The Armada of 1779; ANIMATED Documentary

In 1779, Britain faced one of the greatest naval threats of the American Revolutionary War. A massive Franco-Spanish fleet entered the English Channel as part of an ambitious plan to invade Britain. This animated documentary covers the Armada of 1779, the combined French and Spanish Navy, the Royal Navy Channel Fleet, the capture of HMS Ardent, and the logistical, strategic and command problems that ultimately caused the invasion attempt to fail. Discover one of the largest and most overlooked naval operations of the Age of Sail. #Armada1779 #navalhistory #americanrevolution #ageofsail #royalnavy #frenchnavy Chapters: 00:00 The War of American Independence in 1778 – Why Spain Needed to Join 01:52 Convention of Aranjuez – Why Spain Joined the War 11:26 The Delays That Doomed the Armada 13:53 The Last-Minute Change of Plans That Complicated the Invasion 17:16 The Invisible Enemy: Disease 18:48 New Plan: Invasion of Cornwall 19:38 The Invasion of England Commences – and Fails 20:55 Consequences of the Failed Invasion of Britain Join my Discord: discord.com/invite/hKNn7VH9e3 Join my Patreon: patreon.com/c/kaisershistory Sources: Main Source: Jonathan R. Dull, The French Navy and American Independence: A Study of Arms and Diplomacy, 1774–1787. Secondary Sources: Piers Mackesy, *The War for America, 1775–1783*. N. A. M. Rodger, *The Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain, 1649–1815*. Julian S. Corbett, The Campaign of Trafalgar and his studies on British naval operations and the Channel Fleet. Primary Sources & Contemporary Material: – Correspondence and dispatches of Admiral Louis Guillouet, Comte d’Orvilliers, commander of the Franco-Spanish fleet. – Correspondence and orders of Antoine de Sartine, French Secretary of State for the Navy. – British Admiralty correspondence and dispatches relating to **Admiral Sir Charles Hardy and the Channel Fleet, 1779**. – Contemporary correspondence concerning the Franco-Spanish fleet preserved in the Benjamin Franklin and John Adams Papers. – The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, including reports from Europe on the movements and strength of the combined fleet. – Royal Navy signal books, fleet orders and manuscripts from the National Maritime Museum / Royal Museums Greenwich, including Hardy's Channel Fleet signals of 1779. – Commander James Bradby's HMS Pluto order book (1779) and contemporary fireship instructions. – Contemporary letter describing the 1779 Channel campaign, preserved in the Admiral Holland manuscript collection, National Maritime Museum. – Contemporary French newspapers, memoirs and political correspondence concerning the invasion preparations, Brest and the combined fleet.