1794 - Lord Howe on the 1st of June


 
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Naval History of Great Britain - Vol I

1794

Lord Howe on the 1st of June

159

then ran under the stern of a fifth 74, the Impétueux, but, as the French ship was dismasted, did not fire at her. As soon, however, as the Phaëton came within range of the larboard guns of the Impétueux, the latter, contrary to the usual practice, which is that frigates, as they pass to and fro in a fleet without engaging, are not to be molested, opened a fire upon her. The frigate promptly returned the ungracious salute, and continued engaging the French 74 for ten minutes ; during which the Phaëton sustained a loss of three men killed, and five wounded. Captain Bentinck then made sail, and at 30 m. p.m. spoke Lord Howe, who ordered him to give aid to the Defence; which the Phaëton accordingly did.

The next ships of the British line, the Impregnable, Tremendous, Barfleur, Invincible, Culloden, and Gibraltar, having, with one exception, kept rather too much to windward to give full effect to their batteries, offer nothing in their proceedings of equal importance to the accounts we have been detailing.

The ship particularly excepted from the six above named ; is the Invincible, who had conducted herself so honourably on the 29th of May. This ship, at 9 h. 45 m. p.m., began engaging the Juste, a ship far superior to her in force, and the proper opponent of the Gibraltar. In a short time the animated fire kept up by the Invincible so annoyed the Juste, that the latter bore up, and, there encountering the heavy broadsides of the Queen-Charlotte, struck her colours.

The loss sustained by each of the above six ships was as follows: Impregnable, her master (David Caird) and six seamen killed, and her eighth lieutenant (William Butler) boatswain, (Mr. Patterlo), and 22 seamen wounded ; Tremendous, her first lieutenant (Francis Ross), one seaman, and one marine killed, and six seamen and two marines or soldiers wounded : Barfleur, eight seamen and one marine killed, and Rear-admiral Bowyer, her sixth lieutenant (William. Prowse), two midshipmen (Messrs. Fogo and Clemons), 18 seamen, and three marines or soldiers wounded ; Invincible, four seamen and marines or soldiers killed, and ten wounded: Culloden, two seamen killed, and her third lieutenant (Tristram Whitter), and four seamen wounded; and the Gibraltar, one seaman and one marine killed, and 12 seamen wounded. No one of these six ships appears to have had any spar shot away, except the Impregnable, who lost her three topgallantmasts, and had her foretopsail yard shot away in the slings ; but, owing to the promptitude and dexterity of two of her officers, Lieutenant Robert Walter Otway, and Midshipman Charles Dashwood, in going aloft and lashing the yard to the cap, the Impregnable was enabled to wear on the starboard tack, when, at 40 m. p.m., the signal to that effect was made by the Queen-Charlotte.

Both the Barfleur and Invincible, the latter especially, had their masts wounded, and their sails and rigging much cut. So little, however, did captain Pakenham think of his ship's casualties

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