You're listening to an Airwave Media Podcast. Hello and thank you for joining the American Revolution.

This week episode 233, the Bahamishard versus the Serapis.

Last week we left John Paul Jones leading a small fleet of ships against the British coast.

The main purpose of the raids, at least as far as the French

were concerned, was to distract the British from the armada that France and Spain

planned to use to begin a massive invasion of Britain. But after smallpox decimated the French and Spanish

crews, the Allies cancelled the invasion. But by that time, Jones was well into the North Sea looking to cause whatever disruption he could.

Jones's fleet had left France in mid-August. The French armada had left France nearly six weeks earlier.

After a shakedown cruise in June, Jones ran into some delays, falling ill for several weeks.

He was also trying to recruit more sailors.

About the same time Jones sailed into the English Channel,

the combined French and Spanish fleets were also moving into the channel in search of battle.

Jones had to collect a crew of mostly European

sailors and Marines. Some of the sailors were British prisoners, eager to escape

jail, but not exactly what you would call dedicated to the cause.

Other sailors were similarly poor men looking for opportunities to make money.

They were ideologically inclined.

Among Jones's crew of about 380 men, he took with him 140 French Marines, which was a fairly large number for a fleet his size, but were from an English-speaking Irish regiment that always enjoyed an opportunity to shoot at the English.

Another hundred or so were American seamen that Jones had obtained through a prisoner exchange with Britain.

Many of these sailors were also eager to get back into the fight.

The voyage did not begin particularly well. As the Bonholm-Rishard left Port, a sailor fell from the rigging just above Captain Jones.

If he had fallen on the captain Captain he likely would have killed him.

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