Battle of the Saintes

The Battle of the Saintes in April 1782 was the largest naval engagement of the Revolutionary War and the worst French defeat at sea during the conflict. By the spring of 1782, both France and Britain had significant fleets in the Caribbean. De Grasse, the admiral who had made Yorktown possible, commanded 35 ships of the line and was planning a combined Franco-Spanish operation against Jamaica.

British Admiral Rodney intercepted de Grasse in the channel between Dominica and Guadeloupe — the 'Saintes' passage — with 36 ships of the line. During the battle on April 12, Rodney's fleet 'broke the line' — sailing through gaps in the French formation that appeared due to favorable wind shifts. This tactic shattered French cohesion and allowed British ships to rake multiple French vessels simultaneously.

De Grasse's flagship Ville de Paris — the largest warship in the world — was surrounded and forced to surrender after hours of fighting alone. De Grasse himself was captured. Five French ships of the line were taken or sunk. The French Caribbean fleet was effectively destroyed.

The victory came too late to affect the outcome in America — the war was essentially over — but it significantly improved Britain's negotiating position at the Paris peace talks, prevented the combined attack on Jamaica, and restored British naval prestige that had been badly damaged by the Chesapeake defeat the previous year.