Complex sentence: In 1695, Captain Kidd obtained a commission from King William III to operate as a privateer, and on 6 April 1696, set out across the North Atlantic for New York, capturing a French fishing vessel en route.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1695, Captain Kidd obtained a commission from King William III to operate as a privateer. On 6 April 1696, he set out across the North Atlantic for New York, capturing a French fishing vessel en route.