Battle of Cap-Français
1757 CE.
Shown on the map at 19.800°, -72.200°.
The Battle of Cap-Français was a naval engagement during the Seven Years' War fought between squadrons of the French and British navies outside the harbour of Cap-Français, Saint-Domingue on 21 October 1757. The British force, consisting of three ships of the line under Commodore Arthur Forrest had been sent to cruise off Saint-Domingue in the hope of intercepting a French merchant convoy bound for France, but found that the convoy's escort, under Guy François Coëtnempren de Kersaint, had been heavily reinforced. The French came out to drive the British away, whereupon the British ships attacked them. Fighting against a substantially superior force, the British inflicted considerable damage on their opponents, but were in turn badly damaged, and after several hours the French broke away and returned to port. The British squadron also returned to port to carry out repairs, and the French convoy left the following month. Though the battle was tactically indecisive, the British officers involved became popular heroes for their daring in fighting against heavy odds.
Text from the Wikipedia article Battle of Cap-Français, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.