The last successful French attack on a British merchant convoy in the Indian Ocean during the Napoleonic Wars, ending a year-long French raiding campaign.
Key Facts
- Date
- 3 July 1810
- French commander
- Guy-Victor Duperré
- British ships captured
- 2 (Ceylon and Windham)
- British ship escaped
- Astell
- Minimum sailors killed (each side)
- 20 personnel
- Windham captures
- Second time Windham was captured by French
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
A French frigate squadron operating from Isle de France under Commodore Jacques Hamelin had been conducting raids on British Indian Ocean convoys for over a year. The British frigate squadron tasked with suppressing these raids, under Josias Rowley, was diverted toward the planned invasion of Isle Bonaparte, leaving the French free to continue attacking merchant shipping.
On 3 July 1810, French frigates under Guy-Victor Duperré intercepted a convoy of three British East Indiamen near the Comoro Islands. After fighting in which both sides suffered at least 20 killed, two of the three ships—Ceylon and the flagship Windham—surrendered. Windham's resistance allowed the third vessel, Astell, to escape.
Although a tactical French victory, it proved to be the final successful French attack on a British merchant convoy in the Indian Ocean during the Napoleonic Wars. The British seizure of Isle Bonaparte shortly afterward, combined with the diversion of Hamelin's squadron to defend Isle de France, permanently curtailed French raiding capacity in the region.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Guy-Victor Duperré, Jacques Hamelin (squadron commander).
Side B
1 belligerent
Josias Rowley (not present).