The Battle of Basque Roads [Original Painting]

Oil on canvas 

Size: 36 inches by 24 inches

With the French fleet blockaded in the Basque Roads in April 1809, Captain Lord Thomas Cochrane launched a devastating attack using six frigates, five sloops, five brigs and a large number of rocket ships, bomb vessels and a total of twenty four fire ships. It was a fraught action, but the battle resulted in a decisive win for the British, leaving the French navy in tatters. Cochrane’s ship, HMS Imperieuse is depicted here, beginning to slacken off sail as she prepares to engage a French 74 that is already being menaced by the sloop, HMS Foxhound.