Battle of Quiberon Bay

Notes on Action

Upon realising that they were in the presence of the British, the enemy fell into some confusion, but, in the course of a short time, seemed to arrive at a determination to fight, and endeavoured to form a line. While they were executing this manoeuvre, the British approached very rapidly, the wind being then nearly  west. De Conflans then suddenly altered his mind, and, instead of waiting to engage, made off. He was near his own coasts, with the difficulties and dangers of which he was fully acquainted and presumably knew well how to avoid, while the British were on a lee shore, with which they were unfamiliar. The weather was tempestuous and was rapidly growing worse; and the November day would soon end. De Conflans therefore endeavoured to keep his fleet together, and steered right before the wind for the land, which was not more than about twelve miles distant.

The wind, as the short afternoon drew to its close, was variable between N.W. and W.N.W., and blew in heavy squalls. Yet both fleets crowded sail, the French to escape, and the British to overtake them. At 2 P.M. the enemy began to fire at the leading ships of the British fleet ; and, half-an-hour later, when the Warspite and Dorsetshire were close up with the enemy's rear, Hawke made the signal to engage. The British fleet was then to the south of Belle Île. A little later the Revenge, Magnanime, Torbay, Montagu, Resolution, Swiftsure and Defiance got into action, and hotly engaged the French rear. Yet this fact did not prevent the French admiral, who was in the van, from leading round the Cardinals. The Formidable, carrying the flag of Rear-Admiral du Verger, was attacked by the Resolution, and, in addition, received a broadside or two from every other British ship that passed her; and, having been severely treated, she struck about 4 o'clock. The loss on board of her was terrible, M. du Verger and upwards of two hundred others being killed. The Formidable was taken possession of by the Resolution. In the meantime, the ships of the British rear were straining to get into action. The Thésée, Captain de Kersaint was hotly engaged by the Magnanime, but was relieved by the disablement of the British ship, which,being fouled by one of her consorts, fell astern. Very soon afterwards the Thésée as tackled by the Torbay; and, in the contest which resulted, she capsized and foundered, chiefly owing to the fact that her captain, from motives of self-pride, persisted in fighting his lower deck guns, regardless of the stormy state of the weather. All her crew of about eight hundred men, except twenty, were lost. The Torbay, owing to similar causes, was at one time in danger of a
like fate; but Captain Keppel closed his ports in time, and saved her. Another French ship, the Superbe, foundered at about the same time.

Owing to the gale, the lee shore, and the gathering darkness, there was at that time great confusion ; and it is almost impossible to tell exactly what happened. But it would appear that after having engaged the Thésée, and having been fouled first by the Warspite and then by the Montagu, Lord Howe, in the Magnanime, observed the French Héros somewhat disabled to leeward, and, bearing down and ranging alongside, quickly obliged her to strike. The Héros anchored, but, owing to the  weather, no boat could be sent to take possession of her and, later, her captain ran her ashore and landed his crew. As night fell, the enemy's fleet divided part, under M. de Bauffremont, the vice-admiral, making to the southward within the Four Bank, and probably designing to attract the British into danger.

But Hawke would not be tempted to pursue them. Night was come; islands, rocks, and shoals were all around; no pilots were on board; the charts were indifferent, and the weather was terrible. Hawke, therefore, made the signal to anchor, and came to in fifteen fathoms of water, the Isle de Dumet bearing E. by N. two or three miles distant, the Cardinals W. 1/2 S., and the steeples of Le Croisie S.E., as was discovered in the morning. Unfortunately, the signal was not taken in, and, consequently, was not obeyed, by many ships of the British fleet. According to the code then in use, the signal to anchor by night was made by firing two guns from the flagship, without using lights or any other indications to distinguish the particular purpose for which the guns were fired. At a moment when there was still a certain amount of firing going on on all sides, the discharge of two guns from the flagship could of course not be recognised as a signal except hy the few vessels which chanced to be so near the Admiral as to be aware that he had anchored. The others either stood out to sea or anchored, as prudence suggested. Had the French only known the dangerous position in which the unsatisfactory nature of the signal book had left their enemy during that stormy night, they might, in the  morning of the 21st, have attacked the small body remaining at anchor near Hawke, and perhaps have won a decided and complete victory by the mere strength of superior forces.

The night was dark, and even more boisterous than the evening had been ; but, though guns of distress were heard from all sides, it was not possible to send assistance to anyone. On the morning of the 21st the Resolution was seen to be ashore, and the French Héros was on the Four Bank. De Conflans flagship, the Soleil Royal, in the obscurity overnight, had come to anchor in the very midst of the British; and, when at daylight she perceived her situation, she slipped her cable and tried to get away, but presently went ashore near the town of Le Croisie. No sooner was she observed to be in motion than Hawke signalled the Essex to slip and pursue her; but in the ardour of the chase the Essex unfortunately got on the Four Bank and was also wrecked. It was seen that, while the French vice-admiral had gone to the southward with part of the fleet, the remainder had stood to the N. and was engaged in the mouth of the river Vilaine in getting out guns, stores, etc., and endeavouring to find a haven up the river. On the 21st and 22nd, by taking advantage of the flood tide and of what wind there was under the land, all of them got into the river, whence several of them could never be brought out again. On the 22nd Hawke ordered the Soleil Royal and Héros to be set on fire. The French, however, anticipated him by themselves burning the former.