As soon as news of war arrived at Île de France French ships spread out into the Indian Ocean in search of British and Dutch merchant shipping, gathering in significant numbers off the Sunda Straits.
Begitu berita perang tiba di Île de France, kapal-kapal Prancis menyebar ke Samudra Hindia untuk mencari pelayaran pedagang Britania dan Belanda, berkumpul dalam jumlah yang signifikan dekat Selat Sunda.