Action of 6 July 1746

The action of 6 July 1746 was an inconclusive naval engagement between the British and French fleets during the War of the Austrian Succession.

Battle The English fleet, first under the command of Commodore Curtis Barnett and then Edward Peyton, and a French fleet under Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais, engaged each other early in the First Carnatic War. Both fleets were damaged, with La Bourdonnais putting in at Pondicherry for repairs, and Peyton at Trincomalee. La Bourdonnais acquired additional guns at Pondicherry, and when the fleets met again in August 1746, Peyton refused battle and retreated to Bengal. La Bourdonnais then proceeded to lead the successful French attack on Madras in September.

Order of Battle Royal Navy ShipGunsCommanderRef.Medway60Commodore Edward PeytonCaptain Henry RosewellPreston50Captain Lord NortheskWinchester50Captain Lord Thomas BertieHarwich50Captain Philip CarteretMedway's Prize40Captain Thomas GriffinLively20Captain Nathaniel Stephens

France ShipGunsRef.Achille60Duc d'Orléans26Bourbon36Neptune34Phénix34Saint Louis30Lys34Insulaire28

Citations

References

Dodwell, Dupleix and Clive The Navy in the War of 1739–1748