A 1778 privateer sloop as a path to early steam power

What would the panel do with a privateer sloop and letter of marque in 1778?

Use prize money to add early steam propulsion and then invest modern engineering knowledge in faster railway and industrial development.

The scenario places the panel in command of a letter-of-marque sloop in 1778. Dr. Clarke proposes taking relatively easy prizes, then using the proceeds to commission a compact high-pressure engine from an early British builder. Fitting the machinery might require landing guns, but even limited auxiliary propulsion would let the privateer move when sailing opponents were becalmed. The panel's engineering knowledge could also be redirected toward earlier railway construction and other industrial projects. The counterfactual depends less on winning one cruise than on converting maritime profits into an accelerated steam economy.