| Naval history of Great Britain - Vol. IV
by
William James |
1805 |
Sir Robert Calder's Action |
2 |
Gun |
Ship |
Senior Officers present |
98 |
Prince-of-Wales |
Vice-adm (b.) Sir Robert Calder |
Captain William Cuming |
Glory |
Rear-adm. (b.) Charles Stirling |
Captain Samuel Warren |
Barfleur |
Captain George Martin |
Windsor-Castle |
Captain Charles Boyles |
80 |
Malta |
Captain Edward Buller |
74 |
Thunderer |
Captain William Letchmere |
Hero |
Captain Hon. Alan Hyde Gardner |
Repulse |
Captain Hon. Arthur Kaye Legge |
Defiance |
Captain Philip Charles Durham |
Ajax |
Captain William Brown |
Warrior |
Captain Samuel Hood Linzee |
Dragon |
Captain Edward Griffiths |
Triumph |
Captain Henry Inman |
64 |
Agamemnon |
Captain John Harvey |
Raisonable |
Captain Josias Rowley |
Frigates, Egyptienne, Captain the Honourable Charles Elphinstone Fleming, and Sirius, Captain William Prowse.
Lugger Nile, Lieutenant John Fennell, and cutter Frisk, Lieutenant James Nicholson.
With this force the vice-admiral was directed to proceed 30 or 40 leagues to the westward of Cape Finisterre, and there endeavour to intercept the combined fleet from the West Indies, represented, upon the authority of the Diamond-Rock account, to consist of only 16 sail of the line.* Thus had the blockade of two ports been raised, in which, at the time, were about as many ships of the line ready for sea, as, by all accounts, composed the fleet which the blockading squadrons, when united, were ordered to intercept. The policy of this measure does not seem very clear. If the Ferrol squadron, did not, as the Rochefort had done, take advantage of the circumstance and sail out, it was merely because it had received no orders from France.
On the 19th Sir Robert received a copy of Lord Nelson's despatch, of date the 15th of June, addressed to the British commanding officer off the Tagus, stating that the combined fleet, of what force not mentioned, had passed Antigua on the 8th of June, and was probably on its way to Europe. On the 22d of July, in the forenoon, that same combined fleet, composed of 20 sail of the line, seven frigates, and two brigs,� besides the recaptured galleon Matilda, made its appearance to windward, in the manner we shall proceed to relate.
On the morning of the 22d, in latitude 43� 34' north, and longitude 16� 13' west, from Paris, the combined fleet, formed in three divisions, and having a light breeze from west-north-west was steering in a thick fog, east-south-east, a direct course
* See Vol. iii., p. 331
� See Vol. iii., p. 340
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