Battle of Porto Praya

Combat de la baie de la Praia dans l'île de Santiago au Cap Vert, le 16 avril 1781, by Pierre-Julien Gilbert (1783–1860)

Date	16 April 1781
Location	Praia, Portuguese Colony of Cape Verde 14°54′26.27″N 23°30′17.66″W / 14.9072972°N 23.5049056°W / 14.9072972; -23.5049056Coordinates: 14°54′26.27″N 23°30′17.66″W / 14.9072972°N 23.5049056°W / 14.9072972; -23.5049056
Result	Tactical draw; French strategic victory

Belligerents

Great Britain

France

Commanders and leaders

George Johnstone

Bailli de Suffren

Strength

5 ships of the line

Casualties and losses

36 killed
147 wounded

The Battle of Porto Praya was a naval battle that took place during the Anglo-French War on 16 April 1781 between a British squadron under Commodore George Johnstone and a French squadron under the Bailli de Suffren.

Both squadrons were en route to the Cape of Good Hope, the British to take it from the Dutch, the French aiming to help defend it and French possessions in the Indian Ocean. The British convoy and its escorting squadron had anchored at Porto Praya (now Praia) in the Cape Verde Islands to take on water, when the French squadron arrived and attacked them at anchor.

Due to the unexpected nature of the encounter, neither fleet was prepared to do battle, and in the inconclusive battle the French fleet sustained more damage than the British, though no ships were lost. Johnstone tried to pursue the French, but was forced to call it off in order to repair the damage his ships had taken.

The French gained a strategic victory, because Suffren beat Johnstone to the Cape and reinforced the Dutch garrison before continuing on his journey to the Île de France (now Mauritius).

France had entered the American Revolutionary War in 1778, and Britain declared war on the Dutch Republic in late 1780, when the Dutch refused to stop trading with the French and the Americans. Johnstone was ordered to lead an expedition to capture the Dutch colony at the Cape of Good Hope.

On 13 March 1781 Johnstone sailed from Spithead with a fleet of 37 ships, including five ships of the line, three frigates, and a large number of troop convoy ships. In early April the fleet anchored in the neutral harbour of Porto Praya in the Portuguese-controlled Cape Verde Islands to take on water and supplies.

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