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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.

Contents

Origins

Action of May 28

Action of May 29

Two days of chase

Battle of the 1st of June

Aftermath

Ships involved

Britain (Howe)

France (Villaret-Joyeuse)

References

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.

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.

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.

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.
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)

'Ships of the line:'

''Caesar'' (80) - Captain Anthony James Pye Molloy

''Bellerophon'' (74) - Captain William Hope, Rear-Admiral Thomas Pasley

''Leviathan'' (74) - Captain Hugh Seymour

(74) - Captain Payne

''Royal Sovereign'' (100) - Captain Henry Nichol(l?)s, Admiral Graves

''Marlborough'' (74) - Captain G. Cranfield Berkeley

''Defence'' (74) - Captain James Gambier

(98) - Captain George Blagden Westcott, Rear-Admiral Caldwell

''Tremendous'' (74) - Captain Pigott

''Barfleur'' (98) - Captain Cuthbert Collingwood, Rear-Admiral Bowyer

''Invincible'' (74) - Captain Thomas Pakenham

''Culloden'' (74) - Captain Isaac Schomberg

''Gibraltar'' (80) - Captain Thomas Mackenzie

''Queen Charlotte'' (100) - (flag 1) Captains Roger Curtis and Andrew Snape Douglas, Admiral Lord Howe

''Brunswick'' (74) - Captain John Harvey

(74) - Captain Thomas Pringle

''Orion'' (74) - Captain John Thomas Duckworth

''Queen'' (98) - Captain John Hutt, Rear-Admiral Gardner

''Ramillies'' (74) - Captain Henry Harvey

''Alfred'' (74) - Captain John Bazely

''Montagu'' (74) - Captain James Montagu

''Royal George'' (100) - Captain William Domett, Admiral Hood

''Majestic'' (74) - Captain Charles Cotton

''Glory'' (98) - Captain John Elphinstone

''Thunderer'' (74) - Captain Albemarle Bertie

'Others:'

''Phaëton'' (38) - Captain William Bentinck

''Latona'' (38) - Captain Edward Thornborough

''Niger'' (32) - Captain Arthur Kaye Legge

''Southampton'' (32) - Captain Robert Forbes

''Venus'' (32) - Captain William Brown

''Aquilon'' (32) - Captain Robert Stopford

''Pegasus'' (28) - Captain Robert Barlow

''Charon'' (hospital ship, former 44-gun 2-decker) - Captain George Countess

''Comet'' (fireship) - Captain William Bradley

''Incendiary'' (fireship) - Captain John Cook

''Kingfisher'' (sloop) - Captain Thomas Le Marchant Grosselyn

''Rattler'' (cutter) - Captain John Winne

''Ranger'' (cutter) - Captain Charles Cotgrave

France (Villaret-Joyeuse)

''Trajan''
★ (74) - Captain Dumoutier

''Eole'' (74) - Captain Bertrand Keranguen

''America'' (74) - Captain Louis Lhéritier

''Téméraire''
★ (74) - Captain Morel

''Terrible'' (110) - Captain LeRay, ''Contre-Amiral'' Bouvet de Précourt

''Impétueux'' (74) - Captain Douville. Captured

''Mucius'' (74) - Captain Larreguy

''Tourville'' (74) - Captain Langlois

''Gasparin'' (74) - Captain Tardy

''Convention'' (74) - Captain Joseph-Allary

''Trente-et-un Mai'' (74) - Captain Honoré Gantheaume. Joined late 31 May

''Tyrannicide'' (74) - Captain Alain-Joseph Dordelin

''Juste'' (80) - Captain Blavet. Captured

''Montagne'' (120) - Captain Basire, Rear-Admiral Villaret de Joyeuse

''Jacobin'' (80) - Captain Gassin

''Achille'' (74) - Captain Guillaume-Jean-Noël La Villegris. Captured

''Vengeur de Peuple'' (74) - Captain Renaudin. Surrendered, sunk by ''Brunswick''

''Patriote''
★ (74) - Captain Lucadou

''Northumberland'' (74) - Captain François-Pierre Etienne. Captured

''Entreprenant'' (74) - Captain Lefrancq

''Jem(m?)appes'' (80) - Captain Desmartis

''Neptune'' (74) - Captain Tiphaigne

''Pelletier'' (74) - Captain Barrade

''Républicain'' (110) - Captain Longer, ''Contre-Amiral'' Nielly

''Sans-Pareil''
★ (80) - Captain Jean-François Courant. Captured

''Scipion'' (74) - Captain Huguet

'Frigates:'

''Bellone'' (36)

''Seine''

''Tamise'' - Captain Jean-Marthe-Adrien L'Hermite

Also:

''Montagnard'' (74) - Captain Jean-Baptiste-Franois Bompart. Left 29 May

''Indomptable'' (74) - Captain Lamel. Damaged, sent home late 31 May

''Mont Blanc'' (74) - Captain Thévenard. Sent home late 31 May

''Révolutionnaire'' (110) - Damaged 28 May, towed to Rochefort 28/28 May by ''Audacieux''

''Audacieux'' (74) - Left 28/29 May

Ships marked
★ were in Nielly's squadron, which joined (except for ''Audacieux'' 74) on 30 May.

References

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