WI: John Paul Jones Sinks the Royal Navy

On April 23, 1778, John Paul Jones landed in Whitehaven. His mission: to burn the hundreds Royal Navy ships anchored in the port. However, they were forced to delay, and then one of his marines turned traitor and warned the British, forcing him to flee.

But what if this audacious raid had succeeded? Would it have ended the American Revolution sooner? Or would it have backfired?
 
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-paul-jones-leads-american-raid-on-whitehaven-england

http://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com/john-paul-jones-attacks-whitehaven-england.html

Not sure what if any warships were anchored there from my reading - certainly no mention of "hundreds".

And sinking a few (odds are very long against getting most, let alone all) merchant ships is not going to be a whole more more substantial than their OTL situation - more significant for the dramatic reaction than the limited actual damage.
 
However, they were forced to delay, and then one of his marines turned traitor and warned the British, forcing him to flee.

But what if this audacious raid had succeeded? Would it have ended the American Revolution sooner? Or would it have backfired?

Wasn't the delay c/o his marines deciding to stop at a pub for a pint?
 
Wasn't the delay c/o his marines deciding to stop at a pub for a pint?
Not exactly. They were running low on fuel for a fire, so Jones sent some marines to the pub to get some more. However, the temptation proved too strong for them, so they had a few drinks while they were there.
 
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