The British fleet ended the action in worse material condition and could neither prevent nor effectively pursue the French. That result had been achieved mainly by a handful of properly handled French ships. Suffren removed Ajax's captain and arrested three other captains for failures across the recent battles. The captain of Sévère even tried to strike his colors until subordinates prevented the surrender. This aftermath shows why Suffren's campaign was as much a struggle for command accountability as a contest with Hughes.
Notable Point · 40:57-42:13
Negapatam exposes a command-accountability crisis
With Hughes's ships too damaged to pursue effectively, Suffren removes Ajax's captain, arrests three others, and confronts an attempted surrender during a battle the French were winning.