Battle of Martinique (1779) Battle of Martinique (1779) The Combat de la Martinique, or Battle of Martinique, was a naval encounter on 18 December 1779 between a British squadron under Admiral Hyde Parker and a French squadron under Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte near the island of Martinique in the West Indies. In the fall of 1779, a British fleet under Admiral Hyde Parker was anchored at St. Lucia (which they had captured a year before), while a French fleet under Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte was undergoing a refit at the nearby island of Martinique in the West Indies. Parker was
Geography of Martinique Geography of Martinique Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Cuba and north of Trinidad and Tobago Geographic coordinates: Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: <br>"total:" 1,100 km² <br>"land:" 1,060 km² <br>"water:" 40 km² Area - comparative: slightly more than six times the size of Washington, D.C. Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 350 km Maritime claims: <br>"exclusive economic zone:" <br>"territorial sea:" Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average; average temperature 17.3 degrees Celsius; humid Terrain: mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano Elevation