Serapis (1779)

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HMS Serapis.jpg
Broadside engagement between the Serapis and the Bonhomme Richard . On the right the US frigate Alliance
career Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom, svg
Commissioned: February 11, 1778
Laid on the keel: March 3, 1778
Launch: March 4, 1779
Sister ships: 19 Roebuck- class ships
Fate: Sunk after explosion
General data
Tonnage: 879 tons
Length: 47 m (cannon deck)
Width: 9.5 m
Draft: 5.40 m
Drive: sail
Speed: 12-13 knots
Crew: 280–300 officers and ranks
Armament: 20 × 18-pounder cannons
(lower battery deck)
20 × 9-pounder cannons,
(upper battery deck)
Four 6-pounders on upper deck
Broadside weight: 279 pounds
Provisional US flag placed on the Serapis

The Serapis was a two-decker of the Royal Navy of Roebuck class classified as "Fifth rate" It was.

The ship was built at Daniel Brent's shipyard in the “Greenland South Dockyard” in Rotherhithe , and it was named after the god Serapis .

Battle of Flambourough Head

In her only mission under the British flag she led a convoy of 41 merchant ships under the command of Captain Richard Pearson on her maiden voyage , the so-called “Baltic Fleet”, when it was under the command of a French-American association at Flamborough Head on September 23, 1779 under the command of John Paul Jones on his flagship Bonhomme Richard . At around 6 p.m. the Bonhomme Richard opened fire on the Serapis , which led to a four-hour bitter battle that cost almost half of the two crews their lives. Initially, the Serapis was able to bring its higher firepower to bear and severely damage the larger Bonhomme Richard . The latter, however, managed to get hooked with the bow first on the side of the Serapis , whereby a full broadside of the Serapis was no longer possible. Reciprocal boarding attempts initially failed until the numerically superior crew of the Bonhomme Richard managed to get hold of the Serapis at around 10:30 p.m. with the help of the frigate Alliance that had meanwhile rushed up . At this point, however , the Bonhomme Richard was already sinking and, despite all efforts, could no longer be saved. It was the first time in naval war history that a warship had to strike the flag before its sinking enemy.

Jones claimed the prize for the United States and placed a makeshift stars and stripes. He went to Texel in the Netherlands to have the ship repaired. Its success was short-lived, however, as diplomatic entanglements quickly ensued. Both the French and British governments demanded that the then neutral Netherlands hand over the ship. The British because they accused Jones of piracy , the French because it was seized by a French ship - the Bonhomme Richard sailed the United States flag, but was a French ship on loan to the United States. Finally the French demands were given in and the Serapis passed into French possession.

Although two British warships had been captured after heavy fighting , this loss was more than made up for by the fact that all merchant ships of the “Baltic Fleet” were able to escape to Great Britain. The two warship captains were therefore acquitted of all guilt.

Under the French flag

A short time later, the Serapis with her original name was put into service by the French Navy under Captain Roche and was assigned the task of disrupting British activities in western Indian waters. Captain Roche initially steered Fort Isle Ste. Marie in Madagascar (today Ambodifotatra ). While he was here on land, the ship was lost in July 1781. When the daily rum rations below deck were distributed by an officer and a NCO , the gases on the surface of the rum caught fire in the barrel that was open at the top due to the careless handling of an open light . This led to a fire that continued to spread and which had not been extinguished even after two and a half hours of effort. At this point the fire had spread enough to reach the powder chamber. The subsequent explosion tore the stern of the ship, which then sank.

In November 1999 the American marine archaeologists Richard Swete and Michael Tuttle discovered the remains of the Serapis off Isle Ste. Marie (position 17 ° 0 ′ 9 ″  S , 49 ° 50 ′ 31 ″  E, coordinates: 17 ° 0 ′ 9 ″  S , 49 ° 50 ′ 31 ″  E ).

Classification

Often referred to as a frigate , it was not classified as a frigate by the British Admiralty , as the regulations stipulated that a frigate was not allowed to have more than one battery deck (with at least 28 cannons). In France and also in the USA, however, different standards were applied.

literature

  • HW Crocker III: Don't Tread on Me. A 400-Year History of America at War, from Indian Fighting to Terrorist Hunting. Crown Forum, New York NY 2006, ISBN 1-4000-5363-3 .
  • Stuart Rankin: Maritime Rotherhithe. History walk. Walk B: Shipyards, Granaries and Wharves. Southwark Council, London 2004, ISBN 0-905849-37-X , online .
  • Rif Winfield: British Warships in the Age of Sail, 1714-1792. Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley 2007, ISBN 978-1-84415-700-6 .

Web links

Footnotes

  1. The so-called rates from 1 to 6 were a classification according to size, combat strength and firepower
  2. ^ Off the Yorkshire coast
  3. officially under French command, since Jones was in French service
  4. ^ Next to the Seraphis also the Countess of Scarborough
  5. Captured ships were usually left with their original names - if only for reasons of prestige
  6. The rum that was carried was extremely strong and had to be diluted to enjoy it