Why Rodney did not pursue immediately

Hood and William Cornwallis later argued that an immediate chase might have captured twenty or more French ships. Rodney instead stopped with his own fleet damaged and in need of repair. The counterfactual therefore depends on whether battered British ships could overtake and safely secure additional prizes. When Hood finally pursued, he captured the ships of the line Jason and Caton plus two smaller vessels at Mona Passage. Those captures prove that opportunity remained, but they do not demonstrate that Rodney could have taken an entire fleeing fleet without unacceptable losses.