Key Facts
- Date of engagement
- 9 September 1796
- French force
- 6 frigates
- British force
- 2 ships of the line (74-gun each)
- French commander
- Contre-amiral Pierre César Charles de Sercey
- Result
- Inconclusive; both sides disengaged
Strategic Narrative Overview
Sercey's squadron raided shipping at Banda Aceh on 1 September 1796 before sailing east toward Penang. On 8 September, while stripping a captured British merchant vessel, the French spotted HMS Arrogant and HMS Victorious. On 9 September, Sercey formed a line of battle, engaging each British ship in turn, preventing mutual support and inflicting damage on both, while French frigates Vertu and Seine also took hits.
01 / The Origins
During the French Revolutionary Wars, France deployed a squadron of six frigates under Contre-amiral de Sercey from Île de France to raid British trade routes through the Dutch East Indies. British naval forces in the region were stretched thin, concentrated at Simon's Town and Malacca, leaving commerce and ports in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia exposed to French commerce raiding.
03 / The Outcome
By late morning on 9 September both sides disengaged without a decisive result. The British withdrew to Madras for repairs, while Sercey anchored at King's Island in the Mergui Archipelago before sheltering in Batavia. Neither side achieved its objective: the British failed to drive off the French, and Sercey did not proceed to attack Penang as planned.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Pierre César Charles de Sercey.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.