The British forces consisted of a detached squadron of three ships of the line under Commodore Arthur Forrest, that had been sent from Jamaica by Rear-Admiral Thomas Cotes to intercept a homeward-bound French convoy.

[1] Finding the French escort to be substantially larger than anticipated, and that it was manoeuvring to intercept them, Forrest called his captains together for a conference aboard his ship.

[1][2] The fighting began at 3.20 pm, and lasted for two and a half hours, until Kersaint signalled one of his frigates to tow his damaged flagship, Intrépide, out of the line.

[1] In doing so the French line fell into confusion, with Intrépide, Superbe and Greenwich falling aboard each other, and were heavily cannonaded by Augusta and Edinburgh until they were able to untangle themselves.

[1][2] Dreadnought had lost her main and mizzen topmasts, and unable to chase the French, the British squadron retired to Jamaica to carry out repairs.

Naval historian John Knox Laughton declared '...the credit of the action rested with Forrest and his companions, who had not hesitated to attack a very superior force, and had fought it without disadvantage.

'[2] Kersaint suffered a greater misfortune just off the French coast as he approached his destination, when he became caught in a storm, which caused Opiniatre, Greenwich and Outarde to run aground and be wrecked.

Greenwich had been a former British ship, which had been captured by a French squadron under Commodore Joseph de Bauffremont on 18 March 1757, while sailing off Saint-Domingue under Captain Robert Roddam.