapis " was repulsed , as was an attempt by the British to board " Bonhomme Richard " . Finally , after another of Jones ' s squadron joined in the fight , the British captain surrendered at about 10 : 30 p . m . " Bonhomme Richard " – shattered , on fire , leaking badly – defied all efforts to save her and sank about 36 hours later at 11 : 00 a . m . on Saturday , 25 September 1779 . Jones sailed the captured " Serapis " to the Dutch United Provinces for repairs . Though " Bonhomme Richard " sank subsequent to the battle , the outcome of the battle convinced the French crown of the wisdom of backing the colonies in their fight to separate from British authority . Search for the wreck . " Bonhomme Richard " s final resting location is the subject of much speculation . A number of unsuccessful efforts have been conducted to locate the wreck . The location of the wreck is presumed to be in approximately of water off Flamborough Head , Yorkshire , a headland near where her final battle took place . The number of other wrecks in the area and a century of fishing trawling operations have complicated all searches . One season ' s attempts to locate and retrieve the ship , or some artifacts from her , using USNS " Grasp " were filmed for Discovery Channel ' s " Mighty Ships " series . The mission was not a success . References . Notes Sources Bibliography