Battle of Trincomalee The Battle of Trincomalee was the fourth in the series of battles fought between a British fleet under Vice - Admiral Sir Edward Hughes and a French fleet under the Bailli de Suffren off the coast of Trincomalee , then India during the American Revolutionary War . The battle was fought on 3 September 1782 . Background . France had entered the American Revolutionary War in 1778 , and Britain declared war on the Dutch Republic in late 1780 after the Dutch refused to stop trading in military supplies with the French and the Americans . The British had rapidly gained control over most French and Dutch outposts in India when news of these events reached India , spawning the Second Anglo - Mysore War in the process . The French admiral the Bailli de Suffren was dispatched on a mission to provide military assistance to French colonies in India . He arrived in February 1782 , and immediately engaged the British fleet of Vice - Admiral Sir Edward Hughes in the inconclusive Battle of Sadras . After both fleets spent time in port repairing , refitting , and revictualing , they met again in the April Battle of Providien , south of the Ceylonese port of Trincomalee that was ended by a storm and then nightfall . Hughes put into Trincomalee , a formerly Dutch port the British had captured in January , for repairs , while Suffren went to the Dutch - controlled port of Batticaloa . Suffren and Hughes then met a third time off Negapatam , again with inconclusive results , after which Suffren anchored off Cuddalore to make repairs . Due to the exposed nature of the anchorage at Cuddalore , and the impending arrival of additional British fleets , Suffren decided to attempt the capture of Trincomalee to gain a safe harbour for his fleet where he might effect more substantial repairs to his fleet . ( He had already cannibalized prize ships and transports , as well as housing in Cuddalore , to make repairs . ) Suffren was meeting with Hyder Ali near Cuddalore on 28 July when he learned of the arrival of a French fleet near the southern end of Ceylon . This fleet included two ships of the line , a frigate , and transports carrying 800 troops and their supplies . He immediately sailed for Batticaloa , where the two fleets joined forces on 21 August . The next day , after ammunition and supplies were distributed among Suffren ' s ships , they sailed for Trincomalee , where they anchored the same evening . Trincomalee captured . On 25 August , after studying the defenses , Suffren landed 2400 men east of the main fortifications . Gun batteries were set up the next day , which then bombarded the fort for three days , until the wall was breached . Captain MacDowel , the British commander , was summoned to surrender on 30 August . After negotiations , the fort ' s garrison surrendered on condition that the French transport it to Madras and allow it to continue service in the war . French troops entered Trincomalee on 1 September . The next day , Hughes ' fleet was spotted approaching the port . Naval battle . Following the battle off Negapatam , Hughes had spent two weeks at see before putting into Madras for repairs . There he was joined by " Sceptre " and " San Carlos " . Notified by one his scouts that the French were anchored outside Trincomalee , Hughes lifted anchor and made haste to come to the garrison ' s aid , but arrived one day too late . Suffren , now safe within the harbour , held council with his captains . Some of them , led by his second - in - command , had persistently opposed offensive actions against the British , and vigorously renewed their objections to the need for combat . Suffren , after confirming that his fleet outnumbered that of Hughes , argued in favor of action , as the destruction of the British fleet would greatly simplify land operations in pursuit of objectives of the French and their Mysorean allies . He accordingly gave orders to sail out and meet the British fleet . When they exited the harbour Suffren gave the signal to form the battle line . This command , even after being repeated several times , was poorly executed by his recalcitrant subordinates , and only a ragged line was arranged . Frustrated by this insubordination , Suffren then gave orders to hold fire until close quarters , and tried to communicate this by firing a gun from his flagship , " Héros " . This shot was misinterpreted by his captains as an order to open fire , and the whole line opened fire on the British fleet , beginning the action . The heaviest action was at the center of the lines , where Suffren and Hughes again faced off against each other . " Héros " was assisted by " Illustre " and " Ajax " , while Hughes , leading from " Superb " , was assisted by " Burford " , " Sultan " , " Eagle " , " Hero " , and " Monarca " . This lopsided conflict went on for about one hour before Suffren signalled for assistance . " St . Michel " and " Annibal " , commanded by insubordinate captains , stayed away , while " Brillant " eventually neared the action and gave some assistance . Thirty minutes later " Ajax " was forced to withdraw with heavy damage , and was replaced by " Artésien " . An hour later the situation became critical when " Héros " ' mainmast came crashing down , and Suffren was forced to scramble to make sure the British did not think that he had struck his colours . He had also run out of ammunition , having fired 1 , 800 rounds at the British ships , and continued to fire powder alone in an attempt to fool the enemy . Battle on the ends of the line went more in favor of the French . " Isis " , " Worcester " , and " Monmouth " were badly damaged , and " Exeter " , whose captain was killed in the action , was disabled . At 5 : 30 pm , after about three hours of battle , the winds suddenly shifted to the advantage of the French fleet . The ships on the outer ends of their line , which had seen relatively light action , were able to bear on the battle at the center , bringing a new intensity to the battle . " Hero " lost her mainmast and mizzenmast , and " Worcester " lost her maintopmast . A number of British ships were disabled before night fell , and darkness ended the battle . Aftermath . While accounts differ , it appears likely that Suffren may have attempted to give chase when Hughes drew his fleet off and made for Madras . The French fleet entered Trincomalee harbour and began working to repair the extensive damage to the fleet . The damage to the British fleet was so severe that land commanders at Madras recalled troops from the field in case the French attempted an attack there . As he had following the battle of Negapatam , Suffren arrested three of his captains and sent them to Île de France for punishment for their performance in the battle . This performance was so noteworthy that even the British commented on it ; the " Calcutta Gazette " reported that Suffren was very poorly supported by his subordinates , and one commentator wrote that they were " unworthy to serve so great a man " . Suffren sailed from Trincomalee on 30 September , arriving at Cuddalore on 4 October . Eleven days later he sailed for winter quarters in Achin , where he arrived on 7 November . Hughes , who did not want to remain in the exposed anchorage of Madras during the monsoon season , sailed for Bombay . His whole fleet suffered through the early days of the monsoon , and some ships took two months to arrive there .