High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Battle of Pulo Aura was a minor naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, fought on 14 February 1804, in which a large squadron of Honourable East India Company (HEIC) East Indiamen, powerful and well armed merchant ships, intimidated, drove off and chased a powerful French naval squadron. Although the French squadron was much stronger than the British squadron, Commodore Nathaniel Dance`s aggressive tactics persuaded Contre-Admiral Charles-Alexandre Durand Linois to retire after only a brief exchange of shot. Dance then chased the French warships until his convoy was out of danger, whereupon he resumed his passage towards British India. Linois later claimed that the unescorted British merchant fleet was defended by eight ships of the line, a claim criticised by contemporary officers and later historians.