The log-book now contains
A Journall Kept on Board the American Continental Ship of War, Ariel, of 26—Nine Pounders, Commanded by the Honble. John Paul Jones Esqr. commencing in the Port of L'Orient June the 16th: 1780.
Although under the date of the 16th, in the account of the occurrences on shore, is written "Commencement of the Ariels Journall," the first entry following the complete heading is on June 18th.
The remarks on the following days are full of interest. The ship could hardly have been more than a hulk, in no way prepared for sea, for until the 8th of October—nearly three months—they show that she was remasted, sparred, altered, repaired, and refitted with sails and new rigging, besides receiving on board quantities of stores, clothing, and munitions of war, destined for America, that the Alliance had been unable to take. The movements of the Alliance under Landais are also recorded prior to her departure. On the 2d of September a grand entertainment was given by Jones, during which he endeavored to represent the battle with the Serapis to a large and distinguished company. An amusing description of another entertainment, about December 10th, appears in Fanning's narrative,[15] who figures in the log entry on the 2d of September as having been kicked by Jones and ordered below.
Although apparently ready for sea early in September, the ship was moved only to the Roads of Groix, where she lay until the 8th of October, apparently detained by contrary winds or foul weather. On that day she got to sea, and on the very night of her departure encountered a heavy gale which increased to a hurricane the following day, in which the ship was nearly lost.
The remarks of the 9th and 10th of October describe the distress of the ship, with some particularity for a formal log entry, but a more detailed account of this great storm is found in a report signed by the officers of the Ariel which Jones procured, possibly to confirm his own report of the gale and its effects, which he gives in his journal for the King.
He sailed from the Roads of Groix with such a quantity of arms and powder as filled the ship even between decks; the wind was fair and weather pleasant, but the next night the Ariel was driven by the violent tempest close to the rocks of Penmarque, a terrible ledge between L'Orient and Brest. The ship could show no sail, but was almost buried under water, not having room to run before the wind, and having several feet of water in the hold. Finding the depth of water diminishing fast, Jones in the last extremity cast anchor, but could not bring the ship's head to the wind. Sometimes the lower yard-arms touched the water, and Jones had no remedy left but to cut away the foremast. This had the desired effect, and the ship immediately came head to the wind. The mainmast had got out of the step, and now reeled about like a drunken man. Foreseeing the danger of its either breaking off below the gun-deck or going through the ship's bottom, Jones ordered it to be cut away, but, before this could be done, the chain plates gave way, and the mainmast breaking off by the gun-deck carried with it the mizzenmast, and the mizzenmast carried away the quarter-gallery; two additional cables were spliced and veered out. In that situation the Ariel rode in the open ocean to windward of perhaps the most dangerous ledge of rocks in the world, for two days and two nights, in a tempest that covered the shore with wrecks and dead bodies, and that drove ships ashore from their anchors, even in the port of L'Orient.[16]
This terrible gale was felt nearly all over Europe. In the Gentleman's Magazine for November, 1780, it is stated that "this dreadful hurricane was one of those tremendous tempests of which two or three occur in an age." In England it occurred on the night of Sunday, October 8th, and did immense damage by sea and land. It is a singular coincidence that, while Jones was experiencing this dreadful hurricane on the French coast, his opponent of a twelvemonth before equally felt its effects on the English coast.
In a letter to the Admiralty, dated on board the Alarm, at Plymouth, October 10, 1780, Sir Richard Pearson states as follows:
I arrived here on the evening of the 8th, it blowing very hard at S. E.; the next morning the wind shifted suddenly to W. N. W. and blew a gale all yesterday from that to W. S. W. and S. W. and continued until one or two o'clock this morning; in which I had the misfortune to part my two Bowers and Sheet Cable, and was reduced to my spare anchor, which I had providentially got two cables on, which brought me up at eleven o'clock last night, when I found myself under the necessity of cutting away all my masts for the preservation of his Majesty's ship and the lives of my people. I am now in the same distressing situation as I was last night.[17]