As a lieutenant in the East Indies he did well during the Seven Years' War, where he was severely wounded. He was subsequently unable to obtain a commission because his senior officers twice died before they could fulfil their promises. He finally obtained post rank as a captain in 1773.
In 1779, in command of the Serapis, 44 guns, and escorting a large convoy from the Baltic, he was attacked off Flamborough Head by an American rebel squadron under John Paul Jones in the Bonhomme Richard, 42 guns. This famous action ended in Pearson surrendering the Serapis to Jones but not before his spirited defence had covered the escape of the valuable convoy. The Bonhomme Richard ended up sinking following the capture, forcing Jones to lose his own ship and return to port in Pearson's captured vessel.
Pearson was considered a hero in his homeland after the battle.[1] He was knighted, received presents from the merchants and the freedoms of several towns. John Paul Jones was later asked how he felt about the captain whom he had defeated in battle being knighted, and he reportedly said: "I'd like to meet him on the high seas again; I'll make him a lord!"
Captain Sir Richd Pearson Knt. Lieutenant Governor of Greenwich Hospital
^Sherburne, John Henry (1825). Life and Character of the Chevalier John Paul Jones: A Captain in the Navy of the United States, During Their Revolutionary War. Wilder & Campbell
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Portrait of Sir Richard Pearson
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richard, pearson, royal, navy, officer, other, people, named, richard, pearson, richard, pearson, disambiguation, richard, pearson, 1731, 1806, british, naval, officer, captain, ship, serapis, during, american, revolution, captain, sirrichard, pearsonrn, eicpo. For other people named Richard Pearson see Richard Pearson disambiguation Sir Richard Pearson 1731 1806 was a British naval officer who was captain of the ship HMS Serapis during the American Revolution Captain SirRichard PearsonRN EICportrait by Charles Grignion the YoungerBorn1731EnglandDied1806EnglandOccupation s Royal Navy East India Company and Old Royal Naval CollegeCoconut cup given to Sir Richard Pearson in 1780 As a lieutenant in the East Indies he did well during the Seven Years War where he was severely wounded He was subsequently unable to obtain a commission because his senior officers twice died before they could fulfil their promises He finally obtained post rank as a captain in 1773 In 1779 in command of the Serapis 44 guns and escorting a large convoy from the Baltic he was attacked off Flamborough Head by an American rebel squadron under John Paul Jones in the Bonhomme Richard 42 guns This famous action ended in Pearson surrendering the Serapis to Jones but not before his spirited defence had covered the escape of the valuable convoy The Bonhomme Richard ended up sinking following the capture forcing Jones to lose his own ship and return to port in Pearson s captured vessel Pearson was considered a hero in his homeland after the battle 1 He was knighted received presents from the merchants and the freedoms of several towns John Paul Jones was later asked how he felt about the captain whom he had defeated in battle being knighted and he reportedly said I d like to meet him on the high seas again I ll make him a lord Captain Sir Richd Pearson Knt Lieutenant Governor of Greenwich HospitalPearson s 2nd son was Henry Shepherd Pearson who was Governor of Penang in 1808 In film editPearson was portrayed by Peter Cushing in the film John Paul Jones 1959 References edit Sherburne John Henry 1825 Life and Character of the Chevalier John Paul Jones A Captain in the Navy of the United States During Their Revolutionary War Wilder amp CampbellExternal links edit nbsp Media related to Richard Pearson Royal Navy officer at Wikimedia Commons Portrait of Sir Richard Pearson nbsp nbsp This biographical article related to the Royal Navy is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Richard Pearson Royal Navy officer amp oldid 1192882120, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
