The French fleet, commanded by Pierre Martin, had sought to test the blockade during 1795, and in March had been caught by the British, under William Hotham, in the Gulf of Genoa.

In early July Martin's fleet was discovered off Cap Corse by a British flying squadron under Captain Horatio Nelson and, with some delay, Hotham set off in pursuit.

[2] In 1794, as the French repaired their ships, the British invaded and captured the island of Corsica, subsequently using San Fiorenzo Bay as an anchorage from which they could blockade Toulon.

[3] Although the French fleet, under the command of Contre-amiral Pierre Martin, made a brief sally from port in June 1794, it was not until March 1795 that it had the strength necessary for a large scale cruise.

Retreating towards Toulon, the French were unable to evade the British fleet, under Vice-Admiral William Hotham, and on 13 March at the Battle of Genoa the rearmost ship was cut off and badly damaged.

[8] In April he took the fleet to Leghorn, where he learned of his promotion to Admiral of the Blue, and he then sailed on an extended cruise to Cape Mola off Mahón on Minorca.

[9] Hotham was concerned that in his absence the French fleet might have sailed once more, and sent a small frigate squadron under Captain George Henry Towry back into the Ligurian Sea to search for Martin.

[9] En route messages sent by Towry on the cutter Fox reached Hotham, warning that prisoners taken from Minerve reported that Martin was at sea.

Martin had visited Genoa, where Ferdinand III the Grand Duke of Tuscany had recently signed peace terms with France, and then sent Mercure and Guerrier back to Toulon.

During the night a gale from the northwest caused damage to the sails of a number of ships, but at dawn on 13 July the French were seen just 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) to leeward, scattered widely.

[23] Hotham then suddenly issued flag signals instructing his captains to discontinue the action and return to the flagship HMS Britannia.

[23] At this point the battling ships were approximately 12 nautical miles (22 km) southeast of Cape Roux, towards which the French, having gained the weather gage by a shift in wind to the east, were now sailing.

In August he briefly cruised off Toulon before retiring once more, although Nelson was detached with a squadron to operate against French Army movements on the Mediterranean Coast, attacking coastal positions near Alassio.

[27] Later in the year another French squadron was sent on a mission to Smyrna, escaped Toulon under Captain Honoré Ganteaume, and caused severe damage to British merchant shipping in the Eastern Mediterranean.

[29] Hotham retired from his post at Leghorn on 1 November, passing command of the Mediterranean Fleet to Admiral Sir John Jervis.

[31] Hotham was heavily criticised at the time for his conduct during the battle, a series of delays and hesitations allowing the French to escape when they might easily have been destroyed.

"[17] Later historians have been scathing of Hotham's failure to bring Martin to action earlier and more vigorously; C. S. Forester wrote in reference to the sea battles of 1795 that "Once more a French fleet had got away through a lack of energy and diligence on the part of a British Admiral.

"[33] Historian Noel Mostert describes Hotham's indecision as "a disastrous failure" and links the missed opportunity to inflict a major defeat on the French directly to the British withdrawal from the Mediterranean the following year.