USS Bonhomme Richard (1765)

History
United States
NameBonhomme Richard
NamesakeBenjamin Franklin
BuilderFrench East India Company
Laid down1765
Launched1766[1]
Acquired4 February 1779
In service4 February 1779
Out of service25 September 1779[1]
FateSunk by HMS Serapis
General characteristics
Tonnage998
Length152 ft (46 m)[1]
Beam40 ft (12 m)[1]
Draft19 ft (5.8 m)[1]
PropulsionSail
Complement380 officers and enlisted[1]
Armament
  • 28 × 12-pound smoothbore
  • 6 × 18-pound smoothbore
  • 8 × 9-pound smoothbore[1]

Bonhomme Richard, formerly Duc de Duras, was a warship in the American Continental Navy named for Founding Father Benjamin Franklin. She was originally an East Indiaman, a merchant ship built in France for the French East India Company in 1765, for service between France and Asia. She was placed at the disposal of John Paul Jones on 4 February 1779, by King Louis XVI of France as a result of a loan to the United States by French shipping magnate Jacques-Donatien Le Ray.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Bonhomme Richard". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 30 May 2010.