The Battle of Basque Roads took place on the night of 11 April 1809 off the coast of France.

The Royal Navy, under the command of Admiral Lord Gambier, drove ashore the French fleet under the command of Vice-Admiral Zacharie Allemand.

Summary:

The Battle of the Basque Roads was fought off the Island of Aix, on the Biscay shore of France. Captain Thomas Cochrane led a British force of 27 ships, including explosion vessels and fireships, in an attack against the French fleet anchored in the Basque Roads in two lines and protected by a boom. The explosion vessels destroyed the boom however only 4 of the fireships tried to engage and Cochrane believed the French fleet should have been completely destroyed.

Whilst the fireships missed their target they still inflicted considerable indirect damage as when the French sighted them taking flame several miles away, they believed they were seeing more explosion-vessels at much closer range. Attempting to escape most of the ships either cut their anchor cables and drifted or hoisted sail, but all but 2 drove ashore.

Throughout the morning of 12 April, Cochrane signalled Lord Gambier to attack the paralyzed French squadron. (Gambier was 14 miles offshore with the blockading fleet; Cochrane had one frigate under his command.) Finally, in desperation, at 13:00 Cochrane allowed his ship to drift toward shore, coming under fire of the land-based fortifications, trying to compel Gambier to send ships to aid Cochrane's frigate. The strategy worked; at 13:30, seven British ships came in, and Cochrane spent the rest of the day capturing and destroying French ships.

Much to Cochrane's displeasure, on 13 April, the other ships returned to Lord Gambier's position offshore, and Cochrane ignored repeated orders from Gambier to also disengage. Cochrane instead destroyed more French vessels before finally obeying Gambier's signals, and the battle ended.

Cochrane accused the British commanding officer, Admiral James Gambier, of being reluctant to press the attack. Gambier demanded a court-martial, and was duly exonerated which ended Cochrane's Naval career during the war.

	Ships	Guns	Captain	Ships fate
	British Fleet - Cochrane's Squadron
	Impérieuse	38	Lord Thomas Cochrane
	Aigle	36	George Wolfe
	Pallas	32	George Francis Seymour
	Unicorn	32	Lucius Hardyman
	Redpole	10	John Joyce
	Lyra	10	William Bevians
	Ætna	Bomb	Lt. William Godfrey	NW of Isle d'Aix
	Indefatigable	44	John Treymayne Rodd	Covering Ætna
	Foxhound	18	Pitt Barnaby Greene	Covering Ætna
	Emerald	36	Frederick Lewis Maitland	Diversion force
	Beagle	18	Francis Newcombe	Diversion force
	Dotterel	18	Anthony Abdy	Diversion force
	Conflict	12	Lt. Joseph B. Batt	Diversion force
	Growler	12	Lt. Richard Crossman	Diversion force
	Whiting	Rocket	Lt. Henry Wildey	Near the Boyart shoal
	Nimrod	Rocket	Mstrs. Mate Edward Tapley	Near the Boyart shoal
	King George	Rocket	Mstrs. Mate Thomas Makeet	Near the Boyart shoal
	Mediator	Flute	James Wooldridge	Used as Fireship
	Fireships and 3 Explosion vessels
	British Fleet - Gambiers offshore fleet
	Caledonia	120	Flag - Admiral Lord James Gambier Cptn. of the Fleet - Sir Harry Neale Cptn. - William Bedford
	Caesar	80	Flag - Rear-Admiral Hon. Robert Stopford Cptn. Charles Richardson
	Gibraltar	80	Henry Lidgbird Ball
	Hero	74	James Newman
	Donegal	74	Pulteney Malcolm
	Resolution	74	George Burlton
	Theseus	74	John Poer Beresford
	Valiant	74	John Bligh
	Illustrious	74	William Robert Broughton
	Bellona	74	Stair Douglas
	Revenge	74	Alexander Robert Ken
British Fleet - Also Present
	Thunder	Bomb	James Caulfield
	Insolent	14	Lt. John Row Morris
	Encounter	12	Lt. James Hugh Talbot
	Contest	12	Lt. John Gregory
	Fervent	12	Lt. John Edward Hare
	Transports
	3 Congreve Rocket barges
French Fleet - First Defensive Line
	Pallas	46	?	Grounded off fort of Barques
	Hortense	46	?	Grounded Fontenelles
	Indienne	46	Cptn. Guillaume-Marcelin Proteau	Grounded off Pointe Aiguille - Set on fire by crew & exploded
French Fleet - Second Defensive Line
	Calcutta	54	Cptn. Jean-Baptiste Lafon (Shot by Firing Squad)	Grounded Palles -  Set on fire & exploded
	Cassard	74	?
	Régulus	74	Cptn. Lucas	Grounded Charenton
	Océan	118	Flag - Vice-Admiral Zacharie Allemand Cptn. - ?	Grounded Aix Road
	Ville de Varsovie	80	?	Grounded Charenton -  Burnt
	Foudroyant	80	?
French Fleet - Third Defensive Line
	Elbe	46	?	Grounded Fontenelles
	Tourville	74	Cptn. Charles-Nicolas Lacaille (Imprisoned)	Grounded off Isle Madame
	Aquilon	74	Cptn. Maingan (Killed in Action)	Grounded Charenton -  Burnt
	Jemmapes	80	?	Grounded Charenton
	Patriote	74	?	Grounded off Isle Madame
	Tonnerre	74	Clément de la Roncière	Grounded Pontra - Set on fire by crew & exploded
French Fleet - Also Present
	Other smaller ships
	Shore Batteries