News carried home by Audacious prompted the Admiralty to send Montagu with ten ships to cover Howe and hunt the grain convoy. Montagu briefly blockaded a French squadron but withdrew when Villaret's returning fleet threatened to trap him between two forces. The resulting movements cleared Howe's route home while leaving enough British strength near the French coast to deter the convoy from its preferred Channel destinations. The grain reached Atlantic ports, but the onward transport problem contributed to spoilage and limited the operational success France celebrated.
Chapter · 2:53:20-2:55:37
Montagu's squadron diverts the grain convoy
A British reinforcement squadron failed to catch the convoy but helped force it toward Atlantic rather than Channel ports.