Independence launched and armed rapidly in 1814, but the Royal Navy knew she was coming and assembled overwhelming force off Boston. The squadron could include three to five 74-gun third rates, the 98-gun second-rate Boyne, frigates, and smaller vessels. Taking the new American ship and Constitution against those odds would have been strategically reckless. The example shows how Britain varied blockade strength according to the threat inside each port rather than distributing ships evenly. That practice drew on long Royal Navy experience monitoring European coasts and the Atlantic routes shaped by winds and currents.
Chapter · 44:00-49:05
A powerful blockade keeps Independence in Boston
Several British 74s, the 98-gun Boyne, frigates, and smaller vessels made a sortie by the newly armed Independence strategically reckless.