Magnetic attraction for legendary Bonhomme Richard

One of the key parts of a wreck that provides a positive identity for a ship is its guns and the Initiative has just bought a Fishers Proton 4 magnetometer to help locate them. The magnetometer is super sensitive and can detect iron and steel targets. It can locate a single iron cannon at a range of 15m or more, and a ship at over 500m.

Armed with this high tech gear, it is hoped that it shouldn’t take long to confirm the location of the ship’s iron remains and let archaeologists begin the work of mapping the site and recovering artefacts.

The story of the Bonhomme Richard is one of bravery and tragedy. On an autumn evening in 1779, a crowd gathered on the Yorkshire cliffs overlooking Filey Bay, to watch a fierce naval battle between British warships and a small American squadron commanded by the legendary John Paul Jones. The fight took place during the American colony’s struggle for independence.

Jones’ flagship, the converted French merchant ship Bonhomme Richard, with 40 guns, squared off against the larger British frigate, Serapis, which had 50 guns. During the fierce battle which followed, a round of fire from an allied vessel finished off the severely damaged Bonhomme Richard, but not before the Serapis had surrendered. The few remaining crewmen not injured or killed by battle, fought valiantly to save to the ship, but it was too late. The captain gave the order to abandon ship and the battered hulk slipped beneath the waves, taking with it many of Jones’ personal possessions including his books and papers.

John Paul Jones sailed the damaged Serapis to the then Dutch Republic for repairs. Despite the Bonhomme Richard sinking, the defeat and capture of the Serapis in its home waters convinced the French crown to back the colonies.

In 1979 the wreck, believed to be that of the Bonhomme Richard, was discovered in Filey Bay by Mr. John Adams. Radiocarbon dating of recovered items put the wreck in the right time period but more evidence was needed to confirm the identity.

John Adams formed a group, The Filey Underwater Research Unit, to continue the quest to prove the ship was the Bonhomme Richard.

Over time, the investigation has gained the support of many in both the public and private sectors, and the expanded group has now become the Filey Bay Initiative. For further information visit www.fileybay.com.