Editing William Bainbridge (section)

==Pre-naval service==
In his teens William Bainbridge was already of athletic build and had an energetic and adventurous spirit. He was trained as a seaman in ships in the Delaware River, then considered the best 'school' for seamanship because of the great skill required to navigate that river.<ref>[[#Cooper2|Cooper, 1846]] pp. 10–11</ref>

Bainbridge served aboard the small merchant ship ''Cantor'' in 1792.<ref>[[#Barnes1897|Barnes, 1897]] pp. 9–10</ref>

In 1796 after returning from Brazil, Bainbridge served aboard the merchant ship ''Hope'', a small vessel of 140 tons with four nine-pound guns. While he was in port in the [[Garonne|Garonne River]] at [[Bordeaux]] preparing for his fourth voyage, the captain of a nearby ship which was under mutiny hailed Bainbridge and asked for help; though outnumbered by seven seamen and being severely wounded by exploding gunpowder, Bainbridge succeeded in helping restore order. For his courage and in recognition of his navigational and seaman skills he was made commander of that ship in 1796 at the age of nineteen.<ref name=Barnes73/>

After leaving France that same year he sailed to the [[Caribbean Sea|Caribbean]]. While in port at [[St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda|St. Johns]], ''Hope'' was hailed by a British merchant schooner, but refused to stop. The schooner fired at ''Hope'' in response, and Bainbridge and his crew quickly turned about and with only two guns fired a broadside, inflicting enough damage that led to the schooner [[striking the colors]].<ref name=Barnes73>[[#Barnes1896|Barnes, 1896]] pp. 73–74</ref><ref>[[#Barnes1897|Barnes, 1897]] pp. 19–21</ref><ref>[[#Harris|Harris, 1837]] pp. 19–20</ref>