From Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command Public Affairs

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss.
(NNS) –– The U.S. Navy, in conjunction with the Ocean Technology
Foundation (OTF), the British Royal navy and the French navy, is leading
participation in a search for the remains of the revolutionary warship
Bonhomme Richard off the coast of  Flamborough Head, England, the week
of Sept. 10.





The search is expected to take approximately 10 days.





The Bonhomme Richard was a frigate given by France to John Paul Jones
and the Continental Navy in support of the Revolutionary War. John Paul
Jones renamed the ship Bonhomme Richard (Good Man Richard) in honor of
his patron Benjamin Franklin, who used the pen name Richard Saunders to
publish "Poor Richard's Almanac."





The oceanographic survey ship USNS Henson (T-AGS 63), operated by
Military Sealift Command for the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography
Command, will be the primary platform for the search. The survey crew is
comprised of oceanographers from the Naval Oceanographic Office
(NAVOCEANO) who planned and coordinated the U.S. Navy's participation in
this search.





Representatives from the U.S. Naval Academy, Office of Naval Research
(ONR) and the Naval History and Heritage Command will also be aboard
Henson to assist in the  search and identification of found artifacts.  





The search planning process included use of a computer program developed
by the faculty of the U.S. Naval Academy that integrates historical
data, crew actions and last known position to establish where the ship
is most likely to be found.





Bonhomme Richard, commanded by John Paul Jones, was lost off the coast
of England in 1779 after a decisive battle with HMS Serapis, during
which Jones shouted his famous words, "I have not yet begun to fight."
Jones and his crew emerged from the battle victorious, seizing HMS
Serapis as Bonhomme Richard sustained heavy damage during the battle and
sank 36 hours later. The discovery of the Bonhomme Richard would be one
of the most important archeological discoveries in U.S. Navy history.





"Over their years of active service, the Navy's oceanographic ships have
sailed hundreds of thousands of nautical miles collecting critical
oceanographic and hydrographic data that enable decision superiority
across the spectrum of naval operations," said Rear Adm. Jonathan W.
White, commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NMETOC).
"I consider it an honor that our cutting edge naval ocean survey
technology now will now be used to forge a connection with this historic
ship and its commander and U.S. Navy hero, John Paul Jones."





Survey equipment will include Henson's towed side-scan sonar, unmanned
underwater vehicles with side-scan and multibeam sonar, as well as ONR's
unmanned underwater vehicles equipped with buried mine identification
(BMI). The BMI system, consisting of an ultra-sensitive laser scalar
gradiometer, a side-scan sonar and electro-optical imager, will employ
technology used for identifying mines buried in the ocean bottom to find
remnants of the Bonhomme Richard. A French navy mine-hunter with
embarked divers will join the search to dive on any artifacts that
require closer inspection.  





This is the fifth expedition organized by the OTF in which the Navy has
participated. This year's effort is the largest collaboration to date
and includes the most substantial support by U.S. Navy assets.





NMETOC directs the Navy's meteorology and oceanography programs,
maintains the Navy's atomic clock for precise time and tracks the
positions of the stars for navigation. The command is comprised of
approximately 3,000 officers, enlisted and civilian personnel stationed
around the world. Naval oceanography enables the safety, speed and
operational effectiveness of the fleet by illuminating the risks and
opportunities for naval and joint forces posed by the present and future
natural environment. NAVOCEANO is NMETOC's largest subordinate command.





For more news from Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/cnmoc/.

The French commissioned the Serapis to a privateer named Roche who planned to use the ship against the British in the Indian Ocean. However, in July 1781 the ship was lost off the coast of Madagascar when a sailor accidentally dropped a lantern into a tub of brandy. The crew fought the fire for two and one half hours, but the flames eventually burned through the spirit locker walls and reached a powder magazine. The resulting explosion blew the stern off the ship and the vessel sank.

In November 1999 American nautical archeologists Richard Sweet and Michael Tuttle located the remains of the Serapis.

The JPJ right?

USS JOHN PAUL JONES DDG-53

Also featured in: