Louis XIV intended Tourville's fleet to protect an invasion army assembled around Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue and restore James II. The troops included the Irish Royal Army driven into exile after the siege of Limerick in 1691. Tourville would command the fleet, while James retained authority over strategic decisions. The operation depended on sailing before the English and Dutch fleets could unite. Mediterranean ships were beaten back by storms, Rochefort's squadron was delayed, and Brest struggled to crew and supply its fleet. Tourville eventually had forty-four ships of the line, while the Allies had concentrated roughly eighty-two. Louis XIV's orders to seek battle regardless of strength committed the French commander to that unfavorable encounter.
Chapter · 1:47:51-1:56:55
The 1692 invasion plan outruns French concentration
France planned to restore James II with an exiled army, but delays left Tourville facing a concentrated Anglo-Dutch fleet under orders to fight regardless of odds.