Foudroyant

Posted by Jon Miller on Monday 1st of June 2026 07:48

March 30, 1800, Sir Edward Berry, commanding his Majesty’s ship Foudroyant, 80 guns, after having landed Lord Nelson ill, in Sicily, came up with the Guillaume Tell, French ship, of 80 guns, and laying the Foudroyant alongside so close that her spare anchor was just clear of Guillaume Tell’s mizen chains, hailed her commander, Admiral Dacres, and ordered him to strike: the French Admiral answered, by brandishing his sword over his head, and then discharged a musket at Sir Edward Berry; this was followed by a broadside, which nearly unrigged the Foudroyant, whose guns, however, being prepared with three round shot in each, she poured a most tremendous and effectual discharge, crashing through and through the enemy (described as a perfect chord of harmony in the ears of our tars, who were in their turn, a little exposed) but she fired another fresh broadside; when down came the Guillaume Tell’s main and mizen masts, at the same time the Foudroyant’s fore-topmast, gib-boom, sprit-sail, main-topsail-yard, stay-sails, fore-sail, and main-sail, all in tatters; it was difficult in this situation to get the ship to fall off, so as to maintain her position; the combatants therefore separated for a few minutes, when Sir Edward Berry called his men from the main-deck, and cutting away part of the wreck, got the ship once more under command, (that is, obedient to her helm and manageable) and again close alongside her determined opponent, who nailed his colours to the stump of the mast, and displayed his flag on a pole over them; Sir Edward then commenced again a most heavy and well directed fire, his men now having got into a system of firing every gun two or three times a minute, regularly going through the exercise; musketry was occasionally used, when the ship was very near on board the Guillaume Tell; but latterly the mizen mast being almost in two, Sir Edward called the marines from the poop, and put them to the great guns; by which many lives were certainly saved. At a few minutes past eight the Guillaume Tell’s foremast was shot away, and becoming a mere log she struck her colours. In this battle, which seems, from another letter, to have lasted two ours and a half, the Foudroyant expended 162 barrels of powder, with 1200 32 lb shot, 1240 24 ditto, 100 18 ditto, 200 12 ditto, total 2740 shot. The killed and wounded on board Guillaume Tell were about 400. It is worthy of record that the Foudroyant, by the exertions of her officers and crew, was at sea on the 18th, and fit to meet the enemy though jury-rigged. Lord Nelson had previously been landed at Syracuse, in consequence of a severe illness. [Hull Packet, 17 June 1800]