The Battle of Les Saintes took place from April 9 to April 12, 1782, during the American War of Independence, between the English fleet led by George Rodney and the French fleet led by the Count of Grasse. The English fleet emerged victorious. The clash was named after Les Saintes, a group of islands located between Guadeloupe and Dominica[1] in the West Indies.
Battle foreplay
France already possessed a few Caribbean islands and wanted to invade Jamaica, then an English colony.
On April 7, 1782, the Count of Grasse left Martinique with 35 ships of the line, including 2 armed with 50 guns, and a large convoy of more than 100 transport ships, to meet the Spanish fleet made up of 12 ships of the line. and carrying 15,000 troops, with a view to conquering Jamaica. He was pursued by the English fleet made up of 36 vessels and commanded by Admirals George Brydges Rodney and Samuel Hood who caught up with them the same evening thanks to the speed of their ships whose hull was covered with copper panels which prevented the marine flora from settle there.
On April 9, de Grasse ordered the convoy to take refuge in Guadeloupe and had his ships put in battle order to cover their retreat. Both fleets were then downwind of the island of Dominica. First, 8 ships of the English vanguard engaged 15 French ships. When the bulk of the English fleet approached the battle zone, the French ships broke contact to cover the retreat of the convoy. For the next two days, the two units faced each other without a fight to repair the damage of the first confrontation.
Battle progress
On April 12, Rodney attacked the 30 French ships with his 36 buildings. In a light east-northeast wind, the two fleets lined up in two files began the fight by going to meet each other according to the tactics of the line of battle. The French could not take advantage of their windward pace as they were squeezed between the English fleet and the east coast of Dominica. Around 9:20 a.m., the wind shifted to the south-east, which forced the French, who were firing southwards, to allow themselves to be deported to starboard towards the line of British buildings. A few French ships tried to change tack, which broke the order of battle. The English now having the wind in their sails took advantage of this and Rodney on his flagship HMS Formidable, followed by five others, entered a breach between the French. Behind him, Hood did the same and broke the French line just in front of the Comte de Grasse's flagship Ville de Paris.
In this position, the English could fire from either side and over short distances, their cannons (carronades) were particularly effective. In doing so, however, Rodney and Hood gave up the windward side to the French and were no longer in a position to prevent them from fleeing. However the wind died down and left the ships stranded. In the afternoon, when a light easterly wind rose, the French fleet was completely dislocated. De Grasse ordered a general withdrawal but this was not done in order. The English captured four French ships and attacked the isolated Ville de Paris. De Grasse surrendered with his flagship and let his fleet escape. The Caesar, captured by the English, exploded.
Conclusion
The rest of the French fleet joined the invasion fleet near Cap Français. Although it consisted of a total of 40 ships of the line, the invasion of Jamaica did not take place:the loss of the commander-in-chief and illnesses among the crews were the cause of the abandonment of the company.
In September 1782, a British convoy escorting two captured French vessels (the Ville de Paris and the Glorieux) set out for England. During a storm, the latter two disappeared body and property. The British ships of the line Ramillies and Centaur sank.
It has never been elucidated if Rodney tactically cut the French lines or if it was rather the wind that induced the maneuver. The question of why the French ships were not prosecuted also remains unanswered. Later, the Comte de Grasse blamed his captains Vaudreuil and Bougainville for the defeat.
This was the last naval battle fought in American waters during this war. In 1783, England, Spain and France signed a peace treaty which demarcated the borders between the islands of the British, Spanish and French colonies in the West Indies. This Battle of the Saintes marked a turning point in the tactics of combat at sea.