British FAILS on War at Sea

1) By 1777, Britain had about 100 warships off the American coast.  This allowed Britain to control the Atlantic trade routes.  In doing this they created a complete monopoly for themselves.


2)  Britain's #1 FAIL was that they didn't realize that American privateers could attack the merchant ships.  


3)After capturing a British merchant ship, the crew of a privateer sold its cargo and shared the money.  


4) As a result, a desire for profit as well as patriotism motivated privateers.  The states and Congress commissioned more than 1,000 privateers to prey on the British.  


5) In the end British merchants had to call for the war to end, in result of ships being captured, and disrupted trade.  FAIL!

By Caroline Cunningham