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European waters, 1775–1782
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The Second Battle of Ushant was a naval battle
fought between French and British squadrons near Ushant on 12 December 1781, during the American
War of Independence.
A French convoy sailed from Brest on 10 December with reinforcements
and stores for the East and West Indies, protected by a fleet of 19
ships of the
line commanded by Comte de
Guichen. The British squadron of 13 ships of the line, commanded by Rear
Admiral Richard Kempenfelt in HMS Victory,
which had been ordered to sea to intercept the expected convoy,
sighted the French on 12 December, discovering only then that the
protective escort had been strengthened. De Guichen's fleet was
downwind of the convoy, which let the British ships sweep down to
capture 18 ships carrying troops and supplies, before the French
ships could intervene.
Kempenfelt's force was not strong enough to attack the 19 French
escorts, but fortunately for Britain, the convoy, which had
deliberately risked setting sail in the North Atlantic storm season
to avoid British forces, was dispersed in a gale shortly
afterwards, and most of the ships forced to return to port. Only
two of the ships of the line intended for the West
Indies arrived with a few transport vessels in time for the Battle
of the Saintes in April. When news of the battle reached
Britain, the Opposition in Parliament questioned
the sending of such a small force against the convoy, and forced an
official inquiry into the administration of the Royal Navy. This was the
first of a succession of Opposition challenges which would
ultimately bring about the fall of the government of Lord
North on 20 March 1782 and pave the way for the Peace
of Paris (1783), which ended the American Revolutionary
War.