Battle of the Îles Saint-Marcouf

The Battle of the Îles Saint-Marcouf was an engagement fought off the Îles Saint-Marcouf near the Cotentin peninsula on the Normandy coast of France in May 1798 during the French Revolutionary Wars. Dislodging a British garrison on the islands was the main objective for French forces. The garrison (which had been in place since 1795) allowed the islands to serve as a resupply base for Royal Navy ships patrolling northern French waters. Apart from expelling the British, the French sought to test new equipment and tactics, which had allegedly been developed with an intention of invading Britain.

On 7 May, French forces launched a massed amphibious assault on the southern island, using over 50 landing ships and hundreds of troops. The island's 500-strong garrison was compelled to resist the attack alone; although significant Royal Navy forces were in the area, a combination of wind and tides prevented them from intervening. Despite the superior numbers of the French attackers, the operation was a complete failure. The landing ships were exposed to heavy fire, from both British shore batteries and Royal Marine infantry. This fire precluded the landing of any French soldiers, and killed nearly 1,000 of them in the landing ships. In addition, as the landing force retreated, British fire from the smaller island to the north inflicted further losses on the French. British casualties were negligible. Following the failure of the French operation, British forces began a close blockade of the Cotentin ports, where the surviving landing craft were anchored. A month after the battle, this strategy resulted in a secondary success when a French frigate and corvette were intercepted and defeated by the blockade squadron.