It has been suggested that this painting shows a confrontation of French and English ships off the north coast of Haiti in 1757. The painting might be based on an engraving after Francis Swaine’s handling of the subject matter. On 21 October 1757 three ships of the line under the command of Captain Forrest successfully attempted to intercept a French convoy bound for Europe at Cape François despite a disparity of force.

John Cleveley came from an English family of painters. He was born and died in Southwark, London and did not become a professional painter until the late 1740s. He lived and worked in part of the Royal Dockyard, in Deptford, London, which he frequently included in his paintings. His work combined depictions of people with topographical accuracy and architectural detail, and displayed considerable knowledge of shipbuilding. He was an early exhibiter at the Free Society of Artists in London, and two of his three sons, John Cleveley the Younger and his twin brother, Robert Cleveley also became painters after working in Deptford's Royal Dockyard.