An early command action for Captain Horatio Nelson, the battle failed but the islands were recovered diplomatically via the 1783 Treaty of Paris.
Key Facts
- Date
- 9 March 1783
- British vessel
- HMS Albemarle (28-gun frigate)
- British force size
- More than 100 men
- British commander
- Captain Horatio Nelson
- French seizure date
- February 1783
- Islands restored
- Second Treaty of Paris, 1783
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
France seized the Turks and Caicos archipelago, including the strategically valuable salt-producing island of Grand Turk, in February 1783 during the final stages of the American Revolutionary War, prompting a British military response to reclaim the territory.
On 9 March 1783, the Royal Navy dispatched HMS Albemarle, a 28-gun frigate commanded by Captain Horatio Nelson, with a force of over 100 men to retake Grand Turk from French forces. The British assault failed to dislodge the French occupiers.
Despite the British military failure at Grand Turk, the Turks and Caicos Islands were returned to British control through diplomatic means approximately six months later, when the second Treaty of Paris formally ended the American Revolutionary War and settled outstanding territorial disputes.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Captain Horatio Nelson.
Side B
1 belligerent