Battle of the Basque Roads

11–24 April 1809, Basque Roads, off Rochefort, France

British victory; four French ships destroyed, but most of the squadron escaped

The French Atlantic squadron, blockaded in the Basque Roads off Rochefort, was anchored behind a boom under the guns of the Île d'Aix. The Admiralty sent the young Captain Lord Cochrane to attack it with fireships, against the wishes of the fleet commander, Lord Gambier. On the night of 11 April Cochrane led in explosion vessels and more than twenty fireships. They broke the boom, and although few reached the French ships, panic did the rest: almost every French ship cut her cables and ran aground. At dawn Cochrane signalled that the enemy could be destroyed, but Gambier held the fleet back for hours. Cochrane went in alone with Impérieuse, and only then were ships sent to help. Ville de Varsovie, Aquilon and Calcutta were taken and burned and Tonnerre was burned by her crew, but the rest got off on the tide. Cochrane, a Member of Parliament, said he would oppose the vote of thanks to Gambier. Gambier demanded a court-martial and was cleared, and Cochrane was given no more ships.