Battle of Cuddalore

20 June 1783, Coromandel Coast, off Cuddalore

French victory; the siege of Cuddalore raised

The last battle of the war, fought five months after the peace preliminaries were signed in Europe. A British army was besieging the French at Cuddalore, and Hughes's fleet, now reinforced to eighteen ships of the line, lay off the town to support it. Suffren came up with fifteen, having borrowed 1,200 soldiers from the garrison to fill his crews, and directed the battle from a frigate, the Cléopâtre. After three hours' fighting in line the fleets parted. Hughes, short of water and with his crews sick with scurvy, sailed for Madras, and the siege had to be lifted. News of the peace reached India a few days later.

Royal Navy

25 ships, none lost

Ship	Type	Outcome
HMS Superb Hughes's flagship	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Survived
HMS Defence Led the line	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Survived
HMS Isis	Ship of the line Fourth rate, 50 guns	Survived
HMS Gibraltar Also known as Fénix As HMS Gibraltar, Commodore Bickerton's flagship	Ship of the line Third rate, 80 guns	Survived
HMS Inflexible	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Survived
HMS Exeter	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Survived
HMS Worcester	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Survived
HMS Africa	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Survived
HMS Sultan	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Survived
HMS Monarca	Ship of the line Third rate, 68 guns	Survived
HMS Burford	Ship of the line Third rate, 70 guns	Survived
HMS Sceptre 17 killed, 47 wounded, the most in the British line	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Damaged
HMS Magnanime	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Survived
HMS Eagle	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Survived
HMS Hero Commodore King's flagship	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Survived
HMS Bristol	Ship of the line Fourth rate, 50 guns	Survived
HMS Monmouth	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Survived
HMS Cumberland	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Survived

Flotillas and other craft	Number	Lost
Frigates, sloop and armed storeships Active, Juno, Medea, Seahorse, Chaser, the storeships San Carlos and Harriott, and the troopship Pondicherry.	7	0

Flotillas and other craft

Number

Lost

Frigates, sloop and armed storeships

Active, Juno, Medea, Seahorse, Chaser, the storeships San Carlos and Harriott, and the troopship Pondicherry.

French Navy

19 ships, none lost

Ship	Type	Outcome
Héros	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Survived
Fendant Peynier's flagship	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Survived
Sphinx	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Survived
Brillant	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Survived
Flamand Captain Périer de Salvert killed	Ship of the line Fourth rate, 56 guns	Damaged
Ajax Captain Dupas de la Mancelière killed	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Damaged
Petit Annibal	Ship of the line Fourth rate, 50 guns	Survived
Argonaute	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Survived
Illustre	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Survived
Saint-Michel	Ship of the line Fourth rate, 60 guns	Survived
Vengeur	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Survived
Sévère	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Survived
Annibal	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Survived
Hardi	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Survived
Artésien	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Survived

Flotillas and other craft	Number	Lost
Frigates Cléopâtre, from which Suffren directed the battle, Fine, Consolante, and Coventry, taken from the British in 1783.	4	0

Flotillas and other craft

Number

Lost

Frigates

Cléopâtre, from which Suffren directed the battle, Fine, Consolante, and Coventry, taken from the British in 1783.

Map

Suffren sails to relieve Cuddalore June 1783