Battle of Grand Turk
| Capture of The Turks and Caicos Islands | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Anglo-French War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 France
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 Great Britain
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Marquis de Grasse-Briançon M. de Coujolles |
unknown (defence) Horatio Nelson (relief) |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 400 | unknown (defence) 167 (relief) 2 brigs |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| none | 9 wounded | ||||||
The Battle of Grand Turk was a battle that occurred on 9 March 1783 during the Anglo-French War. France had seized the Turks and Caicos archipelago, islets of rich salt works, seizing Grand Turk in February 1783. The British responded by deploying 28-gun frigate HMS Albermarle with a force of more than 100 men under the command of Captain Horatio Nelson. Although the mission failed, the islands were restored to Britain in the second Treaty of Paris that formally concluded the war.
On 12 February 1783, a three-ship flotilla, headed by the 28-gun La Coquette under the command of the Marquis de Grasse-Briançon (nephew to Admiral Comte de Grasse) arrived at Grand Turk Island. Disembarking about 400 men drawn from four regiments under the command of M. de Coujolles, the French took control of the island without resistance.
On 2 March 1783, the 44-gun HMS Resistance, under the command of Captain James King, while sailing in company with HMS Duguay Trouin, discovered two of the French ships anchored in Turks Island passage. On being spotted the two ships cut their cables and stood to the southwest, upon which Resistance promptly gave chase. The rearmost ship, carrying 20 guns, sprang her main topmast, and surrendered after Resistance came up and fired a broadside. She then gave chase to the other, carrying 28 guns, and after enduring fire from their stern chasers, came alongside and the Frenchman promptly surrendered. A few days later Resistance fell in with a small squadron under Captain Horatio Nelson, consisting of HMS Albemarle, HMS Tartar, HMS Drake and the armed ship Barrington. Primary accounts differ on what exactly happened next.
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