Battle of Grand Port

The Battle of Grand Port is the only major French naval victory of the Napoleonic Wars after Trafalgar. Duperré and Bouvet's French frigates, aided by coastal batteries, lured British ships into a narrow lagoon. The enemy fleet ran aground on the reefs. The French destroyed two ships and captured two others. It was a resounding reverse for the Royal Navy.

Isle of France (Mauritius) was a crucial base for French privateers attacking British commerce in the Indian Ocean. The British sought to seize it. Duperré's squadron, in coordination with coastal troops, prepared an ambush in Grand Port roadstead. The British, poorly informed about the depths, imprudently committed their frigates there.

The French lured British ships into a narrow passage strewn with shoals. Thanks to excellent knowledge of the waters, they maneuvered without damage. Coastal artillery supported the French frigates. The British, blocked or aground, came under crossfire. Final boarding captured two ships.

The victory delayed the British invasion of Isle of France by a few months. It had strategic resonance: Napoleon had Grand Port inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe. But despite this victory, the island was taken in December 1810. The battle remains a rare symbol of French naval superiority.