The Glorious First of June (also known as the Third Battle of Ushant and in French as the Bataille du 13 prairial an 2) is the British name for a naval battle fought in the Atlantic Ocean on 28 and 29 May and June 1, 1794 between the Royal Navy and the navy of Revolutionary France. It was the first major naval battle of the French Revolutionary Wars. Combatants First French Republic Kingdom of Great Britain, Kingdom of Naples and Sicily Commanders Rear Admiral Martin Vice Admiral Hotham Strength 13 ships of the line, 490 guns, 9,520 men 14 ships of the line, 557 guns, 8,810 men Casualties 600 killed, 1,000 wounded, 2 ships of... The Battle of Groix was a naval battle fought on 23 June 1795 off the coast of France during the French Revolutionary War. ... Combatants First French Republic Great Britain Naples Commanders Rear Admiral Martin Vice Admiral Hotham Strength Exact strength not clear 6 ships of the line engaged Casualties uncertain ca 100 men killed 1 ship of the line lost 11 killed 28 wounded The Naval Battle of Hyères Islands was fought... The Battle of Camperdown, 11 October 1797 by Thomas Whitcombe, painted 1798, showing the British flagship Venerable engaged with the Dutch flagship Vrijheid The naval Battle of Camperdown took place on 11 October 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars, and was a victory for a British fleet under Admiral Adam... Combatants Britain France Commanders Horatio Nelson François-Paul Brueys DAigalliers† Strength 14 ships of the line: * 13 x 74-gun, * 1 x 50-gun, 1 sloop 13 ships of the line: * 1 x 120-gun, * 3 x 80-gun, * 9 x 74gun, 4 frigates, some smaller Casualties 218... Combatants Great Britain Denmark-Norway Commanders Admiral Sir Hyde Parker Lord Nelson Olfert Fischer, Steen Bille Strength Nelson: 12 ships of the line, 5 frigates, 7 bombs, 6 others Parker (reserve): 8 ships of the line Fischer: 7 ships of the line, 10 others Bille: 17 ships, 1 land battery... HMS Hannibal (left foreground) lies aground and dismasted at the Battle of Algeciras Bay. ... The French battleship Orient burns, 1 August 1798, during the Battle of the Nile A naval battle is a battle fought using ships or other waterborne vessels. ... (Redirected from 28 May) May 28 is the 148th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (149th in leap years). ... is the 149th day of the year (150th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ... The period of the French Revolution in the history of France covers the years between 1789 and 1799, in which democrats and republicans overthrew the absolute monarchy and the Roman Catholic Church perforce underwent radical restructuring. ... Combatants Great Britain Austria Prussia Spain[1] Russia Sardinia Ottoman Empire Portugal Dutch Republic[2] France The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states. ...

Origins

The French people were suffering much distress from the bad harvest of the previous year, and a great convoy of 117 merchant ships laden with corn was expected from America.

• December 1793 - Admiral Vanstabel of the French navy sent to escort the convoy with two ships of the line.
• 10th April 1794 - Six French ships of the line left Brest to meet Vanstabel in mid ocean.
• 11th April - Vanstabel sailed with his charge from the Chesapeake.
• 2nd May - The British force designed to intercept the convoy, under Admiral Lord Howe (then in command of the channel fleet), sails from Spithead. It consists of 34 sail of the line and 15 smaller vessels, having under his charge nearly a hundred merchant ships which were to be seen clear of the Channel.
• 4th May - When off the Lizard, the English convoy was sent on its way protected by 8 line of battle ships and 6 or 7 frigates. Two of the line of battle ships were to accompany them throughout the voyage. The other six under Rear-admiral Montagu were to go as far as Cape Finisterre, and were then to cruise on the look-out for the French convoy between Cape Ortegal and Belle Isle. These detachments reduced the force under Lord Howe's immediate command to 26 of the line and 7 frigates.
• 5th May - Howe is off Ushant, and sends frigates to reconnoitre the harbour of Brest. They report to him that the main French fleet, which was under the command of Villaret-Joyeuse, and was of 25 sail of the line, was lying at anchor in the roads. Howe then sailed to the latitude on which the convoy was likely to be met with, knowing that if the French admiral came out it would be to meet the ships with the food and cover them from attack. To seek the convoy was therefore the most sure way of forcing Villaret-Joyeuse to action. Fleet continues cruising in the Bay of Biscay.
• 16th May - Villaret-Joyeuse sails with his whole force
• 17th May - Villaret-Joyeuse's force passes close to the British fleet on the 17th, unseen in a fog.
• 19 May - The French Brest fleet sailed to meet the convoy.
  • Lord Howe returns to Ushant and again reconnoitres Brest, revealing Villaret-Joyeuse's departure.
  • the French admiral was informed by the Patriote (74) that Nielly had fallen in with, and had captured, the British frigate Castor 32, under Captain Thomas Troubridge, together with a convoy from Newfoundland.
  • Villaret-Joyeuse captured part of a Dutch convoy of 53 sail from Lisbon.
  • a frigate detached by Admiral Montagu joined Howe. It brought information that Montagu had recaptured part of the Newfoundland convoy, and had learnt that Nielly was to join Vanstabel at sea, and that their combined force would be 9 sail of the line. Montagu himself had steered to cruise on the route of the convoy between the 45th and 47th degrees of north latitude. Howe now steered to meet his subordinate who, he considered, would be in danger from the main French fleet.
• 21st May - Howe recaptured some of the Dutch ships taken by Villaret-Joyeuse. From them he learnt that on the 19th the French fleet had been in latitude 47 46 N. and in longitude 11 22 W. and was steering westward. Judging that Montagu was too far to the south to be in peril from Villaret-Joyeuse, and considering him strong enough to perform the duty of intercepting the convoy, Lord Howe decided to pursue the main French fleet. The wind was changeable and the weather hazy.

Ships of the line were 1st, 2nd, or 3rd-rated ships in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ... Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe (8 March 1726 – 5 August 1799) was a British admiral. ... Brest is a city in Brittany, or the Bretagne région, north-west France, sous-préfecture of the Finistère département. ... Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse (May 29, 1750 - July 24, 1812) was a French admiral. ... is the 139th day of the year (140th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Brest is a city in Brittany, or the Bretagne région, north-west France, sous-préfecture of the Finistère département. ...

Action of May 28

It was not until May 28, at 6:30 A.M., that the British fleet caught sight of the enemy in 47 ~4 N. and 13 39 W. The wind was from the south-east, and the French were to windward. Villaret-Joyeuse bore down to a distance of 10 miles from the British, and then hauled to the wind on the port tack. It was difficult for the British fleet to force an action from leeward if the French were unwilling to engage. Lord Howe detached a light squadron of four ships, the Bellerophon 74, Russell 74, Marlborough 74, and Thunderer 74 under Rear-admiral Thomas Pasley, to attack the rear of the French line. Villaret-Joyeuse stood on and endeavoured to work to windward. In the course of the afternoon Pasley's ships began to come up with the last of the French line, the Révolutionnaire 110. A partial action took place which went on till after dark; other British vessels joined. Révolutionnaire was completely dismasted and was towed to Rochefort by the French Audacieux 74. The British Audacious 74 was also crippled and compelled to return to Plymouth. Napoleon Bonaparte on board the Bellerophon in Plymouth Sound by Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, painted 1815. ... The Bretagne was a large three-decker French ship of the line that became famous as the flagship of the Brest Fleet during the American War of Independence. ... Rochefort is the name of several communes in France, of a municipality in Belgium and a commune in Switzerland: Rochefort in the Charente-Maritime département of France Rochefort in the Côte-dOr département of France Rochefort in the Savoie département of France Rochefort, Belgium Rochefort... , Plymouth (Cornish: ) is a city of 243,795 inhabitants (2001 census) in the south-west of England, or alternatively the West Country, and is situated within the traditional and ceremonial county of Devon at the mouths of the rivers Plym and Tamar and at the head of one of the...

Action of May 29

During the night the two fleets continued on the same course, and next day Howe renewed his attempts to force an action from leeward. He tacked his fleet in succession, his lead ship tacking first and the rest in order, in the hope that he would be able to cut through the French rear and gain the weather-gauge. Villaret-Joyeuse then turned all his ships together and again headed in the same direction as the British. This movement brought him nearer the British fleet, and another partial action took place between the van of each force. Seeing that the French admiral was not disposed to charge home, Howe at noon once more ordered his fleet to tack in succession. His signal was poorly obeyed by the van, and his object, which was to cut through the French line, was not at once achieved. But the admiral himself finally set an example by tacking his flagship, the Queen Charlotte 100, and passing through the French, two ships from the end of their line. He was followed by several other ships from the British fleet, and Villaret-Joyeuse, seeing the peril of the ships in his rear, wore all his ships together to help them. Both forces had been thrown into considerable confusion by these movements, but the British had gained the weather-gauge. Villaret-Joyeuse was able to save the two ships cut off, but he had fallen to leeward and the power to force on a battle had passed to Lord Howe. Two of the French ships, Montagnard 74 and the Indomptable 80 were forced to return home. Indomptable (Indomitable) was an 80-gun ship of the line in the French Navy. ...

Two days of chase

During the 30th the fleets lost sight of one another for a time. The French, who had four ships crippled, had been joined by four others, and were again 26 in number, including Patriote. The 31st of May passed without a hostile meeting and in thick weather, but by the evening the British were close to windward of the French. As Howe, who had not full confidence in all his captains, did not wish for a night battle, he waited till the following morning, keeping the French under observation by frigates.

Battle of the 1st of June

On the 1st of June (13 prairial An 2 in the French Revolutionary calendar) they were in the same relative positions, and at about a quarter past eight Howe bore down on the French, throwing his whole line on them at once from end to end, with orders to pass through from windward to leeward, and so to place the British ships on the French ships' line of retreat. It was a bold departure from the then established methods of fighting, and most honourable in a man of sixty-eight, who had been trained in the old school. Its essential merit was that it produced a close mêlée, in which the better average gunnery and seamanship of the British fleet would tell. Lord Howe's orders were not fully obeyed by all his captains, but a signal victory was won. The battle rapidly turned into a general mêlée which lasted all day. The French ships Sans-Pareil, Juste, America, Impétueux, Northumberland, and Achille were taken, and the Vengeur du Peuple sank after a four-hour duel with HMS Brunswick. When the French withdrew, many of the British ships were in no condition to pursue: Defence and Marlborough were completely dismasted and had to be towed back to port. Image File history File links Lithographie d’après Auguste Mayer (1805-1890), Combat du 13 Prairial An II ( 1er juin 1794) http://www. ... Image File history File links Lithographie d’après Auguste Mayer (1805-1890), Combat du 13 Prairial An II ( 1er juin 1794) http://www. ... The French Revolutionary Calendar or French Republican Calendar is a calendar proposed during the French Revolution, and in use by the French government for 13 years from 1793. ... Subscript textṚΒŝ= =HELLO reuig tnv lert4hq3i ns. ... The Vengeur du Peuple (eng. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Brunswick. ... HMS Defence was a 3rd rate ship of the line of 74 guns, built in 1763 for the Royal Navy. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Marlborough. ...

Aboard the Tremendous, Mrs Daniel Mackenzie gave birth to a boy, Daniel "Tremendous" Mackenzie, who was later awarded the Naval General Service medal in recognition of his presence at the action (with a rating of "baby").

Aftermath

The French food convoy escaped capture, having passed over the spot on which the action of the 28th May was fought on the following day, and apart from one ship lost in heavy weather anchored at Brest on the 3rd of June. Its safe arrival went far to console the French for their tactical defeat. Howe's failure to stop the convoy was forgotten by the English public in their joy over the combat victory.

The French had lost 7 ships, with a further 13 severely damaged, and had suffered perhaps 1,500 killed, 2,000 wounded and 3,000 captured, while the British had 8 seriously damaged ships, 287 killed and 811 wounded.

Both sides claimed victory: the British for the tactical battle itself, but the French achieved the strategic objective of their campaign, since the grain convoy reached Brest safely.

Yet the French Navy never again tried to fight a convoy through the British blockade, France resorting instead to blockade-running, privateering and trade through neutral countries.

Ships involved

Britain (Howe)

For other ships of the same name, see HMS Caesar. ... Napoleon Bonaparte on board the Bellerophon in Plymouth Sound by Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, painted 1815. ... HMS Leviathan was a third-rate ship of the line of 1707 tons and 74 guns launched on 9 October 1790. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Russell. ... HMS Royal Sovereign (1786) a 100-gun 1st rate ship of the line which served as the flagship of Admiral Collingwood at the Battle of Trafalgar. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Marlborough. ... HMS Defence was a 3rd rate ship of the line of 74 guns, built in 1763 for the Royal Navy. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Impregnable. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Tremendous. ... The Battle of the Saintes, 12 April 1782: surrender of the Ville de Paris by Thomas Whitcombe, painted 1783, shows Hoods Barfleur, centre, attacking the French flagship Ville de Paris, right, at the Battle of the Saintes. ... HMS Invincible, built in 1765, was a long service, 1,631 ton, third rate ship of the line in the British Royal Navy. ... For other ships with the same name, see HMS Culloden. ... Seven ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Gibraltar, after the colony of Gibraltar. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Queen Charlotte. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Brunswick. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Valiant. ... HMS Orion (1787 at Deptford) a 74-gun 3rd rate ship of the line which fought at the Battle of the Nile and at Trafalgar where, with Ajax, she forced the surrender of the French ship Intrépide (74). ... HMS Queen was a 98-gun second-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Ramillies. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Alfred. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Montagu. ... For other ships with the same name, see HMS Majestic. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Glory. ... HMS Thunderer (1783 at Rotherhither) a 74-gun 3rd rate ship of the line which fought at Trafalgar. ... HMS Phaeton was a 38-gun, fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy most noted for its intrusion into Nagasaki harbour in 1808. ... HMS Latona was a 38-gun, 18lb gun armed fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. ... Seven ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Niger. ... 88. ... Watercolor of what is believed to be HMS Pegasus in St. ... The name HMS Comet, after the comet, has been used no less than sixteen times by the Royal Navy. ... HMS Kingfisher pennant number P260 completed in 1975. ... There have been 15 different HMS Rangers in the Royal Navy over the past 300 years, from the sloop hired in 1718 by Lt Robert Maynard in order to capture and kill the legendary pirate Blackbeard, to the present P2000 allocated to Sussex URNU. Most, somewhat appropriately, were small vessels...

France (Villaret-Joyeuse)

Ships marked * were in Nielly's squadron, which joined (except for Audacieux 74) on 30 May. Mont-Blanc was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the French Navy. ... The Océan was a 118 gun, first-rate, three-decker ship of the line of the French Navy. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Northumberland. ... The Bretagne was a large three-decker French ship of the line that became famous as the flagship of the Brest Fleet during the American War of Independence. ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.