Action of 29 April 1758
| Action of 29 April 1758 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Seven Years' War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Great Britain
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 France
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Captain Peter Denis | Captain Louis-Armand-Constantin de Rohan | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| HMS Dorsetshire, HMS Achilles | Raisonnable | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 16 killed, 20 wounded | 61 killed, 100 wounded, Raisonnable captured | ||||||
The Action of 29 April 1758 was a naval engagement fought in the Bay of Biscay near Brest between a British Royal Navy squadron and a single French Navy ship of the line during the Seven Years' War. In an attempt to support the garrison of Louisbourg, who were facing an impending siege, the French Atlantic Fleet sent a number of squadrons and ships to sea during the spring of 1758. To intercept these ships, Royal Navy squadrons maintained a close blockade of their main port at Brest. In April a British squadron including HMS Intrepid, HMS Dorsetshire and HMS Achilles was cruising off the French Biscay Coast when a lone sail was sighted to the southwest. Dorsetshire, commanded by Captain Peter Denis was sent to investigate, discovering the ship to be the French ship of the line Raisonnable sailing to Louisbourg. In a fierce battle, Dorsetshire managed to inflict heavy casualties on the French ship and force her captain, Louis-Armand-Constantin de Rohan, to surrender.
In 1758 the British Royal Navy Channel Fleet and the French Navy Atlantic Fleet were contesting control of the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic Ocean during the Seven Years' War, which had broken out between Britain and France in 1755 over colonial dominance in North America. For the French Navy the priority was maintaining their lines of supply to the major French Canadian fortress of Louisbourg, which was soon to fall under siege. To support the city, the French Atlantic Fleet sent squadrons and single ships into the Atlantic to bring supplies and reinforcements to the garrison and the Royal Navy in turn deployed forces to intercept these missions.
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