Sceptre and the broken French battle line at Trincomalee

Sceptre joined Hughes at Madras while his fleet recovered from its previous battle. Hughes then sailed to relieve Trincomalee but arrived a day after the French had taken it. Suffren left the captured harbour with fourteen ships of the line against twelve, hoping that destruction of the British fleet would secure the Indian Ocean and simplify operations for France and its Mysorean allies. Wind difficulties and apparent reluctance among some French captains produced a ragged battle line. A gun fired from Suffren's flagship to communicate his order to hold fire until close quarters was misunderstood as the signal to begin firing. Requests for assistance drew uneven responses, and the flagship eventually lost her mainmast and exhausted her shot after firing 1,800 rounds. She continued firing powder alone in an attempt to deceive the British. A late wind shift brought ships at the ends of the line closer to the centre, but darkness ended the action. The French returned to Trincomalee for repairs, while the British fleet's damaged appearance alarmed the commanders at Madras enough to recall troops against a possible French attack.