USS Ranger vs. HMS Drake:
John Paul Jones Takes the Fight to the Enemy Shores
24" x 36" — oil on canvas
SOLD
detail of the painting
During the American Revolution, John Paul Jones brought the war to England’s shores by sailing the USS Ranger into British waters. Ranger was built in Portsmouth, NH in 1777. She was a corvette carrying 18 cannons and a figurehead of a rifleman (a ranger.)
Sailing in Ranger, Jones harassed shipping and ports of England and causing panic in the populace. While several British cruisers were searching for Ranger, Captain Jones sailed to Ireland to induce HMS Drake, 20 guns, to come out and fight. The Drake accepted the challenge and sailed out slowly to engage in a duel at sea. Jones described the battle in a letter: “The action was warm, close and obstinate; it lasted for an hour and five minutes when the enemy called for quarters.” The British surrendered with 40 men dead, while only two Americans were killed.