The colonies had maritime experience—they had sailed with the British Navy, they had operated on privateering vessels—but they didn’t have a navy of their own. And that’s the challenge as the Revolution begins. On land, you can turn militias into an army, but there’s no equivalent at sea. If they’re going to stand up to the British, they have to build a naval presence from the ground up.

In this bonus episode of Revolution Revisited, host Maggie Creech and guest Dr. Kylie Hulbert explore the origins and challenges of the Continental Navy during the American Revolution. They discuss how a collection of colonies with maritime experience but no unified naval force attempted to build a navy from scratch, the competition with privateers for sailors, and the critical role that naval power, especially from international allies, played in securing American independence.

Inside the Episode:

At the start of the American Revolution, the colonies faced a massive problem at sea. They had the sailors and the experience, but they lacked a unified naval force capable of challenging the British Royal Navy. In this episode, we follow the 1775 push to create the Continental Navy, a movement led in part by John Adams. We’ll look at the immediate hurdles they faced including limited funding, scarce resources, and a desperate competition for talent with privateers. We’ll also explore the people on the decks, from green recruits to the skilled African American pilots whose knowledge of local waterways proved essential.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Welcome to Revolution Revisited and Forming the Continental Navy
00:47 Guest Introduction: Historian Dr. Kylie Hulbert
01:16 The Colonial Maritime World and British Naval Dominance
03:43 Why the Colonies Had No Navy at the Start of the Revolution
04:30 John Adams Pushes for a Continental Navy
05:40 Debate in Congress: Navy as a Step Toward Independence
07:15 Building a Navy from Scratch: Ships, Money, and Manpower
09:20 Early Steps Toward Formation in Late 1775
10:30 State Navies and the Struggle for Unity
12:30 Pirates vs. Privateers vs. Naval Sailors Explained
15:40 Privateering vs. Navy Service: Risk, Reward, and Recruitment Challenges
18:25 Who Served: Crews, Skills, and Life at Sea
21:00 African American Sailors and Their Contributions
25:34 Stories of Individual Sailors and Service
28:30 John Paul Jones and Criticism of Privateers
30:00 Early Naval Engagements and Missed Opportunities
32:03 The French Navy and the Turning Point at Sea
34:53 The Global Nature of the American Revolution
36:30 Why Britain Ultimately Lost the War
38:24 The End of the Continental Navy
40:08 Closing Thoughts and Episode Wrap-Up

RELATED CONTENT:

Bonus Episode: Getting in Ship Shape: Forming the Continental Navy