Soon after she had been completed, Pallas, a privateer built in France in 1778, commanded by Capitaine de Brulot Cottineau de Kerloguen, made one voyage carrying military stores to North Carolina. While awaiting a return cargo, her crew helped the state to fortify a position on Point Lookout named Fort Hancock. Returning to France, Pallas fared so well in a brush with HMS La Brune that the ship, captain, and crew were taken into the French Navy.
In the spring of 1779 Pallas was one of several ships turned over to American commissioners at Paris to form a squadron commanded by Captain John Paul Jones. Taken into the Continental Navy, Pallas departed Groix Roads, near L’Orient, France, 19 June 1779, with Jones’ squadron to escort French merchantmen to Bordeaux and other ports on the Bay of Biscay.
The ships returned to L’Orient 1 July, but Pallas, Vengence, and Cerf soon got underway again cruising off Belle-Ile to protect Allied shipping from British privateers. Returning from this assignment, she prepared for a longer cruise under Jones.
The American fleet departed Groix Roads before dawn 14 August to begin the cruise around the British Isles. Four days later Monsieur, a French privateer which had started the cruise with the American squadron, captured a ship but left with her prize the next day. A large ship outran Jones 1920 August; but on the 21st Mayflower, a brigantine heading toward Liverpool laden with provisions from London, struck her colors, and was sent to L’Orient.
The little squadron was scattered by a storm on the night of the 26th, but reassembled on the night of 1-2 September. The following afternoon they took an Irish brigantine returning from Norway. On the 15th they captured two colliers from Leith headed for Riga. Two days later, contrary winds frustrated an attempt to attack the port of Leith.
Returning toward France on the 23rd, the Americans encountered a large convoy off Flamborough Head escorted by the British frigate HMS Serapis and sloop of war Countess of Scarborough. In the ensuing battle, while Jones in Bon Homme Richard won undying fame defeating Serapis despite tremendous odds, Pallas captured Countess of Scarborough after an hour’s action. Then, besides manning their prize, Pallas’s crew labored to save Bon Homme Richard until the battered frigate sank in the forenoon of the 25th.
Captain Piercy of the Countess of Scarborough, in his report to Captain Pearson, has left the only detailed account of the fight between his ship and the Pallas. "About two minutes," he says, "after you began to engage with the largest ships of the enemy's squadron, I received a broadside from one of the frigates, which I instantly returned and continued engaging her for about twenty minutes, when she dropt astern. I then made sail up to the Serapis, to see if I could give you any assistance, but upon coming near you I found you and the enemy so close together and covered with smoke that I could not distinguish one ship from the other; and for fear I might fire into the Serapis instead of the enemy, I backed the main-top-sail in order to engage the attention of one of the frigates that was then coming up. When she got on my starboard quarter she gave me her broadside, which, as soon as I could get my guns to bear (which was very soon done), I returned and continued engaging her for near two hours, when I was so unfortunate as to have all my braces, great part of the running rigging, main and mizen top-sail sheets shot away, seven of the guns dismounted, four men killed and twenty wounded, and another frigate coming up on my larboard quarter." Piercy then surrendered (Almon, ix, 48.)
Captains Pearson and Piercy were subsequently tried by a court martial, the verdict of which was that they and their officers and men "have not only acquitted themselves of their duty to their country, but have in the execution of such duty done infinite credit to themselves by a very obstinate defence against a superior force."
These contests attracted much attention on shore and many spectators viewed the scene from Flamborough Head and Scarborough. Bright moonlight made objects visible at a distance and the spectacle must have been impressive. A letter from Scarborough says: "Soon after our arrival on Thursday evening we were told there was an engagement at sea; I immediately threw up the sash of the room I was in and we had a fair view of the engagement, which appeared very severe, for the firing was frequently so quick that we could scarce count the shots."
After the war, Pallas was returned to France.
Howard Chapelle, The History of the American Sailing Navy: the Ships and their Development (New York: Norton, 1949)