During the action, East India Company convoy carrying goods worth over £500,000 was attacked and partially captured by the French frigate Caroline.

[2] During the late spring of 1809, following the end of the Indian Ocean hurricane season, Hamelin ordered his ships to operate in the Bay of Bengal.

Laden with over £500,000 worth of silk and other trade goods, these ships were an important asset to the HEIC and had originally been part of a larger convoy, guarded by the sloop HMS Victor and consisting of five Indiamen and several smaller vessels.

[6] The crews of these East Indiamen were not of Royal Navy standard, however, with insufficient training and large numbers of Portuguese, Chinese, and lascar seamen, who proved unreliable in combat.

[9] However, the lack of naval experience on the British ships resulted in the Indiamen sailing too far from one another in line, thus leaving them unable to provide effective mutual support.

[9] William Gelston, captain of Europe, also attempted to flee, but his battered ship was in no condition to outrun the virtually untouched frigate, and he surrendered at 10:00.

Discovering the presence of a British frigate squadron under Josias Rowley off Port Louis, Féretier instead went to Saint-Paul on Isle Bonaparte.

[11] Despite these subsequent losses, Féretier was highly commended for his leadership in the action and received a promotion from Governor Charles Mathieu Isidore Decaen.