Action of 6 November 1794
1794 CE.
Shown on the map at 48.417°, -7.883°.
The action of 6 November 1794 (Known in French as the Combat du 16 Brumaire an III) was a naval engagement during the War of the First Coalition. Two Royal Navy ships of the line, HMS Alexander and HMS Canada were intercepted while returning to Britain through the Celtic Sea by a large French squadron. The French squadron had sailed from Brest, France in search of an inward bound British convoy in October, but instead encountered the two British ships returning from escorting an outward-bound convoy. There had been no warning of the French approach as the British force assigned to watch Brest was absent at Plymouth due to the policy of operating a distant blockade. The British ships separated and attempted to escape, but the French commander Contre-amiral Joseph-Marie Nielly simply split his forces in response and, although Canada was eventually able to outrun pursuit, Alexander was slower and was caught by several French ships in succession. The first two opponents were driven off, but the third succeeded in coming alongside and, in a fierce and close fought duel, compelled Captain Richard Rodney Bligh to surrender his ship in the face of overwhelming odds.
Text from the Wikipedia article Action of 6 November 1794, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.