Complex sentence: In 1788 Captain Thomas Gilbert in "Charlotte" and Captain John Marshall in "Scarborough" crossed through Abemama, Kuria, Aranuka, Tarawa, Abaiang, Butaritari, and Makin without attempting to land on the atolls.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1788 Captain Thomas Gilbert in the "Charlotte" and Captain John Marshall in the "Scarborough". Gilbert and Marshall crossed through Abemama, Kuria, Aranuka, Tarawa, Abaiang, Butaritari, and Makin without attempting to land on the atolls.