1799 - Cadiz fleet in Carthagena and M. Bruix in Toulon


 
Contents

Next Page

Previous Page

10 Pages >>

10 Pages <<
Naval History of Great Britain - Vol II
1799 Cadiz fleet in Carthagena - M. Bruix in Toulon 261

It appears, also, that the Santa Ana three-decker made 20 inches of water per hour, and that the San-Francisco-de-Paulo and San Pablo 74s had sprung or carried away their tillers. One of the brigs, too, had lost her foremast and bowsprit. Just a week previous to the arrival of the Spanish fleet at Carthagena, the French fleet, consisting, according to the French accounts, of 25 sail of the line, five frigates, and four or five corvettes, entered Toulon. In passing the Straits, two of the ships had run on board each other, and received considerable damage.

On the 22d of May, at noon, Earl St.-Vincent got under way from Port-Mahon; and on the 23d, at 5 a.m., the Edgar, who, highly to the credit of her officers and crew, had since early on the preceding morning reshipped and remounted the whole of her guns, weighed also, and joined the admiral off the harbour. Having now under his command 20 sail of the line and a few smaller vessels, Earl St.-Vincent made sail in the direction of Toulon.

On the 26th, when in latitude 42� north, in consequence, we suppose, of information that the Spanish fleet had arrived at Carthagena, the British fleet steered to the westward, and at noon on the 27th was about 35 miles to the east-north-east of Cape San-Sebastian, waiting to intercept the Spanish fleet in case it should attempt to effect a junction with the French fleet in Toulon. On the 30th, while cruising off Cape San-Sebastian with this object in view, the admiral received intelligence of the sailing of the French fleet from Toulon three days before. On this, Earl St.-Vincent, at 2 p.m., detached Rear-admiral Duckworth with the Leviathan, Foudroyant, Northumberland, and Majestic, to reinforce Lord Nelson at Palermo, and at 6 p.m. was joined by the:

Gun-ship  
100 Queen-Charlotte Rear-admiral (w.) James Hawkins Whitshed.
Captain John Irwin.
74 Captain Sir Richard John Strachan, Bart.
Defiance Thomas Revell Shivers.
Bellona Sir Thomas Boulden Thompson.
64 Repulse James Alms.

The British fleet, thus augmented to 21 sail of the line, steered along the Spanish coast, and at noon on the 1st of June was about 40 miles to the eastward of Barcelona. Seeing no enemy in this direction, the fleet put back to the northward and eastward, under all sail. On the 2d, when about 70 miles south-west of Toulon, Earl St.-Vincent, finding his health getting worse, parted company, in the Ville-de-Paris ; and Lord Keith took the command of the fleet, now deprived of the use of the heaviest ship in it, by her departure upon a service for which a frigate would have answered.

^ back to top ^