during the summer of 1808, messages arrived in france from martinique, outlining the desperate situation of their supplies, morale and economy. it was determined that reinforcements and food supplies would be sent and the frigate "thétis" was despatched in november 1808. within days, "thétis" had been captured at the action of 10 november 1808, and subsequent operations had mixed success: the frigate "amphitrite" reached martinique, but a number of smaller ships were intercepted and defeated, both in europe and the west indies. in desperation, a major operation was planned, intended to transport substantial supplies and sufficient troops to resist the inevitable british invasion on martinique. to this end, commodore amable-gilles troude was provided with the ships of the line "courageux", "polonais" and "hautpoult", with the frigates "félicité" and "furieuse" "en flûte" as armed storeships, carrying the bulk of the supplies.