1797 - Admiral Duncan off Camperdown


 
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Naval History of Great Britain - Vol II
1797 Admiral Duncan off Camperdown 77

with equal success: but few of the wounded could be got off, although the two officers had united their efforts for that purpose, and still remained with them in the vessel, with three subaltern officers and about thirty seamen. They were still cherishing the hope that the boats would, a third time, come to their relief ; but the fatal moment was now arrived, and on a sudden the Delft went down. Lieutenant Bullen sprang into the sea and reached his own ship ; but the unfortunate Heilberg perished, the victim of his courage and humanity."

The Monnikendam frigate, in the custody of the Beaulieu, was wrecked on the Ressen sand, near West-Capel ; but the whole of the people fortunately got safe on shore. The Ambuscade frigate, being driven on the Dutch coast, was recaptured. The remainder of the prizes, one by one, ultimately reached a British port. As trophies, their appearance was gratifying ; but, as ships of war, they were not the slightest acquisition to the navy of England.

Of the seven Dutch line-of-battle ships that had quitted the action to return home, one only, the Brutus, met any obstruction in her way thither. On the afternoon of the 13th, while, in company with the Atalanta and another armed brig, this ship lay at anchor, in six fathoms, off the heights of Hinder, the British 40-gun (24-pounder) frigate Endymion, Captain Sir Thomas Williams, made her appearance in the north-east. As the frigate bore down, the two brigs weighed and stood further in shore ; and the Brutus, hoisting her ensign and a rear-admiral's flag, waited the former's approach. At about 4 h. 30 m. p.m. the line-of-battle ship commenced firing, but Sir Thomas Williams reserved his fire until he came athwart the Dutch ship's bows ; when the Endymion opened her larboard broadside, receiving a fire in return from her opponent's bow-chasers. Putting about presently, the frigate repeated the fire from her starboard guns, at a closer distance than before, and was again fired at in return from the bow-guns of the Brutus. No sooner had the Endymion passed ahead of her opponent, than the strength of the tide drifted her within range of the 74's broadside. This the frigate, as she stood on, answered with her stern-guns, until about 5 h. 30 m. p.m. ; when the Endymion having passed out of gun-shot, the firing ceased.

Since the first discovery of the enemy, the Endymion had made signals and fired guns to windward, in the hope that some ship of Admiral Duncan's fleet, from which she had parted only a few hours before, might be near enough to understand them. While stretching on in the direction of the fleet, the frigate continued to make signals for an enemy, adding to them, after dark, several rockets and blue lights. At length, at about 10 h. 30 m. p.m., the Beaulieu joined company ; and the two frigates stood back to the spot on which the Brutus had been left at

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