Picture yourself a sailor on an 18th century warship. It’s the age of sail, when men built massive vessels of wood and pitch powered solely by the fickle wind. You are assigned to the Bonhomme Richard, formerly a French merchant vessel converted for military use, donated to the fledging American Continental Navy as a gift from the French King. Her Captain is an irascible fearless Scotsman by the name of John Paul Jones.
BOOM!
18 cannons in the ships broadside go off at once, sending a cascade of fire into the approaching British vessel. The sound is terrifying, not least because 18th century cannons were almost as dangerous to their own crews as the enemy.
The term, “loose cannon” for someone or something uncontrollably dangerous stems from this era. It refers, literally, to a cannon that becomes loose, shaken free from where it is strapped to the deck, by the tremendous recoil of its own firing or the pitch and yah of the ship. A loose piece of artillery was a horrific thing in a sea battle, with the entire vessel heaving up and down, to and frow, a loose cannon could mow down sailors and send them flying to their doom overboard. Then there was the risk that a gun would simply explode, as two on the Bonhomme Richard already had, killing most of the Sailors around them.
Again, imagine yourself there. Moments after your ears stop ringing from your own ship’s broadside, you see the white plumes of return fire from the British vessel, Serapis.
Cannon balls crunch into the side of your ship and put holes through the sails and rigging. The Serapis is one of the newest vessels in the British Navy, a purpose-built warship with more fire-power and maneuverability than your own converted merchant vessel. It becomes quickly apparent that that a duel of cannon shall not end well for your side.
Fortunately, your captain knows that as well and boldly charges in to bring the ships to grappling range. Somehow, despite captaining an inherently slower and less nimble vessel, John Paul Jones brings his ship in close to his quarry.
When the two ships close to hailing range, the Serapis’ captain, observing the ruinous damage to Bonhomme, penetrated with numerous cannon holes, some at the waterline, offers Jones the opportunity to surrender.
“Has your ship struck?” the British Captain calls out.
You look to your Captain, standing tall upon the deck, staring intensely at his British counterpart. Likely you think it a reasonable question. You might even hope that the answer is “yes,” since by all appearances your ship is about to go under and the Serapis is in far better shape.
John Paul Jones smiles, eyes glittering defiance, and utters words that would ring through naval history.
“I have not yet begun to fight!”
. . .
For more, listen to the Podcast episode and check out my book, History Stories for Everyone, where I dive deeper into this and some of history’s other most fascinating and relatable human stories:
