Benbow's squadron was hunting Jean Bart

Did Benbow stumble onto Jean Bart's force, or had he been sent to find it?

He was already hunting the French after Britain learned their squadron was at sea, although he began about a day behind.

A viewer asks whether Benbow's arrival was accidental or prompted by a merchant ship. The British had learned a French squadron was at sea and sent Benbow to hunt it. His force began from a distance and roughly a day behind Jean Bart. The Royal Navy nevertheless closed far enough for the French to sight it while daylight remained. That pursuit explains why Bart abandoned further captures and used his faster frigates to escape rather than challenge eighteen ships of the line.