HMS Calcutta, a fourth-rate ship of the line, scouted ahead of its convoy and found the five ships of the line, two frigates, and two corvettes of the Rochefort squadron. Unable to defeat that force, Calcutta conducted a fighting retreat that drew the French away for days. The delay allowed the convoy to pass through the area the squadron had been sent to patrol. Britain lost the escort, but the strategically valuable traffic reached safety. Convoy warfare cannot be judged solely by the survival of the escorting warship because tactical sacrifice could deliver the larger operational objective.
Notable Point · 7:54-8:52
HMS Calcutta draws the Rochefort squadron away
Calcutta accepts a hopeless fight so that a strategically valuable British convoy can pass the French hunting ground.