 On 14 March , before Rowley could return to his blockade , Hamelin ordered a squadron to sea . This force consisted of the large frigate Bellone , the captured Minerva now renamed Minerve and the captured brig Victor . The force was led by Guy @-@ Victor Duperré on Bellone , with Pierre Bouvet in Minerve as his second in command . Avoiding the remaining frigates of the British blockade , Duperré 's ships escaped unnoticed and began cruising in the Bay of Bengal , capturing a few small vessels but making no serious impression on British trade in the region . By the 1 June , Duperré had moved to the Western Indian Ocean , sailing off Madagascar in the hope of sighting British ships from Cape Town . Due to the extended period at sea , his ships were in a poor state of repair and much of the following month was spent conducting repairs at isolated beaches . 
