Search Continues for Elusive Bonhomme Richard
In the face of heavy winds and rough seas, a research team spent several days in September on the latest expedition to locate one of the holy grails of underwater archaeology—the Bonhomme Richard, iconic vessel of John Paul Jones.
The search was a collaborative effort between the U.S. Navy, the Ocean Technology Foundation (OTF), the Royal Navy, and the French Navy. The oceanographic survey ship USNS Henson (T-AGS-63), operated by Military Sealift Command for the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, served as the primary platform for the North Sea undertaking. Representatives from the U.S. Naval Academy, the Office of Naval Research, and the Naval History & Heritage Command all were on board the Henson during the operation.
This was the fifth expedition launched by the Navy in search of the shipwreck that so far has eluded archaeologists. Over the years, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the National Underwater and Marine Agency, the National Geographic Society, the National Park Service, and other entities have vied for the honor of discovering the historic vessel.
Even the correct general location of the shipwreck remains a subject of much debate. In a region littered with centuries’ worth of maritime wreckage and wracked by dramatically strong currents, the final resting place of one of American naval history’s most celebrated warships remains a mystery.
Originally named the Duc de Duras, the ship was a gift from the king of France to John Paul Jones for use in the Continental Navy during the American Revolution. Jones overhauled the frigate and redubbed her the Bonhomme Richard in homage to his patron Benjamin Franklin (a nod to Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack).
In a bloody, tenacious, close-in fight, the Bonhomme Richard battled HMS Serapis off Flamborough Head in the North Sea on 23 September 1779. The engagement began poorly for Jones; the opening British broadside crippled the Bonhomme Richard, taking many of her guns and gunners out of the equation. Captain Richard Pearson of the Serapis asked Jones if he was ready to surrender, eliciting one of history’s immortal retorts: “I have not yet begun to fight!”
The Bonhomme Richard’s crewmen kept fiercely in the fray even while their ship was largely debilitated and Royal Marine sharpshooters in the spars were inflicting casualties from above. Jones lost his ship, but won the battle—and undying fame. He and his crew managed to seize the Serapis, and the heavily damaged Bonhomme Richard sank 36 hours later.
The Mystic, Connecticut–based OTF has been involved in the Bonhomme Richard search with the Navy for five years. The September effort marked the largest collaboration to date. But while the latest search was deemed a positive step, the actual site of Jones’ ship remains undetermined. “The survey covered 70 square miles of the North Sea,” the OTF Web site announced upon the expedition’s completion, “and produced 35 priority sites worthy of further investigation with a Remotely Operated Vehicle during the next survey. Of these 35, there are several that look particularly promising.”
WWII Marines’ Remains Unearthed on Tarawa
In late September a C-17 landed at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii with a special cargo: the remains of what are believed to be two U.S. Marines, found on Tarawa Atoll’s Betio Island by an archaeological team working for the U.S. Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC).
The remains were discovered during a 6½-week excavation of several sites on Betio, where fierce fighting raged between U.S. and Japanese forces on 20–23 November 1943. Nearly 1,000 Marines and 30 Sailors were killed during the battle, from withering Japanese machine-gun fire during the brutal amphibious landing to grim hand-to-hand combat as the Americans wrested control of the island. The Battle of Tarawa yielded four Medals of Honor, 34 Navy Crosses, and 250 Silver Stars.
Forensic bone analysis may identify the two recently unearthed sets of remains. Ground-penetrating radar had helped target promising search areas for the archaeological team.
An estimated 78,000 Americans remain missing from World War II. While the 2010 Tarawa expedition had hoped to discover hundreds of remains, “Any time we can come back with even just one, that’s a good thing,” Army Major Ramon Osorio, spokesman for JPAC, told the Associated Press.
Honoring an Archetypal ‘Sea Hunter’
Famed underwater archaeologist and prolific author Clive Cussler shared some hard-learned lessons at the Maritime Heritage Conference in Baltimore on 16 September: “Shipwrecks are never found until they want to be found, and when they are, they’re never where they’re supposed to be.”
Cussler, widely credited with helping popularize shipwreck hunting through his books and television program, The Sea Hunters, was on hand to receive the National Maritime Alliance Award of Achievement for his many contributions to maritime history and conservation.
After accepting the award, the best-selling author reminisced about several of his dozens of shipwreck discoveries—including the Carpathia, which had rushed to rescue Titanic survivors; the “ghost ship” Mary Celeste; and the historic Confederate submarine Hunley—as well as one that’s so far eluded him, the Bonhomme Richard.
Cussler’s many accomplishments include founding the nonprofit National Underwater and Marine Agency, whose goal is to preserve maritime heritage through the discovery, survey, and conservation of shipwreck artifacts. “My accountant thinks I should be in a rubber room because I’ve never looked for treasure,” the explorer quipped.
The conference, whose theme was “Connecting Landsmen with Their Seagoing Heritage,” kicked off on 15 September and continued through the 19th. It featured a cornucopia of nautical-themed lectures and workshops for historians, preservationists, museum operators, and buffs. Topics included lighthouses, naval ships and history, archaeology, and maritime heritage.
In the evening, attendees socialized on board a pair of historic Baltimore ships: the Liberty ship SS John W. Brown and the sloop-of-war Constellation. And a Friday evening reception at the Maryland Historical Society featured the book launch of Maritime Maryland: A History, by former Naval Historical Center director William Dudley.
The conference’s sponsors included the National Maritime Historical Society, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, Historic Ships in Baltimore, Historic Naval Ships Association, and Naval Historical Foundation. The next Maritime Heritage Conference is tentatively scheduled for 2013.
Naval History Symposium Calls for Papers
The History Department of the United States Naval Academy invites proposals for papers to be presented at its 2011 McMullen Naval History Symposium in Annapolis, Maryland, on 15–16 September 2011.Proposals dealing with any aspect of naval and maritime history are welcome. Submissions should include an abstract not exceeding 250 words and a one-page vita. Most encouraged are proposals for panels, containing an abstract for each paper and brief vita for each panelist.
The deadline for submitting proposals is 21 January 2011. The program committee expects to finalize the program in February 2011; final versions of papers are due to the symposium committee and panel chairs by 1 August 2011. A limited number of travel stipends are available to scholars residing outside the United States and to graduate students within the United States. Please indicate your desire to apply for a travel stipend in the cover letter or the email that contains your proposal.The program committee will award prizes to the best papers presented at the symposium. Selected papers will be published at a later date.
Those interested in participating should mail proposals to Dr. Marcus Jones, History Department (12C), 107 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21402-5044. Electronic proposals may be sent to [email protected].
Statue Memorializes Marine Pilot, 9/11 Victim
Michael Horrocks, a Marine Corps veteran and copilot of one of the hijacked aircraft that hit the World Trade Center on 9/11, was honored at the unveiling of a statue at Pennsylvania’s West Chester University on 11 September. Horrocks, a member of West Chester’s class of 1985, was the starting quarterback his last two years at the university. A member of ROTC, he entered the Marine Corps, trained as a pilot, and rose to the rank of major. In addition to the life-sized bronze statue that now stands at the stadium where he once played football, Horrocks is being remembered with a scholarship established in his name.