Battle off Barbados

Battle of Barbados
Part of the American Revolutionary War

USS Randolph, Unknown artist
DateMarch 7, 1778
Location
Off Barbados, Caribbean Sea
13°11′13″N 59°27′25″W / 13.187°N 59.457°W / 13.187; -59.457
Result British victory
Belligerents
 Great Britain  United States
Commanders and leaders
Nicholas Vincent Nicholas Biddle †
Strength
1 ship of the line 1 frigate
1 brig
Casualties and losses
5 killed
12 wounded		 301 killed
4 captured
1 frigate sunk

The Battle of Barbados was fought in March 1778 during the American Revolutionary War. While escorting a fleet of American ships in the West Indies, the frigate USS Randolph was attacked by the British ship-of-the-line HMS Yarmouth. The following action resulted in America's most costly naval defeat, in terms of human lives, until the sinking of USS Arizona in 1941.[1][2]

  1. ^ "Action off Barbados, USS Randolph v. HMS Yarmouth, American Revolution". Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
  2. ^ Maclay, pg. 83–84