 In February 1885 five warships of China's Nanyang Fleet made a sortie from Shanghai in an attempt to break the French blockade of Formosa.Courbet sought them out with "Bayard" and several other ships of the Far East squadron, and trapped them in Shipu Bay.At the Battle of Shipu on the night of 14 February 1885, two of "Bayard"s launches, used as improvised torpedo boats, attacked the Chinese squadron at anchor and disabled the frigate "Yuyuan" (馭遠) and the composite sloop "Chengqing" (澄慶).