 |
|
Quiberon Bay, 25 November
1759
The firing now became very alert on both
sides, and there was no distinguishing any longer English
colours from French. M. du Verger, the French rear admiral,
in the Formidable bore a very fierce cannonade from
the Resolution; but upon the Royal George's
coming up, they hauled down their flag, and struck to Sir
Edward Hawke,... The Royal George continued advancing,
and Sir Edward gave orders to his Master to carry him close
alongside of M. Conflans in the Soleil Royal. The
French admiral seemed to have the same ambition on his part,
and it was a glorious sight to behold the blue and white flags,
both at the maintop mast-head, bearing down to each other.
The Royal George passed the Torbay, which
was closely engaged with the Thésée of 74 guns, and
soon after sent that unfortunate ship to the bottom. On the
other side was the Magnanime, who kept an incessant
fire on one of the largest of the French ships and in the
end obliged her to strike. She afterwards ran ashore and was
burnt.
The two commanders-in-chief were now very
near, and M. Conflans gave the English admiral his broadside;
the Royal George re turned the uncivil salutation;
but after two or three exchanges of this kind, the Marshal
of France declined the combat and steered off. The French
Vice-Admiral likewise gave Sir Edward his broadside, and soon
followed the example of his superior. Another and another
acted the same part; the fifth ship escaped not so well. Sir
Edward poured his whole fire into her at once, and repeating
the same, down she went along side of him. The Royal George's
people gave a cheer, but it was a faint one; the honest sailors
were touched at the miserable state of so many hundreds of
poor creatures. The blue flag was now encountered with seven
ships at the same time, and appeared to be in the very centre
of the French rear. Every observer pitied the Royal George,
to see her singly engaged against so many of the enemy...
her situation would have been lamentable if the enemy had
preserved any degree of composure, or fired with any sort
of direction; but their confusion was so great, that of many
hundreds of shot, I do not believe that more than 30 or 40
struck the ship.
Sir Charles Hardy, in the Union,
with the Mars, Hero, and several other ships,
were crowding to the Admiral's assistance, when the retreat
of the French, covered by the obscurity of the evening, put
an end to the engagement. Happy circumstance for the enemy,
as an hour's daylight more would have brought on their total
ruin!
The battle was fought so near the coast of
Brittany, that ten thousand persons on the shore were sad
witnesses of the white flag's disgrace....
The glory of the British flag has been nobly
supported, while that of the enemy is vanished into empty
air.
Burrows, Montagu. Life of Lord Hawke
(1883), p. 394. |
| Retour
page 2 histoire de Quiberon
retour haut de page
The Battle of Quiberon Bay Admiral Sir Edward
Hawke
The Royal George, off Penris Point,
24 November 1759
In my letter of the 17th by express, I
desired you would acquaint their Lordships with my having
received intelligence of eighteen sail of the line, and
three frigates of the Brest squadron being discovered about
twenty-four leagues to the north-west of Belleisle, steering
to the eastward. All the prisoners, however, agree that
on the day we chased them, their squadron consisted, according
to the accompanying list, of four ships of eighty, six of
seventy-four, three of seventy, eight of sixty-four, one
frigate of thirty-six, one of thirty-four, and one of sixteen
guns, with a small vessel to look out. They sailed from
Brest the 14th instant, the same day I sailed from Torbay.
Concluding that their first rendezvous would be Quiberon,
the instant I received the intelligence I directed my course
thither with a pressed sail. At first the wind blowing hard
at S. b. E. and S. drove us considerably to the westward.
But on the 18th and 19th, though variable, it proved more
favourable. In the meantime having been joined by the Maidstone
and Coventry frigates, I directed their commanders
to keep ahead of the squadron, one on the starboard, and
the other on the larboard bow. At half-past eight o'clock
on the morning of the 20th, Belleisle, by our reckoning,
bearing E. b. N. 1/4 N. about thirteen leagues, the Maidstone
made the signal for seeing a fleet. I immediately spread
abroad the signal for the line abreast, in order to draw
all the ships of the squadron up with me. I had before sent
the Magnanime ahead to make the land. At three-quarters
past nine she made the signal for seeing an enemy. Observing,
on my discovering them, that they made off, I threw out
the signal for the seven ships nearest them to chase, and
draw into a line of battle ahead of me, and endeavour to
stop them till the rest of the squadron should come up,
who were also to form as they chased, that no time might
be lost in the pursuit.... Monsieur Conflans kept going
off under such sail as all his squadron could carry, and
at the same time keep together; while we crowded after him
with every sail our ships could bear. At half-past two p.m.
the fire beginning ahead, I made the signal for engaging.
We were then to the south-ward of Belleisle, and the French
Admiral headmost, soon after led round the Cardinals, while
his rear was in action. About four o'clock the Formidable
struck, and a little after, the Thésée and Superbe
were sunk. About five, the Heros struck, and came
to an anchor, but it blowing hard, no boat could be sent
to board her. Night was now come, and being on a part of
the coast, among islands and shoals, of which we were totally
ignorant, without a pilot, as was the greatest part of the
squadron, and blowing hard on a lee shore, I made the signal
to anchor, and come-to in fifteen-fathom water.... In the
night we heard many guns of distress fired, but, blowing
hard, want of knowledge of the coast, and whether they were
fired by a friend or an enemy, prevented all means of relief....
As soon as it was broad daylight, in the morning of the
21st, I discovered seven or eight of the enemy's line-of-battle
ships at anchor between Point Penris and the river Vilaine,
on which I made the signal to weigh in order to work up
and attack them. But it blowed so hard from the N.W. that
instead of daring to cast the squadron loose, I was obliged
to strike topgallant masts. Most of the ships appeared to
be aground at low water.... In attacking a flying enemy,
it was impossible in the space of a short winter's day that
all our ships should be able to get into action, or all
those of the enemy brought to it. The commanders and companies
of such as did come up with the rear of the French on the
20th behaved with the greatest intrepidity, and gave the
strongest proofs of a true British spirit. In the same manner
I am satisfied would those have acquitted themselves whose
bad-going ships, or the distance they were at in the morning,
prevented from getting up. Our loss by the enemy is not
considerable. For in the ships which are now with me, I
find only one lieutenant and fifty seamen and marines killed,
and about two hundred and twenty wounded. When I consider
the season of the year, the hard gales on the day of action,
a flying enemy, the shortness of the day, and the coast
they were on, I can boldly affirm that all that could possibly
be done has been done. As to the loss we have sustained,
let it be placed to the account of the necessity I was under
of runing all risks to break this strong force of the enemy.
Had we had but two hours more daylight, the whole had been
totally destroyed or taken; for we were almost up with their
van when night overtook us....
Moorhouse. Letters of English Seamen.
(1910), pp. 119- |
| Retour
page 2 histoire de Quiberon
retour haut de page
The Battle of Quiberon Bay British Captain
20 November 1759
I most heartily congratulate you upon the
great event of our defeating Marshal Conflans on the 20th
instant. As the express is on the point of setting out, my
relation of the victory cannot be particular. On the 14th
of November Sir Edward Hawke hoisted his flag on board the
Royal George in Torbay, where the fleet had put in
a few days before through stress of weather. The same evening
we stood out to sea, with 23 ships of the line, and two frigates;
and on the 16th were within eight or ten leagues of the isle
of Ushant. >In the afternoon we fell in with some English
transports returning from Quiberon, who gave the admiral information,
that they saw the French fleet the day before, consisting
of 24 sail, standing to the SE and were at that time 23 leagues
W. of Belleisle. The intelligence was received with universal
acclamation, and every ship prepared for action. The admiral
lost not a minute of time, but pursued with the utmost alertness.
In the evening of the 18th the wind came on fresh from the
westward, and we spread all our canvas to court the prosperous
gale. On the 20th about half an hour after eight in the morning,
the Maidstone frigate let fly her top-gallant sails,
which was a signal for discovering a fleet; at nine, not a
doubt was left, of the happy hour being arrived which we had
six months been impatiently expecting. We ascertained them
to be the French squadron, of 21 sail of the line and three
smaller ships; and that they were chasing Captain Duff's frigates
and bombs; the destruction of which was one object of their
destination. Upon their having a distincter view of our ships
they gave over the chase, and appeared to be forming a line
to receive us. From the equality of combatants, we concluded
the action would be very great, and general; but I may venture
to assert, there was not an Englishman from high to low, who
did not assure himself of victory. Upon our advancing, Marshal
Conflans changed his plan, and put right before the wind towards
the shore, seeking safety in his flight. At this critical
time Sir Edward paid no regard to lines of battle, but every
ship was directed to make the best of her way towards the
enemy: the admiral told his officers he was for the old way
of fighting, to make downright work with them. At noon our
headmost ships were pretty near them, and between one and
two, the Warspite and Dorsetshire began
to fire, and were then abreast of the Cardinal rocks. Presently
after the Revenge, Resolution, Torbay,
Magnanime, Swiftsure, Montagu,
and Defiance, came into action. The firing now became
very alert on both sides, and there was no distinguishing
any longer English colours from French. M. Du Vergen, the
French rear-admiral, in the Formidable, bore a very
fierce cannonade from the Resolution; but upon the
Royal George's coming up, they hauled down their
flag and struck to Sir Edward Hawke. This was only a point
of honour, the Resolution having the merit of subduing
them. The Royal George continued advancing, and Sir
Edward gave orders to his master to carry him close alongside
of M. Conflans in the Soleil Royal. The French admiral
seem'd to have the same ambition on his part, and it was a
glorious sight to behold the blue and the white flags both
at the maintopmast head bearing down to each other. The Royal
George passed the Torbay which was closely engaged
with the Thesee of 74 guns, and who soon afterwards
sent that unfortunate ship to the bottom. On the other side
was the Magnanime, who kept an incessant fire on
one of the largest of the French ships, and in the end obliged
her to strike. She afterwards ran ashore, and was burnt. The
two commander-in-chiefs were now very near, and M. Conflans
gave the English admiral his broadside; the Royal George
returned the uncivil salutation, but after two or three discharges
of this kind, the marshal of France declined the combat and
sheered off. The French vice-admiral likewise gave Sir Edward
his broadside, and soon followed the example of his superior.
Another and another acted the same part; the fifth ship escaped
not so well; Sir Edward poured his whole fire into her at
once, and repeating the same, down she went along side of
him. The Royal George's people gave a cheer, but
it was a faint one; the honest sailors were touched at the
miserable fate of so many hundreds of poor creatures. The
blue flag was now encountered with seven ships at the same
time, and appeared to be in the very centre of the French
rear. Every observer pitied the Royal George, to
see her singly engaged against so many of the enemy. It seems
indeed a kind of degradation to so noble a ship to be pitied;
but really her situation would have been lamentable, if the
enemy had perserved any degree of composure, or fired with
any sort of direction; but their confusion was so great, that
of many hundreds of shot, I do not believe that more than
30 or 40 struck the ship. Sir Charles Hardy in the Union,
with the Mars, Hero, and several other ships
were crowding to the admiral's assistance, when the retreat
of the French, covered by the obscurity of the evening, put
an end to the engagement. Happy circumstance for the enemy,
as an hour's daylight more would have brought on their total
ruin. This battle was fought so near the coast of Brittany,
that ten thousand persons upon the shore were the sad witnesses
of the white flag's disgrace. When I sat down to write, I
intended to have given you only a general account, but upon
such an animating occasion as this, there is no possibility
of leaving off, whilst a margin remains unocupied. We have
burnt the Soleil Royal of 84 brass guns, M. Conflan's
ship, together with the Hero of 74 guns; both of
which ran shore near Crozie. We have sunk the Thesee
of 74 guns and the Superbe of 70: we have driven
off the Juste of 70 guns upon the rocks, where she
overset; and have taken the Formidable of 80, the
French rear-admiral 62 of whose guns are brass. Ten or eleven
other ships were aground, but got off again, by throwing their
guns and stores overboard. They are now crept into the entrance
of the little river Villaine, where we do not despair of setting
them on fire. Whether we succeed in this or not we have room
to believe they have undergone so much damage, that few of
them will be able to put to sea any more. The rest made their
escape the night after the engagement, under the command of
M. Beaufremont, their vice-admiral, and stretched away for
Rochfort. We have had the misfortune to lose the victorious
Resolution of 74 guns, and the Essex of
64; the former struck upon a sand called Le Four, the night
after the battle; and next morning the Essex going
down to her relief, unhappily ran upon the same shoal. Our
endeavours to get them off were unsuccessful; but we have
this consolation, that almost all their people were saved,
and are embarked on board the Formidable. I should
be esteemed a very unjust historian, if I neglected to make
known to you, that Captain Dennis of the Dorsetshire,
and Captain Speke of the Resolution, have acquired
immortal honour; the admiral told them, in the warmth of his
gratitude, they had behaved like angels. I would in this place
attempt the most honourable mention of Sir Edward Hawke; nor
would I by any means omit Lord Howe, and Captain Keppel; neither
should Captain Campbell pass unnoticed, but that there was
a certain greatness in their behaviour which exceeds the ability
of my pen to celebrate.... The glory of the British flag has
been nobly supported, while that of the enemy is vanished
into empty air.
The Gentleman's Magazine, (December
1759), p. 557. |
Retour
histoire2
retour haut de page
|
