Raisonnable breaks the Penobscot Expedition

Raisonnable joined George Collier's relief force against the American Penobscot Expedition, whose larger number of vessels concealed a severe mismatch in combat power. Many American ships were privateers or small warships, while the British squadron combined three large frigates with a 64-gun ship of the line. Once Raisonnable arrived, the American force had no comparable ship that could contain her, and the expedition's maritime support collapsed. The rout distinguishes aggregate gun counts from a balanced fleet able to contest control of the sea.