American Flag First Recognized by a Foreign Ship: France Salutes
French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte fired a nine-gun salute to the USS Ranger commanded by John Paul Jones, the first time a foreign naval vessel formally recognized the American flag. This symbolic act confirmed France's willingness to treat the fledgling United States as a sovereign nation, bolstering American morale and foreshadowing the Franco-American alliance that proved decisive in the Radical War.
February 14, 1778
248 years ago
Key Figures & Places
France
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United States Flag
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Admiral
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Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte
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USS Ranger (1777)
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John Paul Jones
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Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
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Kingdom of Great Britain
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John Paul Jones (musician)
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John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
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War of the First Coalition
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Commodore (rank)
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Flag of the United States
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Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1797)
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Naval ship
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Admiral
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Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte
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USS Ranger (1777)
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John Paul Jones
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Spanish Navy
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