January Moment - Bonhomme Richard

10 January 1779, Continental Navy Captain John Paul Jones takes command of the Duc de Duras, a French merchant & renames it the Bonhomme Richard. The ship was given to Jones by the King of France, Louis XVI, for use against the British. Jones chose the name Bonhomme Richard to honor Benjamin Franklin, whose famous work, Poor Richard’s Almanac, was a bestseller in France. Jones outfitted the ship for war. The size and armament made her roughly equivalent to half of a 64-gun ship of the line. He left at the head of a 5-ship convoy in August for another raid along the east shores of Britain, spreading fear all along the coast.