A failed French amphibious assault on British-held islands demonstrated the difficulty of opposed landings and led to a British blockade of Cotentin ports.
Key Facts
- Date
- 7 May 1798
- French landing ships
- Over 50 ships
- French casualties
- Nearly 1,000 killed soldiers
- British garrison strength
- 500 troops
- British casualties
- Negligible
- British garrison in place since
- 1795
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The British had garrisoned the Îles Saint-Marcouf since 1795, using the islands as a resupply base for Royal Navy ships patrolling northern French waters. French forces sought to expel this garrison and simultaneously test amphibious equipment and tactics that had reportedly been developed in preparation for a possible invasion of Britain.
On 7 May 1798, French forces launched a massed amphibious assault on the southern island using more than 50 landing ships and hundreds of troops. The 500-strong British garrison resisted alone, as wind and tides prevented nearby Royal Navy vessels from intervening. Heavy fire from shore batteries and muskets devastated the landing ships, killing nearly 1,000 French soldiers without a single soldier reaching shore, forcing a complete retreat.
The failed assault left the British garrison intact and emboldened Royal Navy forces to impose a close blockade of the Cotentin ports where the surviving French landing craft were anchored. Within a month, this blockade yielded a secondary British success when a French frigate and corvette were intercepted and defeated by the blockade squadron.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent