paul jones had a method of running his vessel alongside the enemy's, lashing the two together, and then having it out with the crew, generally winning in a canter. his idea in lashing the two ships together was to have one good ship to ride home on. generally it was the one he captured, while his own, which was rotten, was allowed to go down. this was especially the case in the fight between the richard and the serapis, september 23, 1779.