Second Battle of Ushant
- When
- 1781
- Where
- Brest and Cadiz; Near Ushant, off the coast of Brittany; Britain
- Episodes
- 3
On 12 December 1781, Rear Admiral Richard Kempenfelt intercepted a French convoy near Ushant. Despite being outnumbered, the British squadron captured 15 transport ships before a gale dispersed the remaining French fleet, forcing most vessels to return to port.
Episodes
- Parliamentary Inquiry
British Parliament questions the decision to send a small force, forcing an official inquiry into the Royal Navy.
- French Convoy Departure
French convoy leaves Brest with 19 escorts; Bussy-Castelnau departs Cadiz to join them.
- Battle of Ushant
Kempenfelt intercepts the convoy near Ushant and captures 15 transport ships before a gale disperses the French fleet.
Background and detail
Convoy Departure. On 10 December 1781, a French convoy carrying reinforcements for the Indies departed Brest under the protection of 19 ships of the line commanded by Comte de Guichen. The following day, a separate squadron under Bussy-Castelnau left Cadiz to join Guichen at Tenerife, strengthening the escort force.
Interception and Capture. Kempenfelt’s squadron, led by HMS Victory, encountered the French fleet on 12 December. Although the British force was too small to attack the 19 French escorts directly, they exploited the convoy's position to capture 15 ships carrying troops and supplies before the French could intervene.
Aftermath and Political Impact. A gale shortly after the engagement dispersed the French convoy, forcing most ships to return to port. In Britain, Parliament questioned the decision to send such a small force, triggering an inquiry into the Royal Navy's administration.
People involved
- Richard Kempenfelt · British Rear Admiral commanding HMS Victory
- Luc Urbain du Bouëxic, comte de Guichen · French commander of the escort fleet
- Bussy-Castelnau · French squadron commander joining Guichen
Sources
- Battle of Ushant (1781) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-22
- Richard Kempenfelt Wikipedia, revision of 2026-05-20
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.