Capture of Trincomalee

Capture of Trincomalee
Part of the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War

A 1782 French map of Fort Fredrick, made after Suffren recaptured the port
Date11 January 1782
Location
Trincomalee, then a Dutch colony in present-day Sri Lanka
8°32′56.79″N 81°14′15.78″E / 8.5491083°N 81.2377167°E / 8.5491083; 81.2377167
Result British victory
Belligerents
 Great Britain Dutch East India Company
Commanders and leaders
Edward Hughes Iman Willem Falck
Strength
800 450
Casualties and losses
21 killed 42 wounded 13 killed
430+ captured

The Capture of Trincomalee on 11 January 1782 was the second major engagement between Great Britain and the Dutch East India Company in the East Indies after the outbreak of the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War. After capturing Negapatam, the major Dutch outpost in India, a British force assaulted the Dutch-controlled port of Trincomalee on the eastern coast of Ceylon, and successfully stormed Fort Fredrick and Fort Ostenburg to gain control of the city and the port. In gaining control of the port, they also captured the vessels there at the time.