Battle of Ushant (1778) 1778
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 27 July 1778 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1778 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Nearest landmass | At sea (nearest continent: Europe) | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Anglo-French War of 1778–1783 | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Kingdom of France, Kingdom of Great Britain | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 48.5603, -7.3828 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Ushant (also called the First Battle of Ushant) took place on 27 July 1778, and was fought during the American Revolutionary War between French and British fleets 100 miles (160 km) west of Ushant, an island at the mouth of the English Channel off the westernmost point of France.
The French commander was under orders to avoid battle if possible, in order to maintain a fleet in being. The commanders of the two squadrons of the British fleet, Admiral of the Blue Augustus Keppel and Vice-Admiral of the Blue Sir Hugh Palliser, 1st Baronet, were already personally and politically at odds with each other, and failed to make a concerted attack on the French.
The battle, which was the first major naval engagement in the Anglo-French War of 1778, ended indecisively with no ships lost on either side and led to recriminations and political conflicts in both countries.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Ushant (1778) (revision 1370276085), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
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- Action of 24 October 1793 1793 · 170 km
- Battle of Pierres Noires 1944 · 186 km
- Battle of Saint-Mathieu 1512 · 194 km
- Battle of the Raz de Sein 1798 · 202 km
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Other battles of the Anglo-French War of 1778–1783
- Action of 20 October 1778 1778
- Siege of Pondicherry (1778) 1778
- Capture of Saint Vincent 1779
- Battle of Jersey 1781
- Battle of Porto Praya 1781
- Action of 18 October 1782 1782
- Battle of Trincomalee 1782
- Capture of Demerara and Essequibo 1782
- Capture of Montserrat 1782
All 10 battles of the Anglo-French War of 1778–1783 →
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