Battle of Grenada

Overview

The Battle of Grenada took place on 6 July 1779 during the American Revolutionary War in the West Indies between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy, just off the coast of Grenada. A British fleet led by Admiral John Byron had sailed in an attempt to relieve Grenada, which French forces under Charles Henri Hector, Count of Estaing had just captured.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Grenada was a naval engagement fought off the coast of Grenada in the West Indies on 6 July 1779, forming part of the broader Caribbean theater of the American Revolutionary War. French forces under the Count of Estaing had already captured Grenada before the battle occurred; the engagement itself arose when a British fleet under Admiral John Byron attempted to relieve the island. The French inflicted substantially heavier casualties on the British than they sustained, and the British relief effort failed, leaving Grenada in French hands. The outcome demonstrated French naval effectiveness in the Caribbean and underscored the extent to which the war had expanded into a global maritime conflict, with control of lucrative West Indian islands as a significant strategic prize alongside the North American theater.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)