 Duperré did not meet any British ships on his journey back to the French island , as most of the British blockade squadron were engaged in the aftermath of the Invasion of Île Bonaparte , conducted during July by Commodore Rowley . With the British distracted by this amphibious operation , it was simple for Duperré to reach Grand Port on the south east coast of Île de France in spite of the small blockade squadron under Captain Samuel Pym . This narrow and well @-@ protected anchorage was considered to be the best place to refit the battered French squadron , but in August it came under attack by a British squadron in the Battle of Grand Port . This action was a disaster for the British as their ships became grounded in the unfamiliar shoals of the harbour and four frigates were lost under fire from shore batteries and Duperré 's squadron . 
