This Day in History: April 8

The Ranger left the French port of Brest on April 8, 1778. At the slow sailing speed of the day, it was April 15 before the ship entered the channel between England and Ireland. (Jones would have seen this as a more direct route to less defended targets in Ireland and the west coast of England and Scotland.) The weather that day was windy and overcast. This limited visibility would have blocked the American's view of potential targets. However, British warships could not have spotted Jones unless they were very close. [More]