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Great Britain | |||
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British squadron, Sir Samuel Hood (1st Baronet Hood)British Naval Sailor Service 1741-1793 | |||
This fleet was doing the Fort Royal port blockade. | |||
Ship Name | Commander | Notes | |
Name : Alfred (74)
1778-1814 British 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | William BayneBritish Naval Sailor Service 1749-1782 | ||
Name : Belliqueux (64)
1780-1816 British 64 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Thomas FitzherbertBritish , Naval Sailor Service 1739-1794 James BrineBritish Naval Sailor Service 1757-1810 | ||
Name : Alcide (74)
1779-1817 British 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Charles ThompsonBritish Naval Sailor Service 1754-1799 | ||
Name : Invincible (74)
1765-1801 British 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Charles SaxtonBritish , Naval Sailor Service 1747-1806 Richard Hussey BickertonBritish Naval Sailor Service 1774-1825 | ||
Name : Monarch (74)
1765-1813 British 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Lord Francis ReynoldsBritish Naval Sailor Service 1752-1787 | ||
Name : Barfleur (98)
1768-1819 British 98 Gun 2nd Rate Ship of the Line | John Nicholson InglefieldBritish Naval Sailor Dockyard Staff Service 1766-1796 | Fleet Flagship Rear-Admiral Samuel Hood | |
Name : Terrible (74)
1762-1781 British 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | John Thomas DuckworthBritish , Naval Sailor Service 1759-1817 James FergusonBritish Naval Sailor Service 1742-1793 | ||
Name : Princessa (70)
1780-1809 British 70 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Sir Thomas Rich (5th Baronet Rich)British Naval Sailor Service 1758-1801 | ||
Name : Ajax (74)
1767-1785 British 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | John SymonsBritish Naval Sailor Service 1747-1799 | ||
Name : Resolution (74)
1770-1813 British 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Lord Robert MannersBritish Naval Sailor Service 1778-1782 | ||
Name : Montagu (74)
1779-1818 British 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | John HoultonBritish Naval Sailor Service 1744-1790 | ||
Name : Gibraltar (80)
1780-1836 British 80 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Richard Hussey BickertonBritish Naval Sailor Service 1774-1825 | Squadron Flagship Rear-Admiral Francis Samuel Drake | |
Name : Centaur (74)
1759-1782 British 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | John Neale Pleydell NottBritish Naval Sailor Service 1746-1764 | ||
Name : Prince William (64)
1780-1817 British 64 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Stair DouglasBritish Naval Sailor Service 1749-1783 | ||
Name : Torbay (74)
1749-1784 British 74 Gun 2nd Rate Ship of the Line 1750 Renamed "Torbay" | John Lewis GidoinBritish Naval Sailor Service 1742-1795 | ||
Name : Intrepid (64)
1770-1815 British 64 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Anthony James Pye MolloyBritish Naval Sailor Service 1768-1794 | ||
Name : Shrewsbury (74)
1758-1783 British 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Mark RobinsonBritish Naval Sailor Service 1740-1787 | ||
Name : Lizard (28)
1757-1828 British 28 Gun 6th Rate Frigate | Edmund DoddBritish Naval Sailor Service 1760-1810 | ||
Royaume de France (Marine Royale) - Naval Sailor Service 1722-1788 | |||
Blue-and-White Squadron, Louis Antoine Bougainville (Comte de Bougainville)French Naval Sailor Service 1770-1802 | |||
Ship Name | Commander | Notes | |
Name : Le Languedoc (90)
1766-1799 French 90 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line 1794 Renamed "Antifédéraliste" 1795 Renamed "Victoire" | Hervé Louis Joseph Marie Duplessis-Parscau (Comte Duplessis-Parscau)French Naval Sailor | Squadron Flagship | |
Name : Le Citoyen (74)
1764-1793 French 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Alexandre de Thy (Comte d'Ethy)French Naval Sailor Service 1729-1789 | ||
Name : Le Glorieux (74)
1756-1782 French 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | d'Escards (Vicomte )French Naval Sailor | ||
Name : L'Auguste (84)
1778-1795 French 84 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line 1793 Renamed "Jacobin" 1794 Renamed "Neuf Thermidor" | Pierre Joseph CastellanFrench Naval Sailor Service 1781-1782 | Squadron Flagship | |
Name : Le Souverain (74)
1757-1798 French 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line 1792 Renamed "Peuple Souverain" | Jean-Baptiste de Glandevès du Castellet (Baron de Glandevès)French Naval Sailor Administrator Service 1741-1791 | ||
Name : Le Diadème (74)
1756-1797 French 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line 1792 Renamed "Brutus" | Louis Augustin MontecercFrench Naval Sailor | ||
Name : La Médée (32)
1778-1800 French 32 Gun 5th Rate Frigate | de Girardin (Chevalier )French Naval Sailor | for the signals | |
White Squadron, François-Joseph Paul de Grasse (Seigneur de Tilly)French Naval Sailor Service 1722-1788 | |||
Ship Name | Commander | Notes | |
Name : Le Zélé (74)
1763-1806 French 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line 1805 Renamed "Reserve" | Balthazar Gras-PrévilleFrench Naval Sailor | ||
Name : Le Scipion (74)
1778-1782 French 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Pierre Antoine de Clavel (Comte )French Naval Sailor | ||
Name : Le Northumberland (74)
1780-1794 French 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Bon Chrétien de Briqueville (Marquis )French Naval Sailor Service 1743-1784 | ||
Name : La Ville de Paris (104)
1764-1782 French 104 Gun 2nd Rate Ship of the Line | Antoine Cresp de Saint-CézaireFrench , Naval Sailor Service 1781 Jean-Baptiste François de La Villéon (Seigneur de La Villevalio)French Naval Sailor Service 1755-1814 | Fleet Flagship | |
Name : Le Sceptre (74)
1780-1811 French 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line 1792 Renamed "Convention" 1800 Renamed "Marengo" | Louis Rigaud de Vaudreuil (1st Comte de Vaudreuil)French Naval Sailor Service 1781-1783 | ||
Name : L'Hector (74)
1755-1782 French 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Laurent-Emanuel Renaud d'AleinsFrench Naval Sailor | ||
Name : Le Magnanime (74)
1779-1793 French 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Jean Antoine Le Bègue de Germiny (Comte de Germiny )French Naval Sailor Service 1747-1786 | ||
Name : La Diligente (26)
1761-1782 French 26 Gun 5th Rate Frigate | de Mortemart (Vicomte )French Naval Sailor | for the signals | |
Name : Le Pandour (14)
1780-1795 French 14 Gun Unrated Cutter | de Grasse-LimermontFrench Naval Sailor | for the signals | |
Blue squadron, Joseph Bernard de Chabert-Cogolin (Marquis de Chabert et Cogolin)French Naval Sailor Service 1739-1803 | |||
Ship Name | Commander | Notes | |
Name : Le Bourgogne (74)
1766-1783 French 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Charles de Casamajor-Charritte (Comte de Charitte)French Naval Sailor Service 1749-1814 | ||
Name : Le Vaillant (64)
1755-1783 French 64 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Charles Louis de Bernard de Marigny (Chevalier )French Naval Sailor Service 1756-1782 | ||
Name : Le Marseillais (74)
1766-1794 French 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line 1794 Renamed "Vengeur du Peuple" | Henri-César de Castellane Masjastres (Marquis de Majastre dit "Castellane-Majastre")French Naval Sailor Service 1749-1784 | ||
Name : Le César (74)
1768-1782 French 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Jean Charles Régis Coriolis d'EspinouseFrench Naval Sailor | ||
Name : Le Saint Esprit (84)
1765-1795 French 84 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line 1794 Renamed "Scipion" | Joseph Bernard de Chabert-Cogolin (Marquis de Chabert et Cogolin)French Naval Sailor Service 1739-1803 | Squadron Flagship | |
Name : L'Hercule (74)
1778-1794 French 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line 1795 Renamed "Hydre" | Jean Baptiste de Turpin de Jouhé (Comte de Turpin de Jouhé du Breuil-Malmaud)French Naval Sailor Service 1748-1781 | ||
Name : L'Aigrette (30)
1756-1789 French 30 Gun 5th Rate Frigate | Jean-Baptiste Prevost de Sansac de TraversayFrench Naval Sailor Service 1768-1828 | for the signals | |
Name : L'Alerte (18)
1778-1781 French 18 Gun Unrated Cutter | de ChabonsFrench Naval Sailor | for the signals | |
Blockaded ships, François d'Albert de Saint-Hippolyte (Chevalier d'Albert St Hippolyte)French Naval Sailor Service 1741-1782 | |||
4 ships of the line | |||
Ship Name | Commander | Notes | |
Name : La Victoire (74)
1770-1793 French 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | François d'Albert de Saint-Hippolyte (Chevalier d'Albert St Hippolyte)French Naval Sailor Service 1741-1782 | Squadron Flagship | |
Name : Le Caton (64)
1777-1782 French 64 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | de Framond (Comte )French Naval Sailor | ||
Name : Le Refléchi (64)
1776-1793 French 64 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line 1793 Renamed "Turot" | Charles Louis de Bernard de Marigny (Chevalier )French , Naval Sailor Service 1756-1782 Jean François Emmanuel Brune de BoadesFrench Naval Sailor Service 1681-1781 | ||
Name : Le Solitaire (64)
1774-1782 French 64 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Cicé-Champion (Comte de Cicé-Champion)French Naval Sailor | ||
Supply Convoy | |||
120 ships carrying 3200 troops to West Indies under Marquis de Bouillé command | |||
Ship Name | Commander | Notes | |
Ship Name | Commander | Notes | |
Name : Le Triton (64)
1747-1794 French 64 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Louis Joseph Deydier de PierrefeuFrench Naval Sailor Administrator Service 1755-1793 | ||
In March 1781, a large French fleet under the command of Comte de Grasse left the port of Brest. Most of this fleet was destined for the West Indies; of the 26 ships of the line, one was sent to North America, and five, under the command of the Bailli de Suffren, were destined for India. The remaining twenty arrived off Martinique on April 28. Before passing to the lee (western) side of the island, de Grasse anchored the fleet and sent someone ashore for news. He learned that a British fleet of 17 ships of the line under Samuel Hood was blockading Fort Royal, preventing the four French ships in anchored there from leaving.
Hood was under orders from the fleet's station commander, Admiral George Brydges Rodney, to maintain the blockade of the port on the lee side, in spite of his protestations that this would put him at a disadvantage in any action involving an arriving fleet. While he was disadvantaged by the position and his inferior strength, all of his ships had coppered bottoms (improving their performance), and he was not burdened with the responsibility of escorting a convoy.
Hood dispatched the Russell, which had been holed below the waterline to St. Eustatius for repairs, and to bring news of the action to Admiral Rodney. Hood spent the next day in fruitless attempts to gain the windward, and eventually made sail to the north. He met Rodney on May 11 between St. Kitts and Antigua, the latter having left St. Eustatius on May 5.
Reports of French casualties vary considerably, from as few as 74 killed and wounded to more than 250.