Captain Jones himself lashed the spar to the rigging, knowing that his only chance was in fighting at close quarters, but the swaying of the ships broke them apart.

At that instant, however, the spare anchor of the _Serapis_ caught on the American's quarter and held the two vessels, as may be said, locked in each other's arms.
They were so close, indeed, that the English gunners could not raise the lower port lids, and they blew them off by firing their cannon through them.

The men on each ship in loading were forced to push their rammers into the ports of the other vessel.

The _Bonhomme Richard_ was set on fire by burning wads, but the flames were speedily extinguished.
The explosion of the American's lower guns at the opening of the battle had made her helpless against the corresponding battery of the enemy, which pounded away until a huge, yawning gap was opened.

Some of the shots went clean through the battered hull and splashed into the water, hundreds of feet distant.