You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast.

Hello, and thanks for joining Revolution 250, where we look at events that took place 250 years ago this week.

This is from the American Revolution podcast, a short bonus episode to remind you about these important anniversaries from the Revolutionary War.

This week, we remembered the launch of the Continental Navy on its first mission.

The fleet left Philadelphia on February 17, 1776.

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The Continental Congress had authorized a Continental Navy back in October of 1775.

A real Navy was more of a dream than a reality. Aside from the ships that Benedict Arnold had captured on Lake Champlain and a handful of ships

that George Washington had purchased or rented, which remained under Army control, the Continental

Congress had no ships.

Several colonies had launched their own ships, mostly to attack and capture merchant ships supplying the regulars. Many privateers were raiding British ships as well. This was actually

quite helpful in capturing supplies and denying them to the British Army, but none of this

was under the command of Congress,

and no colony nor privateer had anything that could go up against a British naval fleet

or even one of the larger ships of the line. That didn't seem to discourage anyone. Congress decided

to start building a Navy and wanted to put it to use as soon as possible.

Congressional delegate Stephen Hopkins of Rhode Island sat on the naval committee.

When it came time to select a fleet commander,

Stephen thought his brother, Isak Hopkins, would be the best man for the job.

He got Congress to appoint Esak Hopkins as commander-in-chief of the

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