Battle of Cap-Français

Battle of Cap-Français
Part of the Seven Years' War
Date 21 October 1757 Location Off Cap-Français, Saint-Domingue Result Indecisive
Belligerents
Great Britain	France
Commanders and leaders
Arthur Forrest	Comte de Kersaint
Strength
Three ships of the line	Four ships of the line Three frigates
Casualties and losses
23 killed 89 wounded	500–600 killed and wounded

The Battle of Cap-Français was a naval engagement during the Seven Years' War fought between French and British forces outside the harbour of Cap-Français, Saint-Domingue (present-day Cap-Haïtien, Haiti) 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 de Coetnempren, comte 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. The young nephew of one of the officers present, who was in time to also embark on a naval career, was Horatio Nelson. Nelson considered the date of the battle a good omen, when 48 years to the day later, he faced a French fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar.

The British forces consisted of a detached squadron of three ships of the line under Commodore Arthur Forrest, that had been sent from Jamaica by Rear-Admiral Thomas Cotes to intercept a homeward-bound French convoy. The British squadron was made up of two 60-gun ships; HMS Augusta, flying Forrest's broad pennant, and HMS Dreadnought, under Captain Maurice Suckling. With them was the 64-gun HMS Edinburgh, under Captain William Langdon. The squadron arrived off Cap-Français in the morning of 21 October, expecting to find the convoy.

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