During the American Civil War, privateering against British vessels was widely practiced because the Americans had no navy. The first famous privateer was a man named John Paul Jones.

Jones was born in 1747, in Kirkcudbright, Scotland. He entered Britain's merchant marine when he was only twelve years old, working as a cabin boy.

He rose through the ranks and became a ship commander by 1773. When a mutiny was brewing during a trip to the Carribean, Jones killed a member of the crew who was planning to overthrow him. He fled to North America, and when the American Revolutionary War started, Jones went to Philadelphia to assist in the struggle against the British. He enlisted on May 10, 1776.

He was in charge of the small ship Ranger in 1777. During this time, he led his crew to raid coastal Great Britain and damage several British vessels. He attempted to burn Whitehaven - a shipping port, and to capture the Earl of Selkirk, among other thins. By this time, Jones received a reputation for being a pirate, immoral and often a poor captain. However, he became famous for these dangerous and daring attacks.

The Bonhomme Richard

The Bonhomme Richard, first named the Duc de Durae was originally a French vessel, but was given to the Americans during the war. Its name came from the French translation of 'Poor Richard', an almanac by Benjamin Franklin. It was a strong ship, with 42 guns,

Jones took command of the ship in 1779, and along with four other ships, the Alliance, the Pallas, the Vengeance (The Pallas and Vengeance were not a war ships) and the Cerf, he regularly sailed along the coast of Britain. On September 23, the five ships met the 44-gun HMS Serapis, the 22-gun Countess of Scarborough and a merchant ship. The Serapis and the Countess of Scarborough kept the American squadron away from the merchant ship, and divided the Vengeance and Cerf from their three companions.

The Bonhomme Richard and the Alliance attacked the Serapis and the Pallas engaged the Countess of Scarborough. Jones persued the Serapis, and finally, and nearly simultaneously, the two ships fired on each other. On this first attack, two of the Bonhomme Richard's guns exploded, killing several of the crew and destroying much of the upper deck. Many of the men stationed at the heavy guns ran from the side engaged with the Serapis and the battle very quickly shifted in favour of the British.

The battle raged on, and the Scarborough and the two American ships left the two battling ships alone, for the most part. It is thought that the other British ship raked the side of the Bonhomme Richard at least once, but never fired. The Pallas would eventually engage the Countess of Scarborough.