Her cargo was deemed important enough for her to be escorted by the USS Randolph, the Continental flagship captained by Nicholas Biddle. The USS Randolph, however, abandoned La Belladonna in the Bahamas after two weeks, leaving her without protection. After capturing the Man O' War and killing its captain, the crew of the Aquila spotted the Randolph a short distance away, but was forced to let her escape in order to protect La Belladonna, which had been severely damaged.