Books
1 Best Novel About the Battle of Grand Port
Bestselling authors first, then star rating.
Naval Battle
Battle of Grand Port
1810-08-20–1810-08-27
The Battle of Grand Port was fought at the entrance to Grand Port on Île de France, now Mauritius, during the Indian Ocean campaign of 1810. A British frigate squadron attempted to enter and dominate the harbour after taking the fortified Île de la Passe.
Navigation errors, reefs and strong French resistance trapped the British ships in confined waters. By 27 August two British frigates had been destroyed and two captured, making Grand Port one of the Royal Navy’s most serious defeats of the Napoleonic Wars. Britain responded by assembling the larger force that captured Mauritius later that year.
The battle is a central episode in The Mauritius Command. Patrick O’Brian follows the historical outline closely but places Jack Aubrey and fictional squadron relationships within the real campaign, using the defeat to test command, judgement and cooperation between naval officers.
