Cuddalore was a conventional three-hour line-of-battle engagement with no British ship sunk or captured. Its result came from logistics and operational endurance: British damage, scurvy, and water shortages forced Hughes to withdraw. Suffren remained able to reinforce the defense ashore and compelled the besieging British toward a draw. The episode shows why control of a position and the ability to remain on station can define naval victory.
Chapter · 50:01-51:12
Cuddalore: victory without a captured ship
Outnumbered fifteen ships to eighteen, Suffren wins strategically by forcing Hughes away and sustaining the French position at Cuddalore.