Cerberus had been stationed off Rhode Island as part of a blockade of its ports since April 1776 and was joined by Lark in February 1777.

Stationed in the northern stretch of the East Passage (separating Aquidneck and Conanicut Islands), the two ships were ordered to Newport, with instructions to not surrender to the enemy.

On 8, the 64-gun Fantasque and the frigates Aimable, Chimère and Engageante, under Pierre André de Suffren, entered the Bay.

When Lark's gunpowder magazine was reached by the flames, it exploded, sending debris flying for miles around.

[3] The wrecks of all four ships lay essentially undisturbed until the 1970s, when an archaeological team located portions of Lark, Cerberus, and Orpheus.