At the end, 70 Continental Navy sailors died in the battle, and the Bonhomme Richard was sunk. The stunning outcome of the engagement convinced the French to assist the revolutionaries. Jones transferred his crew to Serapis and sailed to Holland. The French turned the warship into a privateer and was subsequently lost when she caught fire off Madagascar due to a crew member dropping a lantern into a tub of brandy. The fire spread throughout the ship. In 1999, the wreck was found by American underwater archeologists.