The Second Battle of Ushant was a naval battle fought between French and British squadrons near

Ushant Ushant (; br, Eusa, ; french: Ouessant, ) is a French island at the southwestern end of the English Channel which marks the westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and, in medieval terms, Léon. In lower tiers of govern ...

, an island off the coast of

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

, on 12 December 1781, as part of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

Background

On 10 December 1781 a French convoy sailed from Brest with reinforcements and stores for the East and West Indies, protected by a fleet of 19

ships of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colu ...

commanded by Comte de Guichen. On 11 December 1781 Bussy-Castelnau departed Cadiz, Spain, with a squadron comprising the 64-gun ''Saint-Michel'' and the 74-gun ''Illustre'', escorting three transports, to make his junction at Tenerife in the Canary Islands with the squadron under Guichen. The next day they encountered a British squadron of ships of the line, commanded by Rear Admiral

Richard Kempenfelt Rear-Admiral Richard Kempenfelt (1718 – 29 August 1782) was a British rear admiral who gained a reputation as a naval innovator. He is best known for his victory against the French at the Second Battle of Ushant and for his death when accide ...

in HMS ''Victory'', that had been ordered to sea to intercept the expected convoy.

Action

On 12 December Kempenfelt's squadron sighted the French convoy, discovering that its protective escort had been strengthened. Initially, Guichen's fleet was situated downwind of the convoy, allowing the British ships to sweep down and capture 15 ships carrying troops and supplies before the French ships could intervene. Kempenfelt's force was not strong enough to attack the 19 French escorts, but the French convoy, having deliberately risked setting sail in the North Atlantic storm season in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid British forces, was dispersed in a gale shortly afterwards, and most of the ships forced to return to port.

Aftermath

Only two of the ships of the line intended for the West Indies arrived with a few transport vessels in time for the

Battle of the Saintes The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...

in April 1782. When news of the battle at Ushant reached Britain, the

Opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...

in Parliament questioned the decision to send such a small force against the convoy, and forced an official inquiry into the administration of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. This was the first of a succession of Opposition challenges that would ultimately bring about the fall of the government of

Lord North Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford (13 April 17325 August 1792), better known by his courtesy title Lord North, which he used from 1752 to 1790, was 12th Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782. He led Great Britain through most o ...

on 20 March 1782 and pave the way for the Peace of Paris the following year, which ended the American Revolutionary War. The French transports ''Marquis de Castries'' and ''Neptune-Royal'', lone survivors of the convoy, reached

Saint Croix Saint Croix; nl, Sint-Kruis; french: link=no, Sainte-Croix; Danish and no, Sankt Croix, Taino: ''Ay Ay'' ( ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincor ...

carrying siege artillery and an artillery company.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ushant (1781), Battle of Conflicts in 1781 Ushant 1781 Military history of Brittany 1781 in France Battle