Battle of Ushant (1778)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Ushant took place on 27 July 1778, during the American War of Independence, fought between French
and British
fleets 100 miles (160 km) west of Ushant
, a French island at the mouth of the English Channel
off the north-westernmost point of France. The battle ended indecisively and led to political disputes in both countries.
, in HMS Victory
. The French fleet, 29 ships commanded by the admiral, the Comte d'Orvilliers
, sailed from Brest
on 8 July 1778. Keppel put to sea from Spithead
on 9 July 1778. He sighted the French fleet west of Ushant
on 23 July. D'Orvilliers, who had orders to avoid battle, was cut off from Brest but he retained the weather gage
. Two of his ships, standing to windward, escaped into port, leaving him with 27.
, 110 guns, followed by Ville de Paris
, 90 guns. The British van escaped with little loss but Sir Hugh Palliser
's rear division suffered considerably. Keppel made the signal to wear and follow the French, but Palliser did not conform and the action was not resumed.
requested permission to carry news of the battle to Paris and Versailles. He arrived there early on the morning of 2 August, had Louis XVI
woken up and announced a victory. Chartres was widely celebrated and received a twenty minute standing ovation
when he attended the opera
. An effigy of Admiral Keppel was burnt in the gardens of the Palais Royal
. Chartres then returned to Brest
to rejoin the fleet. Fresh reports of the battle and Chartres role then began to arrive in the French capital. Far from a victory, it was now reported as being at best indecisive, and Chartres was accused by d'Orvilliers of either having misunderstood or deliberately ignored an order to engage the enemy.
Chartres was soon being mocked by street ballads in Paris, and the embarrassment led to Chartres eventually resigning from the Navy. He subsequently tried to gain permission to take part in a planned invasion of Britain
the following year but he was refused by the King.
Early Modern France
Kingdom of France is the early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century...
and British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
fleets 100 miles (160 km) west of Ushant
Ushant
Ushant is an island at the south-western end of the English Channel which marks the north-westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and is in the traditional region of Bro-Leon. Administratively, Ushant is a commune in the Finistère department...
, a French island at the mouth of the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
off the north-westernmost point of France. The battle ended indecisively and led to political disputes in both countries.
Background
The British had 30 ships-of-the-line commanded by the admiral, Augustus KeppelAugustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel
Admiral Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel PC was an officer of the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the War of American Independence...
, in HMS Victory
HMS Victory
HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. She is most famous as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805....
. The French fleet, 29 ships commanded by the admiral, the Comte d'Orvilliers
Louis Guillouet, comte d'Orvilliers
Louis Guillouet, comte d'Orvilliers was a French admiral.D'Orvilliers was born in Moulins, Allier, but spent most of his childhood in Cayenne, capital of the French colony French Guiana, where his father was governor. In 1723, aged fifteen, he joined the colony's infantry regiment and quickly rose...
, sailed from Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
on 8 July 1778. Keppel put to sea from Spithead
Spithead
Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds, except those from the southeast...
on 9 July 1778. He sighted the French fleet west of Ushant
Ushant
Ushant is an island at the south-western end of the English Channel which marks the north-westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and is in the traditional region of Bro-Leon. Administratively, Ushant is a commune in the Finistère department...
on 23 July. D'Orvilliers, who had orders to avoid battle, was cut off from Brest but he retained the weather gage
Weather gage
The weather gage is a nautical term used to describe the advantageous position of a fighting sailing vessel, relative to another. The term is from the Age of Sail, and is now antiquated. A ship is said to possess the weather gage if it is in any position, at sea, upwind of the other vessel...
. Two of his ships, standing to windward, escaped into port, leaving him with 27.
Battle
The two fleets manoeuvred during shifting winds and a heavy rain squall until a battle became inevitable with the British more or less in column and the French in some confusion. However, the French managed to pass along the British line to windward with their most advanced ships. At around noon, opened fire on BretagneFrench ship Bretagne (1766)
The Bretagne was a large 110-gun three-decker French ship of the line, built at Brest, which became famous as the flagship of the Brest Fleet during the American War of Independence....
, 110 guns, followed by Ville de Paris
French ship Ville de Paris (1764)
The Ville de Paris was a large three-decker French ship of the line that became famous as the flagship of the Comte de Grasse during the American Revolutionary War....
, 90 guns. The British van escaped with little loss but Sir Hugh Palliser
Hugh Palliser
Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser, 1st Baronet was an officer of the British Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War...
's rear division suffered considerably. Keppel made the signal to wear and follow the French, but Palliser did not conform and the action was not resumed.
France
ChartresLouis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Louis Philippe Joseph d'Orléans commonly known as Philippe, was a member of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, the ruling dynasty of France. He actively supported the French Revolution and adopted the name Philippe Égalité, but was nonetheless guillotined during the Reign of Terror...
requested permission to carry news of the battle to Paris and Versailles. He arrived there early on the morning of 2 August, had Louis XVI
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
woken up and announced a victory. Chartres was widely celebrated and received a twenty minute standing ovation
Standing ovation
A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim...
when he attended the opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
. An effigy of Admiral Keppel was burnt in the gardens of the Palais Royal
Palais Royal
The Palais-Royal, originally called the Palais-Cardinal, is a palace and an associated garden located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris...
. Chartres then returned to Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
to rejoin the fleet. Fresh reports of the battle and Chartres role then began to arrive in the French capital. Far from a victory, it was now reported as being at best indecisive, and Chartres was accused by d'Orvilliers of either having misunderstood or deliberately ignored an order to engage the enemy.
Chartres was soon being mocked by street ballads in Paris, and the embarrassment led to Chartres eventually resigning from the Navy. He subsequently tried to gain permission to take part in a planned invasion of Britain
Armada of 1779
The Armada of 1779 was an exceptionally large joint French and Spanish fleet intended, with the aid of a feint by the American Continental Navy, to facilitate an invasion of Britain, as part of the wider American War of Independence, and in application of the Franco-American alliance...
the following year but he was refused by the King.