1798 - Battle of the Nile


 
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Naval History of Great Britain - Vol II
1798 Battle of the Nile 175

(William Smith), 19 seamen, and two marines wounded; the Alexander, one lieutenant (John Collins), and 13 seamen killed, her captain, captain of marines (John Creswell), master (William Lawson), two midshipmen (George Bully and Luke Anderson), 48 seamen, and five marines wounded; the Leander, 14 seamen wounded : making a total of 218 killed, and 678 wounded. *

Of the damages sustained by the captured French ships, more details, scanty as they are, have already been given, than are contained in any published account. They may now be summed up by stating, that the Guerrier, Conquérant, Spartiate, Aquilon, and Tonnant, were entirely dismasted, and, in the present state of their hulls (the two first especially), not seaworthy ; and the Peuple-Souverain retained but her mizenmast, and the Franklin, her foremast, with their hulls in not much better plight than those of their captive companions. As to the Mercure and Heureux, their principal damages were not from shot, but from running on shore. These ships still lay with topgallant yards across, and, to all appearance, were as perfect as when the action commenced.

It was owing, probably, to the severe wound which Rear-admiral Nelson had received at the onset of the battle (a splinter struck him a little above his right or darkened eye, causing a piece of flesh to hang over the lid, which was afterwards replaced and sewed up), that no account was taken of the loss sustained by the different captured ships. This is perhaps the only general action, besides that of Valentine's day, in which so important an omission is to be complained of in the official despatch. The London newspapers, although they sometimes

* One more in the wounded than appears in the official account, owing to the exclusion of the rear-admiral's name. The following table shows at one view each ship's tonnage, complement, loss, and, to the best of our power in so difficult a research, first lieutenant present in the action.

Ships.

Tons.

Men and Boys.

Loss

First Lieutenants.

K

W

Goliath

1604

584

21

41

George Jardine.

Zealous

1627

584

1

7

William Henry Webley.

Orion

1646

584

13

29

James Barker.

Audacious

1624

584

1

35

Thomas White.

Theseus

1680

584

5

30

Richard Hawkins.

Vanguard

1609

589

30

76

Edward Galwey.

Minotaur

1718

634

23

64

Charles Marsh Schomberg.

Defence

1603

584

4

11

Richard Jones.

Bellerophon

1613

584

49

148

Robert Cathcart ; sen, surviving.

Majestic

1642

584

50

143

Robert Cuthbert.

Swiftsure

1621

584

7

22

John Lev. Waters.

Alexander

1621

584

14

58

John Yule.

Leander

1052

338

0

14

William Richardson.

Total

20660

7401

218

678

 

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