Battle of the Saintes - Definition

The Battle of the Saintes, 12 April 1782: surrender of the Ville de Paris by Thomas Whitcombe, painted 1783, shows Samuel Hood's Barfleur, center, attacking the French flagship Ville de Paris, right.

The Battle of the Saintes was a victory of a British fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney over a French fleet under the Comte de Grasse in the American Revolutionary War. The battle took place over several days, starting on 9 April 1782 and ending on 12 April 1782.

The battle is named after the Saintes (or Saints), a group of islands between Guadeloupe and Dominica in the West Indies. In 1782 the Comte de Grasse set out from Martinique with 30 ships of the line to capture the British possession of Jamaica. He was pursued by Rodney with 36 ships. There was an initial inconclusive clash on 9 April 1782, followed by a decisive battle three days latter.

The battle is famous for the tactic of "breaking the line", in which the British ships passed though a gap in the French line, engaging the enemy from leeward and throwing them into disorder. There is some controversy about whether the tactic was Rodney's or that of his rear-admiral Samuel Hood, but it was devastastingly effective and the battle ended French and Spanish hopes of capturing Jamaica from the British.

The same tactic was used by Nelson 23 years later in the Battle of Trafalgar.

See also

• Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War