The tiny new Navy played a significant role in the first official recognition by a foreign nation of the American “Stars and Stripes” flag. On February 14, 1778, John Paul Jones sailed into Quiberon Bay, France, in the USS  Ranger  and saluted the French fleet anchored there. A nine-gun salute was given in return. A gun salute given to a revolutionary government was a signal of that country’s recognition. France became one of the first foreign powers to recognize the struggling government of the American Colonies. (In 1776, the Dutch had given recognition to an American flag [not the Stars and Stripes] at St. Eustatius, an island in the West Indies belonging to Holland.) In 1779, John Paul Jones took command of an old, decaying  French  merchant  ship  that  he  renamed  the USS   Bonhomme Richard,   honoring   Benjamin Franklin.  It  carried  42  relatively  light  guns  (some  in doubtful  condition).  Jones  headed  for  the  coast  of Ireland,  capturing some  ships  and destroying  others. On September 23, 1779, Jones met the British warship Serapis  (with  50  guns),  and  a  furious  battle  ensued near  the  headland  of  Flamborough  Head.  As  Jones wrote later: Every method was practiced on both sides to gain an advantage, and rake each other; and I must confess that the enemy’s ship, being more manageable than the Bonhomme Richard, gained thereby several times an advantageous situation, in spite of my best endeavors to prevent it. The  two  ships,  lashed  together  with  grappling hooks so neither could escape, pounded away at one another.  The  USS  Bonhomme  Richard  began  taking the  worst  of  the  beating.  The  ship  began  to  fill  with water and fire broke out in several places. According to one  story,  a  gunner  in  a  state  of  panic  was  about  to strike the colors when Jones hurled his pistol at him, striking  him  down.  The  battle  continued  and  the fighting was furious. The outcome was uncertain until the end. The highlight of the battle came when, after being  asked  if  he  had  struck  colors,  Jones  replied, Struck, sir? I have not yet begun to fight! These words inspire Sailors to this day. What turned the tide of victory for Jones? It was his  forces  aloft.  Armed  with  muskets  and  climbing along the interlaced rigging of the two ships, Jones’s men kept the deck of the Serapis clear by shooting and dropping  chains  and  other  material  down  on  the enemy.  A  member  of  Jones’  crew  climbed  to  the Serapis‘  maintop  and  managed  to  drop  a  hand grenade  on  to  the  gundeck,  which  ignited  the gunpowder   and   scattered   cartridges.   In   that man-to-man sea battle, the British were finally forced to  surrender.  The  battle  of  the  USS  Bonhomme Richard versus the Serapis went down as one of the great naval battles in history. By  the  time  the  war  was  over,  the  official Continental Navy operated some 56 vessels at one time or another. However, it only managed to reach a peak of  27  ships,  averaging  20  guns,  that  operated  at  the same  time.  This  tiny  Continental  Navy,  hurriedly assembled   when   the   Colonies   declared   their independence, served not only to inflict damage on the proud ships of the Royal Navy but also to lift American morale  with  each  of  its  victories.  John  Paul  Jones, Gustavus  Conyngham,  and  Lambert  Wickes  were among those who brought the battle to the British on their  own  waters.  The  news  of  daring  raids  and victorious  battles  at  sea  was  acclaimed  in  the 13 youthful Colonies of the United States. Privateers American privateers harassed British shipping over lengthy  sea-lanes.  At  first,  ships  of  all  types  were converted  for  harassment  purposes.  Later,  ships  were specially built to do this job. These ships were fast and reasonably  well  armed.  Men  from  all  walks  of  life signed up to serve on these ships. Private financing to arm and fit the vessels was needed, but that was rarely a problem  because  a  share  in  a  privateer  could  mean  a fortune almost overnight. The  British  Navy  began  a  system  of  convoys  to protect  its  merchant  shipping,  but  it  was  far  from foolproof.  The  moment  a  merchantman  dropped behind, it was in immediate danger because a warship couldn’t leave the convoy to protect just one ship. Then, too, convoys could protect only so many ships. It’s estimated that Congress issued more than 1,600 commissions  for  privateers  during  the  Revolutionary War.  The  privateers  operated  not  only  along  the American coastlines, but also far out into the Atlantic and even into the English Channel and the Irish Sea. According to one reasonable estimate, the British were  said  to  have  lost  some  2,000  merchant  ships, manned  by  crews  totaling  16,000,  to  the  American privateers. The merchant ships captured as prizes were manned by prize crews from the privateers and sailed to a friendly port where the ships and cargo were sold. 5-4