The destruction of 15 French ships ended Louis XIV's plan to restore James II to the English throne via naval invasion.
Key Facts
- French ships of the line
- 44
- Anglo-Dutch ships of the line
- 82
- French ships destroyed
- 15
- Duration
- 19 May – 4 June 1692 (O.S.)
- Theater
- Barfleur, Cherbourg, Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, Normandy
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After the Williamite War in Ireland ended in French defeat in October 1691, Louis XIV planned a naval invasion of England to restore the exiled James II. Admiral de Tourville was ordered to sea early to intercept Anglo-Dutch fleets before they could combine, while a French invasion force under Bellefonds awaited transport.
Tourville's 44 French ships of the line engaged the combined Anglo-Dutch fleet of 82 vessels off Cape Barfleur on 29 May 1692. Despite inflicting casualties, the outnumbered French were forced to disengage. Anglo-Dutch forces pursued the retreating French fleet into the harbours of Cherbourg and Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue.
Anglo-Dutch forces destroyed fifteen French ships in the harbours of Cherbourg and La Hougue, eliminating the immediate invasion threat to England. The battle confirmed Anglo-Dutch naval superiority in the Channel and effectively ended French ambitions to restore James II to the English throne by force during the Nine Years' War.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Admiral Edward Russell.
Side B
1 belligerent
Admiral Anne Hilarion de Tourville, Bernardin Gigault de Bellefonds.