Celebrated local author Mark Lardas will present his new book on the Battle of Flamborough Head, a Revolutionary War naval engagement fought off the coast of Yorkshire in which the American Bonhomme Richard faced off against the British Serapis in one of the most famous single-ship duels in history.

After it became apparent that the Bonhomme Richard would sink, her captain John Paul Jones boarded and captured the Serapis. Despite this tactical victory for the Americans, the British merchant fleet that the Serapis was protecting sailed to safety. Although the battle was a strategic draw, it created two naval heroes. In victory John Paul Jones became a figure that all future American naval officers would aspire to emulate, while Richard Pearson, in defeat, became a hero to the British for a tenacious defense that allowed the merchant vessels under his protection to escape.