On February 17, 1776, the new Continental Navy commanded by Esek Hopkins and consisting of eight small ships sails out of Philadelphia with instructions to destroy the British Navy. Commander Hopkins realizes his orders are crazy and sails for the Bahamas instead.

For more context on this story, listen to Episode 84 of the American Revolution Podcast. https://blog.amrevpodcast.com/2019/02/episode-084-continental-navy-raids.html

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