The Anglo-Dutch Fleet
	White Squadron - Leutenant-Admiraal P. van Almonde
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Noordholland	68
	Zeelandia	90
	Ter Goes	54
	Gelderland	64
	Veere	62
	Conink William	92
	Eerste Edele	74
	Medenblick	50
	Brandenburg	92
	Westvriesland	88
	Zeeland	64
	Ripperda	50
	Slot Muyden	72
	Prins	92
	Elswoud	72
	Schaterschoeff	50
	Leyden	64
	Princes	92
	Amsterdam	64
	Stad es Land	50
	Veluw	64
	Castel Medenblick	86
	Ridderschap	72
	Maegt van Doort	64
	Captaen Generaal	84
	Zeven Provincien	76
	Admiraal Generaal			Flagship of Schoot-bei-Nacht P. van der Goes
	Red Squadron - Admiral of the Fleet Edward Russell
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Saint Michael	90	Thomas Hensome
	Lennox	70	John Munden
	York	60	Robert Deane
	Bonaventure	50	John Hubbard
	Katherine	82	Wolfran Cornewall
	Royal Sovereign	100	Humphrey Saunders	Flagship of Vice-Admiraal Sir Ralph Delavall
	Captain	70	Daniel James
	Centurion	50	Francis Wyvill
	Burford	70	Thomas Harlow
	Elizabeth	70	Stafford Fairbourne
	Rupert	66	Basil Beaumont
	Eagle	70	John Leake
	Chester	50	Thomas Gillam
	Saint Andrew	96	George Churchill
	Britannia	100	John Fletcher	Flagship of Edward Russell
	London	96	Mathew Aylmer
	Greenwich	54	Richard Edwards
	Restoration	70	James Gotber
	Grafton	70	William Bekenham
	Hampton Court	70	John Graydon
	Swiftsure	70	Richard Clarke
	Saint Albans	50	Richard Fitzpatrick
	Kent	70	John Neville
	Royal William	100	Thomas Jennings	Flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Clowdisely Shovell
	Sandwich	90	Anthony Hastings
	Oxford	54	James Wishart
	Cambridge	70	Richard Lestock
	Ruby	50	George Mees
	Plymouth	60	John Maine
	Phaeton	8	Robert Hancock	Fireship
	Fox	8	Thomas Killingworth	Fireship
	Strombolo	8	Thomas Urry	Fireship
	Hopewell	8	William Jumper	Fireship
	Flame	8	James Stewart	Fireship
	Roebuck	8	Francis Manly	Fireship
	Vulture	8	Hovenden Walker	Fireship
	Spy	8	John Norris	Fireship
	Extravagant	10	Fleetwood Eames	Fireship
	Wolf	8	James Greenaway	Fireship
	Vulcan	8	Joseph Soames	Fireship
	Hound	8	Thoams Foulis	Fireship
	Rear or Blue Squadron - Admiral Sir John Ashby
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Hope	70	Henry Robinson
	Deptford	50	William Kerr
	Essex	70	John Bridges
	Duke	90	William Wright	Flagship of rear-admiral Richard Carter
	Ossory	90	John Tyrrel
	Woolwich	54	Christopher Myngs
	Suffolk	70	Christopher Billon
	Crown	50	Thomas Warren
	Dreadnought	64	Thomas Coall
	Stirling Castle	70	Benjamin Walters
	Edgar	72	John Turpley
	Monmouth	66	Robert Robinson
	Duchess	90	John Clemens
	Victory	100	Edward Stanley	Flagship of admiral Sir John Ashby
	Vanguard	90	Christopher Mason
	Adventure	50	Thomas Dilkes
	Warspite	70	Caleb Grantham
	Montagu	62	Simon Faulks
	Defiance	60	Edward Gurney
	Berwick	70	Henry Martin
	Lion	60	Robert Wiseman
	Northumberland	70	Andrew Cuteen
	Advice	50	Charles Hawkins
	Neptune	96	Thomas Gardner	Flagship of vice-admiral George Rooke
	Windsor Castle	90	Earl of Danby
	Chatham	50	John Leader
	Expedition	70	Edward Dover
	Monck	60	Benjamin Hoskins
	Resolution	70	Edward Guod
	Albemarle	90	Sir Francis Wheler
	Half Moon	8	John Knapp	Fireship
	Owners Love	10	John Perry	Fireship
	Cadiz Merchant	12	Robert Wynn	Fireship
	Lightening	8	Lawrence Keek	Fireship
	Speedwell	8	Thomas Simonds	Fireship
	Griffin	8	Robert Partridge	Fireship
	Etna	8	Richard Carverth	Fireship
	Blaze	8	Thomas Heath	Fireship
	Thomas and Elizabeth	8	Edward Littleton	Fireship
	Vesuvius	8	John Guy	Fireship
	Hunter	8	Thomas Rooke	Fireship
	Charles Galley	8	Joseph Waters	Fireship
	The French Fleet
	Blue and White Squadron - Lieutenant-general d'Amfreville
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Bourbon	68
	Monarque	90
	Aimable	70
	Saint-Louis	64		Flagship of Alain Emmanuel, Marquis de Coëtlogon
	Gaillard	68
	Terrible	80
	Diamant	60
	Merveilleux	90
	Tonnant	80
	Saint-Michel	60
	Sans Pareil	62
	Sérieux	64
	Foudroyant	84
	Brillant	62
	White Squadron - Amiral Comte de Tourville
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Fort	60
	Henri	64
	Ambitieux	96
	Couronne	76
	Maure	52
	Courageux	58
	Perle	52	Claude de Forbin-Gardanne
	Glorieux	64
	Conquerant	84
	Soleil Royal	104		Flagship of admiral Comte de Tourville
	Sainte Philippe	84
	Admirable	90
	Content	68
	Souverain	80
	Illustre	70
	Moderé	52
	Blue Squadron - Vice-Amiral Gabaret
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Excellent	60
	Prince	56
	Magnifique	86
	Laurier	64
	Brave	58
	Entendu	60
	Triomphant	76
	Orgueilleux	94
	Fier	80
	Fleuron	56
	Courtesan	64
	Grand	84
	Saint-Esprit	74
	Sirène	64

Notes:

• Officers with names in bold were killed during the action.

Description of the Battle (From William Laird Clowes - History of the Royal Navy Vol II)

Having sent ahead some "frigates" the lighter and faster part of his fleet to reconnoitre the French coast and watch the motions of the enemy, Russell sailed on May 18th. At 3 A.M. on the morning of Thursday, the 19th, when he was off Cape Barfleur, the Chester and Charles Galley, which were then scouting to the westward, fired guns, and made the best of their way towards the flag. Upon arriving within signalling distance, they reported that the enemy was in sight. The wind was S.W. and, the French being to the south-west of the Allies, Tourville had the option whether he would or would not engage. He had not received the order to avoid an action; he believed that he was expected to fight; and mortification at the manner in which his previous proceedings had been criticised inclined him to the combat. Moreover, he seems to have been at first quite ignorant as to the overwhelming strength of the Allies, and to have supposed that not more than five and forty ships were opposed to him. He therefore ordered his whole fleet to keep away together for the enemy, who, heading S.S.W., awaited him on the starboard tack in the natural order, the Dutch, that is, being in the van, and Ashby, with the Blue squadron, occupying the rear. Supposing for a short time that the French might stand to the northward, Russell had signalled

his own rear to tack; but when, soon after 4 A.M., he saw the enemy standing to the southward and preparing to form line on the same tack as the Allies, he annulled the order ere Ashby had gone far towards obeying it. Tourville indeed accepted the challenge in the handsomest manner, when he might have discovered a dozen excellent reasons for declining it.

"When," says Mahan, "they were within easy range, the French hauled their wind on the same tack, keeping the weathergauge. Tourville, being so inferior in numbers, could not wholly avoid the enemy's line extending to the rear of his own, which was also necessarily weak from its extreme length; but he avoided Torrington's error at Beachy Head, keeping his van refused, with long intervals between the ships, to check the enemy's van, and engaging closely with his centre and rear." Thus formed, the two lines headed from N.N.E. towards S.S.W. Russell was not entirely satisfied with his own line, which was completed at about 8 A.M. He calls it an "indifferent" one. Tourville's line was also ragged, but the resolute manner in which his ships bore down was remarked by all.

Russell's last order, ere the action began, took the shape of directions to Admiral van Almonde to endeavour to weather the enemy as soon as possible. It was about 10.30 A.M. when the French centre hauled its wind and opened fire on the Red squadron at three-quarter musket shot; and, it falling calm almost immediately afterwards, the Dutch could not, for the time, do much towards carrying out the desires of the commander-in-chief. Nevertheless several of their ships succeeded in getting into close action, and the Zeven Provincien, De Ruijter's famous flagship, had that day nineteen killed and fourteen badly wounded, while the Admiraal Generaal lost nine killed and thirty wounded, among the latter being Rear-Admiral van der Goes.

The hottest fighting, however, was in the centre; and at 1 P.M. Tourville, in the Soleil Royal, was observed to be towing off to

windward with his sails and rigging badly damaged. At about 2 P.M. the wind, such as there was of it, shifted to N.W. by N., and five fresh and almost untouched French ships of D'Amfreville's squadron thereupon ranged themselves three ahead and two astern of the Soleil Royal, and, in the most devoted manner, endeavoured to relieve her. The chief opponents of the group thus formed were the Britannia, London, and St. Andrew; and, for an hour, these ships, and others near them in the line, were very hotly engaged. All day it had been misty, and, soon after three, a fog began to gather very thickly over the scene of action. This caused much confusion on both sides, and it was doubtless in consequence of it that the Sandwich drove through the remnants of the French line, and, in the heavy fire which was turned upon her from all sides, lost her captain, Anthony Hastings. Before the fog became so thick as to oblige all ships to cease firing, Shovell's division had doubled upon the Soleil Royal and her immediate supporters; and it is not, therefore, astonishing that when Tourville's ship next became visible she still was towing out of action to the northward. The Britannia and other vessels attempted to tow after her, the wind having again dropped; but soon the fog once more shrouded everything.

At about 5 P.M. a light breeze sprang up from the eastward, and the weather became a little less thick. The French were then discovered heading west; and as much of the allied fleet as could be communicated with was ordered in chase. There was a partial renewal of the battle until about 8 P.M., when the fog, denser than ever, put an end for the night to all combined

action.

It was when this fog was at its worst that Rear-Admiral Carter's division of the allied Blue squadron by hazard fell in with the main body of the flying enemy, and, for half an hour, engaged it in the ever-growing darkness. Carter was the officer whose loyalty and good faith had been most peculiarly suspected. Other officers had been believed to be disaffected; but rumour had charged Carter with being corrupt and treacherous as well. That night he silenced for ever those who would have impeached his honour. A shot struck him, and, as he realised that death had come to him, he said to Wright, his flag-captain: " Fight the ship as long as she will swim." Later, both fleets anchored.

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