The Battle of Flamborough Head, an eye witness account of the battle of Flamborough Head by John Paul Jones's Midshipman Nathaniel Fanning of Conneticut (part f)
At 5pm on Thursday 23rd day of September, off Scarborough, a seaport in Yorkshire, and situated on the German Ocean, we discovered a fleet in the Eastern board. We could count thirty seven sail of vessels. As soon as Jones had taken a peep or two at them with his spy glasses, he expressed himself to his officers standing by him on the quarter-deck, "this is the very fleet which I have been so long cruising for". It was a Baltic convoy protected by two warships. Our little squadron, drawn up in order of battle, showed them the thirteen stripes.
The Good Man Richard and the Alliance were to engage the largest of the two ships of war, the Serapis, under Captain Pearson, a new ship with 50 guns. Alliance disobeyed orders and ran to leeward so that we were now left alone to face a far superior vessel. The officers were all ordered onto the quarter-deck where we received our orders from Capt Jones in person.
Object no :
JPFA014n, JPFA015n
Collection :
Creator :
Ian Alasdair Rodgers
Place of Production :
NA
Dimensions :
NA
Materials :
watercolour on paper
Location :
NA
Accession number :
016c, 018b
Copyright :
John Paul Jones Birthplace Museum Trust