Battle of Flamborough Head
| Battle of Flamborough Head | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the American Revolutionary War | |||||||
Defence of Captn Pearson in his Majesty’s Ship Serapis and the Countess of Scarborough Arm’d Ship Captn Piercy, against Paul Jones's Squadron, 23 September 1779, by Richard Paton | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
United States France | Great Britain | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| John Paul Jones | Richard Pearson | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
1 ship, 2 frigates, 1 brigantine, 1 schooner |
1 5th rate, 1 sloop-of-war | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
~170 killed or wounded 1 ship sunk |
>117 killed or wounded, survivors captured 2 ships captured | ||||||
The Battle of Flamborough Head was a naval battle that took place on 23 September 1779 in the North Sea off the coast of Yorkshire between a combined Franco-American squadron, led by Continental Navy officer John Paul Jones, and two British escort vessels protecting a large merchant convoy. It became one of the most celebrated naval actions of the war in America, despite its relatively small size and a considerable dispute over what had actually occurred.