Action of 12 August 1782

Action of 12 August 1782
Part of the American Revolutionary War
Date 12 August 1782 Location Off Batticaloa Result Indecisive. Successful escape for Coventry. Hughes prevented from supporting Trincomalee
Belligerents
France	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Antoine Melchior Gaspard de Bernier de Pierrevert  †	Andrew Mitchell
Strength
One heavy frigate	One light frigate 200 men troops
Casualties and losses
60 killed and wounded	26 killed, 29 wounded

The action of 12 August 1782 was a minor single-ship action that opposed the French 32-gun frigate Bellone to the British 28-gun HMS Coventry in the run-up to the Battle of Trincomalee. Although both ships were frigates, Bellone belonged to the Iphigénie class and was a comparatively large frigate for her time, carrying a battery of 18-pounder long guns, while Coventry was a sixth-rate armed only with 9-pounder long guns. Furthermore, Bellone had the advantage of the wind. The nominal crew of Coventry was about tho thirds of that of Bellone, but in the occasion it was reinforced by the troops she was carrying. In spite of these overwhelming odds, Coventry managed to inflict heavy casualties on Bellone, and most decisively to shoot most of the senior staff. The resulting confusion on Bellone allowed Coventry to escape to Madras.