Battle of Barfleur
27th May 1692
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.
Sources:
Comments (6)
deslandesherve@... said
at 8:29 pm on Dec 30, 2008
desole,
plan decale
russell
rear van
tourville
div panatié rear van div nesmond
deslandesherve@... said
at 8:14 pm on Dec 30, 2008
bonsoir
la flotte allie aperçoie a l'horizon les escadres de tourville en colone à 4 h du matin .par manque de vent, juste une petite brise
les français mettrons 6 h pour arriver au contact. russell pense a un piege,il met sa flotte en panne.il croit que tourville a des renforts au dela de l'horizon et qu'il ne va pas attaquer avec si peu de vaisseaux .les deux lignes adversent auront une forme
" d'aigle aux ailes déployées" et les div. panatié & nesmond ayant plus de vent vont se trouver decalées.
rear AMIRAL RUSSELL van
O
oooo oooo
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
AMIRAL TOURVILLE
O
oooo oooo
oooo ooooooooooooo ooooooooooo ooooo
rear div: panatié div: nesmond van
voila,au revoir
Cy said
at 6:35 pm on Dec 28, 2008
Thank you
I asusme the breaks are into Van, Main and Rear divisions within the squadrons?
I will update the page with the divisions and officers info soon
deslandesherve@... said
at 5:04 pm on Dec 28, 2008
just no more the time for written "escadre bleu "
histoire de la marine francaise de h.e. jenkins confirme cette "order sailing" !
et idem pour les escadres rouge et bleu de la flotte britannique:"reverse sailing order"
source de la ronciere: "ordre de bataille au plus pres du vent" de la flotte de tourville à la bibliotheque nationale fr.22802,fol.103 - mémoires de villette mursay
ESCADRE BLEU DE FRANCE
VAISSEAUX CAPITAINES
EXCELLENT 60 du rivau-huet
PRINCE 56 de bagneux
MAGNIFIQUE 86 chef d'escadre coetlogon (division ships)
LAURIER 64 chevalier d'hervault
BRAVE 58 chevalier de chalais
ENTENDU 40 de ricoux
TRIOMPHANT 80 de machault- belmont
ORGUEILLEUX 94 courbon- blénac / lieutenant général des armées navales louis gabaret (amiral escadre bleu)
FIER 90 de la harteloire
FLEURON 56 chevalier de montgon
COURTISAN 64 colbert de saint marc
GRAND 84 chef d'escadre panetié (division ships)
SAINT ESPRIT 64 de la gallissonnière
SYRENE 64 du quesne
Cy said
at 10:03 pm on Dec 27, 2008
Interesting!
Any reason that there is no Blue squadron?
and the White squadron appears to be in reverse sailing order, unless my list is of course?
deslandesherve@... said
at 8:25 pm on Dec 27, 2008
ESCADRE de france blue/blanche
VAISSEAUX : CAPITAINES :
BOURBON 68 perrinet
MONARQUE 90 chef d'escadre nesmond ( division ships)
AIMABLE 70 réals
SAINT LOUIS 64 la roque-persin
DIAMANT 50 feuquières
GAILLARD 52 chevalier d'amfreville
TERRIBLE 80 sèbeville
MERVEILLEUX 98 lieutenant general des armees navales: d'amfreville ( amiral d'escadre bleue/blanche)
TONNANT 80 septemes
SAINT MICHEL 60 chevalier de villars
SANS PAREIL 62 ferville
SERIEUX 64 marquis de blénac
FOUDROYANT 104 chef d'escadre de relingue
BRILLANT 62 chevalier de combes
ESCADRE de france blanche
MODERE 52 d'évry
ILLUSTRE 68 de combes
SOUVERAIN 80 chef d'escadre marquis de langeron ( division ships)
CONTENT 68 chevalier de sainte- maure
ADMIRABLE 96 chevalier de beaujeu
SAINT- PHILIPPE 84 chevalier d'infreville
SOLEIL ROYAL 104 desnos / vice amiral d'escadre TOURVILLE
CONQUERANT 86 du magnou
GLORIEUX 64 chevalier de chateaumorant
PERLE 52 chevalier de forbin
COURAGEUX 58 chevalier de la luzerne
MAURE 50 des augiers
COURONNE 76 chevalier de montbron
AMBITIEUX 92 saujon/ lieutenant general des armees navales:villette mursay (division ships)
HENRY 64 la roche- allard
FORT 68 chevalier de la rongère
de mr gauthard d'apres sources
charles de la ronciere : histoire de la marine francaise tome VI
etienne taillemite: les guerres navales francaises
jean claude castex : dictionnaire des batailles navales franco-anglaise
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