Battle of Fort Royal The Battle of Fort Royal was a naval battle fought off Fort Royal , Martinique in the West Indies during the American War of Independence on 29 April 1781 between fleets of the British Royal Navy and the French Navy . After an engagement lasting four hours , the British squadron under Sir Samuel Hood broke off and retreated . De Grasse offered a desultory chase before seeing the French convoys safely to port . Background . In March 1781 , a large French fleet under the command of Comte de Grasse left the port of Brest . Most of this fleet was destined for the West Indies ; of the 26 ships of the line , one was sent to North America , and five , under the command of the Bailli de Suffren , were destined for India . The remaining twenty arrived off Martinique on April 28 . Before passing to the lee ( western ) side of the island , de Grasse anchored the fleet and sent someone ashore for news . He learned that a British fleet of 17 ships of the line under Samuel Hood was blockading Fort Royal , preventing the four French ships in anchored there from leaving . Hood was under orders from the fleet ' s station commander , Admiral George Brydges Rodney , to maintain the blockade of the port on the lee side , in spite of his protestations that this would put him at a disadvantage in any action involving an arriving fleet . While he was disadvantaged by the position and his inferior strength , all of his ships had coppered bottoms ( improving their performance ) , and he was not burdened with the responsibility of escorting a convoy . Battle . De Grasse ordered his fleet to prepare for action on the morning of April 29 , and sailed for Fort Royal with the convoy ships hugging the coast , and the armed ships in battle line . Hood ' s fleet was spotted around 8 am , slowly bearing toward them , but de Grasse held the weather gage . At about 9 : 20 , Hood was joined by the " Prince William " , a 64 - gun ship that had been at St . Lucia . The two fleets then continued to maneuver for advantage , but Hood ' s leeward position meant he was unable to prevent de Grasse from bringing the convoy to harbor , and the meeting of de Grasse ' s fleet and the four blockaded ships . Around 11 : 00 , de Grasse ' s van began firing at long range , with no effect . By 12 : 30 the two fleets were aligned , but de Grasse refused to take advantage of the weather gage to close with Hood , in spite of Hood ' s efforts to bring the French to him . The fleets then exchanged cannonades and broadsides for the next hour , but at long range , the damage incurred was modest . The four British ships on the southern end of the line suffered the most damage , since they were targeted by eight French ships . Hood finally drew away toward St . Lucia . Aftermath . Hood dispatched the " Russell " , which had been holed below the waterline to St . Eustatius for repairs , and to bring news of the action to Admiral Rodney . Hood spent the next day in fruitless attempts to gain the windward , and eventually made sail to the north . He met Rodney on May 11 between St . Kitts and Antigua , the latter having left St . Eustatius on May 5 . Reports of French casualties vary considerably , from as few as 74 killed and wounded to more than 250 . Order of battle . British fleet . British order of battle as provided by Clowes , p . 482 .