HBMS denotes british ships.
# | Ships | Commander | Guns | Notes |
1 | Heros | Bailli de Suffren | 74 | "(1)" |
2 | Annibal | de Trémignon | 74 | "Killed during the action (2)" |
3 | Artesien | Chevalier de Cardaillac | 64 | "Killed during the action" |
4 | Sphinx | vicomte du Chilleau | 64 | |
5 | Vengeur | Chevalier de Forbin | 64 | |
6 | HMXMS Fortune | de Lusignan | 18 | |
6 ships of the line | 358 guns |
# | Ships | Commander | Guns | notes |
7 | Grand-Bourg | Indiaman | ||
8 | Saint-Anne | Indiaman | ||
9 | Maurepas | Indiaman | ||
10 | Brisson | Indiaman | ||
11 | Union | Indiaman | ||
12 | Espérance | Indiaman | ||
13 | Trois Amis | Indiaman | ||
14 | Paix | Indiaman | ||
15 | Abondance | Swedish ship armed in the name of the king |
Commanded by Monsieur de Castries
Pondicherry regiment (2 battalions)
Austrasie regiment (detachment)
At about 3000 mens
# | Ships | Commander | Guns | Notes | Source |
1 | Romney | Roddam Home | 50 | broad pendant of Commodore George Johnstone | B040 |
2 | Hero | James Hawker | 74 | B040 | |
3 | Monmouth | James Alms | 64 | B040 | |
4 | Jupiter | Thomas Paisley | 50 | B040 | |
5 | Isis | Evelyn Sutton | 50 | B040 | |
7 | Active | Thomas Mackenzie | 32 | B040 | |
8 | Diana | Sir William Chaloner Burnaby, Bart | 32 | B040 | |
9 | Jason | James Piggot | 32 | B040 | |
10 | Rattlesnake | Cmd Peter Clements | 14 | Cutter | B040 |
11 | Porto | Cmd hon Thomas Charles Lumley | 16 | B040 | |
12 | Infernal | Cmd Henry d'Esterre Darby | 8 | Fireship,taken by the Fortune | B040 |
12 | Terror | Cmd Charles Wood | 8 | 'Bomb vessel | B040 |
13 | Tapageur | Lt Philip D'Auvergne | 14 | Cutter | B040 |
14 | San Carlos | Cmd John Boyle | 20 | A former Spanish ship of the line armed as storeship | B040 |
15 | Pondicherry | Lt Thomas Saunders Grove | 20 | Armed Transport | B040 |
16 | Royal Charlotte | Thomas Stanhope Bennett | 20 | Storeship | B040 |
17 | Porpoise | 18 | Armed Storeship? | ||
5 ships of the line, 3 Frigates | 384 guns |
# | Ships | Commander | Guns | notes |
17 | Fortitude | Indiaman | ||
18 | Hinchingbroke | Indiaman, Taken by the French | ||
19 | Osterly | Indiaman | ||
20 | Edward | Indiaman | ||
21 | Lord North | Indiaman | ||
22 | Asia | Indiaman |
Commanded by General Meadows
98th infantry regiment
100th infantry regiment
At about 2000 mens
# | British | Situation | Number | French | Commander | Guns** |
1 | officers | Killed | 7 | officers | Killed | 5 |
2 | officers | Wounded | 3 | officers | Wounded | 3 |
3 | officers | Prisoners | 1 | officers | Prisoners | 0 |
4 | seamen | Killed | 20 | seamen | Killed | 74 |
5 | seamen | Wounded | 77 | seamen | Wounded | 148 |
6 | seamen | Prisoners | 11 | seamen | Prisoners | 0 |
7 | soldiers or marines | Killed | 24 | soldiers or marines | Killed | 0 |
8 | soldiers or marines | Wounded | 63 | soldiers or marines | Wounded | 0 |
9 | soldiers or marines | Prisoners | 9 | soldiers or marines | Prisoners | 0 |
Total british losses | 215 | Total french losses | 230 |
(1) Monsieur de Suffren is Commander of the Order of Malta
(2) Tremignon, captain of the 74 Annibal, was badly wounded at the very beginning of the action(he died soon after) and replaced by Lieutenant de vaisseau Morard de Galles, the one who will become admiral during the revolution period and will command the expeditionary fleet of Irland, in 1796.
(3) Darby is the nephew of Vice Adm. D'Arby, commanding the channel fleet at the same period. It served as lieutenant, in his flagship, the Britannia, of 100 guns a few month before. Latter Admiral, sir H D'Esterre.
(4) In his journal, Suffren estimated to 35 to 40 the total account of vessels of the english convoy. William Laird Clowes claims 10 East indiamen.
(5) Clowes gives British Royal Navy losses as 9 killed and 47 wounded, loses on the convoy bring the totals to 36 killend and 130 wounded. Clowes gives Frnech losses as 105 killed and 204 wounded, all but 19 on the Heros and Annibal.
English data source: The new annual register of general repository for the year 1781, London, J&J Robinson – 1793 (Johnstone report to the Earl of Hillborough 8th june 1781, page 72)
Naval and Military Memoirs of Great Britain, Robert Beatson, J. Strachan, Peter Hill (page 314 and followwings)
The Annual Register, Or, A View of the History, Politics, and Literature for the year 1782De Edmund Burke, John Davis, London, Dodsley, 1791
B040 | The Royal Navy - Vol III | William Laird Clowes |
B085 | Journal de bord du Bailli de Suffren dans l'Inde | |
B092 | Essai historique sur la vie et les campagnes du bailli de Suffren | Joseph François Gabriel Hennequin |