As a Rear Admiral of the Blue, Cochrane was among the most junior flag officers and flew his flag in the 74-gun HMS Northumberland on the West Indies station. His earlier career included much searching for action without finding it, while later service brought the burning of Washington and the battles of Baltimore and New Orleans during the War of 1812. His Caribbean command prompts a counterfactual: a fresh British force near Martinique might have met a French fleet arriving tired and short of supplies. Such an interception required timely intelligence and fortunate positioning, so it remained a possibility rather than a certainty. The case explains how distant stations could support the wider blockade strategy far from European waters.
Notable Point · 24:14-26:50
Alexander Cochrane and the West Indies station
A fresh British squadron near Martinique might have intercepted a French Atlantic breakout, provided intelligence reached Alexander Cochrane's West Indies command in time.