First Battle of Ushant

Battle of Ushant
Part of the Anglo-French War
Depiction of the battle by Théodore Gudin, c. 1848
Date 27 July 1778 Location Bay of Biscay, 100 miles (160 km) off Ushant 48°33′36.9″N 7°22′58.13″W / 48.560250°N 7.3828139°W / 48.560250; -7.3828139Coordinates: 48°33′36.9″N 7°22′58.13″W / 48.560250°N 7.3828139°W / 48.560250; -7.3828139 Result Indecisive
Belligerents
Great Britain	France
Commanders and leaders
Augustus Keppel Hugh Palliser	Comte d'Orvilliers Luc Urbain de Bouëxic, comte de Guichen
Strength
29 ships (all ships of the line)	32 ships (30 ships of the line)
Casualties and losses
407 killed 789 wounded	126 killed 413 wounded

The Battle of Ushant (also called the First Battle of Ushant) took place on 27 July 1778, and was fought between French and British fleets 100 miles (160 km) west of Ushant, an island at the mouth of the English Channel off the north-westernmost point of France. The battle, which was the first major naval engagement in the Anglo-French War, ended indecisively and led to political conflicts in both countries.

The British had a fleet of thirty ships-of-the-line, four frigates, and two fire-ships commanded by Admiral Augustus Keppel, in HMS Victory, which sailed from Spithead on 9 July 1778. The French fleet had thirty-two ships-of-the-line, seven frigates, five corvettes and one lugger, commanded by Vice-Admiral Comte d'Orvilliers, who had sailed from Brest on 8 July 1778. Keppel sighted the French fleet west of Ushant at just after 12:00 on 23 July. Keppel immediately ordered his battleships into line and set off in pursuit. At around 19:00, the French fleet went about and began heading towards the British. Keppel, who did not wish to engage at night, had his ships hove to in response. In the morning, d'Orvilliers, found himself to the north-west of the British fleet and cut off from Brest, although he retained the weather gage. Two of his ships, standing to leeward, escaped into port, leaving him with thirty ships-of-the-line. Keppel tried for three days to bring the French to action but d'Orvilliers declined, maintaining his position upwind and heading into the Atlantic.

At 06:00 on 27 July, with the British fleet roughly line-abreast, Keppel gave the order for the rear division, under Sir Hugh Palliser, to chase to windward. At 09:00, the French, who had hitherto been sailing in the same direction, several miles to windward, went about once more. As the rearmost ships of the French fleet were tacking however, the wind changed allowing the British to close the gap between them and their quarry. At 10:15 the British were slightly to leeward, line-ahead on the same course as the French. A little later, a change in wind direction brought about a rain squall which cleared at around 11:00. A further change in wind direction to the south-west gave advantage to the British which d'Orvilliers sought to negate by ordering his ships about. The French, now heading towards British in a loose formation, would pass slightly to windward.

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