Sea Adventure: Paul Jones (colour litho)

Paul Jones. John Paul Jones, the first man to hoist the American flag in a man-of-war, was one of the most audacious seamen of the 18th century. In 1779 he tackled the British 50-gun ship Serapis in a crazy ship which had been condemned by the French East India Company, mounting 40 guns, of which several burst on the first broadside, and with a demented ally who fired into him as often as into the enemy. When it was obvious that his ship Bon Homme Richard was badly damaged he was summoned to surrender, to which he replied that he had not yet begun to fight. He finally took his big adversary just before his own ship founded. Illustration for one of a set of 50 cigarette cards on the subject of Sea Adventure, issued by Hignett Brothers in 1939.