(If you want to skip the story, just scroll to the bottom)
The French and the Russians have been long at odds. For the last twenty years, the French have been fighting a bitter war with the Polish/Lithuanians over the remains of the Austrian Empire. As the Polish/Lithuanians were on the ropes, the Russians decided to enter the war against the Polish AND the French. This proved to be a costly mistake for the Russian Czar, but perhaps even more disastrous for the Polish. Squeezed between two of Europe's largest armies, Poland/Lithuania no longer exists. However, the war with Russia continues on land...and on the high seas.
The French navy has long been the most powerful navy in the world. Needless the say, the French were shocked to discover a massive Russian navy hiding in the far eastern Baltic. This navy was more powerful than any single French fleet. When it engaged France's proud sailors in battle, it caused the destruction of one of France's most proud armadas.
The fleet that silenced the guns of Amsterdam. The task force that ran Danish and Prussian blockades for decades. The armada that won control of the great North Sea and secured the valuable trade lanes between France and Sweden. All hands lost. Destroyed! At the hands of...Russians?!
In short, it was a humiliation beyond any suffered in the history of the newly born French Republic. Hundreds of cannons lost. Thousands of sailors killed or captured. The most powerful navy in the world defeated by the supposedly backward Russians. Unthinkable! Was history on the high seas echoing the ghosts of the real-life Napoleonic invasion of Russia?
The Republic could not let this humiliation stand. In response, the resources of the great French Republic were marshaled and a great fleet was purpose-built with one goal: crush the Russian navy before any further damage could be done to France's navy, economy, or pride.
The final battle in 1783 was the largest naval battle in the history of the world (and actually the largest Grand Campaign battle I've ever had the pleasure of fighting). Not only did the French win, but they managed to capture nearly the entire Russian fleet responsible for the disaster three years previous.
I captured three 2nd-Rates, one 5th-Rate, one 6th-Rate, and a Carronade Frigate.
Screenshot:
No, I'm not being sarcastic.