Battle of Ushant (1778) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Ushant |
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| Part of the Anglo-French War | |||||||
 Combat d'Ouessant juillet 1778, Théodore Gudin |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Great Britain |
 France |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Augustus Keppel Hugh Palliser |
 Comte d'Orvilliers Comte de Guichen |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 29 ships-of-the-line | 30 ships-of-the-line | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 407 killed 789 wounded |
126 killed 413 wounded |
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The Battle of Ushant was a big naval battle that happened on July 27, 1778. It was fought between the British and French navies. This battle took place about 100 miles (160 km) west of Ushant, an island near the coast of France. It was part of the American Revolutionary War, which also involved France.
The French commander had orders to try and avoid a big fight if possible. This was to keep his fleet ready for future battles. On the British side, the two main commanders didn't get along well. This made it hard for them to work together during the battle.
In the end, neither side won clearly, and no ships were lost. This battle was the first major sea fight in the Anglo-French War of 1778. After the battle, there were many arguments and disagreements in both countries.
Contents
What Happened Before the Battle?
The British fleet had 30 large warships called ships-of-the-line, plus four smaller frigates and two fire-ships. Their leader was Admiral Augustus Keppel, sailing on his ship, the HMS Victory. They left Spithead on July 9.
The French fleet was a bit bigger, with 32 ships-of-the-line, seven frigates, five corvettes, and one lugger. Their commander was Vice-Admiral Comte d'Orvilliers, who had sailed from Brest on July 8.
Admiral Keppel spotted the French fleet near Ushant on July 23. He quickly ordered his warships to form a line and chase them. The French fleet then turned around and headed towards the British. Keppel didn't want to fight at night, so he had his ships stop.
The next morning, d'Orvilliers found his fleet to the north-west of the British. He was cut off from Brest, but he still had the advantage of being upwind. Two of his ships managed to escape into port. For three days, Keppel tried to make the French fight, but d'Orvilliers avoided it, staying upwind and heading into the Atlantic.
The Battle Begins!
On July 27, at 6:00 AM, the British fleet was spread out. Keppel ordered the ships at the back, led by Sir Hugh Palliser, to chase the French upwind. By 9:00 AM, the French fleet, which had been sailing in the same direction, turned around again.
As the last French ships were turning, the wind changed. This allowed the British to get closer. At 10:15 AM, the British were slightly downwind, sailing in a line, following the French. A little later, a sudden change in wind brought a rain shower. When it cleared around 11:00 AM, the wind shifted again, giving the British an advantage. D'Orvilliers tried to cancel this advantage by ordering his ships to turn. The French ships, now heading towards the British in a loose group, would pass slightly upwind.
The French ships were not sailing directly into the wind, so d'Orvilliers ordered them to sail as close to the wind as possible. This made the French line move slightly away from the British. The battle started at 11:20 AM when the fourth French ship in line fired its cannons. Keppel wanted to save his main attack for the enemy's main ship. So, he let six French ships fire at his ship without firing back. Once he reached the 110-gun French ship Bretagne, he then attacked the next six ships in the French line.
As the front part of the British fleet, led by Robert Harland, passed the end of the French line, Harland ordered his ships to turn. They then chased the French ships at the back. Meanwhile, Palliser's ten ships at the back of the British fleet were not in a proper battle line. This was partly because of Keppel's earlier order to chase the French ships upwind. Because of this, Palliser's group was badly damaged.
At 1:00 PM, Keppel's ship, Victory, passed the last French ship. It tried to follow Harland, but its masts and ropes were so damaged that Keppel had to turn the ship around. It was 2:00 PM before his ships were sailing in the opposite direction. Around this time, Palliser's ship, Formidable, came out of the battle.
The French line had turned and was now heading south, threatening to pass the British fleet downwind. The French often aimed their cannons high, which damaged the rigging of several British ships. Keppel sailed towards these damaged ships, signaling for his fleet to form a battle line. By 4:00 PM, Harland's group had turned and joined Keppel's ships in line. But Palliser either couldn't or wouldn't join them. His ships, misunderstanding Keppel's signals, formed a line with their commander, several miles upwind from the rest of the British fleet. D'Orvilliers, however, did not attack the British fleet while it was split up. Instead, he continued sailing, passing the British fleet downwind.
At 5:00 PM, Keppel sent a smaller ship, HMS Fox, to tell Palliser to join the main fleet. When that didn't work, at 7:00 PM, Keppel sent signals to each ship in Palliser's group individually. By the time those ships joined Keppel, night had fallen. Under the cover of darkness, the French fleet sailed away. By daylight, the French were 20 miles away. With no chance of catching them, Keppel decided to return to Plymouth to fix his ships.
After the Battle
In France
Louis Philippe II d'Orléans, a French prince, was part of the battle. He asked for permission to take the news of the battle back to Paris. He arrived early on August 2, woke up Louis XVI, the King, and announced a victory. People celebrated Chartres a lot. He even got a 20-minute standing ovation at the Paris Opera. People even burned a dummy of Admiral Keppel in the gardens of his family home.
However, new reports about the battle and Chartres's role started to arrive in Paris. It turned out the battle was not a clear victory. D'Orvilliers accused Chartres of either misunderstanding or purposely ignoring an order to fight the enemy. Soon, people in Paris made fun of Chartres in songs. This embarrassment led him to leave the Navy. He later tried to join a planned invasion of Britain, but the King said no.
Two French captains, Trémigon and Rochechouart, were investigated. They had gotten separated from the fleet and didn't take part in the battle. Trémigon was told off, but Rochechouart was cleared.
In Britain
A big argument started between the British commanders, made worse by their political differences. This led to two official investigations (called courts-martial). Admiral Keppel resigned from the navy. These arguments caused problems for the navy's organization. Keppel was investigated but was found innocent of doing anything wrong in the battle. There were many discussions about changes to ship logs and missing notes. Palliser was also criticized in an investigation. The whole situation turned into a political fight.
Images for kids
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Combat d'Ouessant juillet 1778, Théodore Gudin
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Depiction of the battle
