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Great Britain | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ship Name | Commander | Notes | |
| Name : Indefatigable (38)
1784-1816 British 38 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Sir Edward PellewBritish Naval Sailor Service 1776-1814 | 19 wounded | |
| Name : Amazon (36)
1795-1797 British 36 Gun 5th Rate Frigate | Robert Carthew ReynoldsBritish Naval Sailor Service 1777-1807 | 3 killed, 15 wounded, 6 drowned | |
République Française | |||
| Ship Name | Commander | Notes | |
| Name : Les Droits de l'Homme (74)
1794-1797 French 74 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line | Jean-Baptiste Raymond de LacrosseFrench Naval Sailor Service 1803-1804 | 103 killed, c150 wounded, many drowned | |
Frenchman had cleared away the wreck. A hot action then began, the natural superiority of the two-decker being to some extent neutralised by ber crippled condition, and by her inability to keep open her lower ports when she was rolling in a heavy sea with but little sail to steady her. At about 6.45 P.M. the Amazon came up, and poured a broadside into the Frenchman's quarter; but Captain La Crosse handled his ship so as to avoid being raked, and so as to bring both of his opponents on one side of him, and at 7.30 P.M. he was temporarily relieved by both the British ships shooting ahead, the Amazon, on account of the quantity of sail which she carried, and the Indefatigable, to repair damages aloft. The Droits de I'Homme utilised the respite as best she could, and continued running to the east-south-east. At 8.30 the action was renewed, the frigates stationing themselves one on each bow of the 74, and yawing to rake her, and she, from time to time, also yawing to rake them, though without much effect. At 10.30 P.M., she was obliged to cut away her mizen; whereupon the frigates took up positions on her quarters. With a brief intermission, the fight continued until about 4.20 A.M. on January 14th, when land was suddenly sighted close ahead. The Indefatigable promptly hauled off, and made sail to the southward. The Amazon wore to the northward; but, being unable, owing to her crippled state, to work off, she ran aground in about half an hour and became a wreck. Except six men, all her people saved themselves, though they were, of course, made prisoners.
In this action the Indefatigable had all her masts wounded; and, at its conclusion, she had four feet of water in her hold; but she had only Lieutenant John Thompson and 18 men wounded, and nobody killed. The Amazon suffered almost as severely aloft and in hull, and had 3 men killed and 15 badly wounded.
As for the gallant Droits de I'Homme, which, in the engagement, had lost no fewer than 103 killed and about 150 wounded, she also altered course, hoping to avoid the danger, but immediately afterwards lost her foremast and bowsprit. In vain did she try to bring up. In a few minutes she struck on a sandbank in the Bay of Audierne. As she pounded there her mainmast went by the board. During the whole of the following day and night, and also on the 15th and 16th of January, she lay, her people being washed out of her by the heavy sea, or being drowned in their endeavours to make the shore. Few managed to reach it. On the 17th, when the weather had cleared, the Arrogante, brig, and Aiguille, cutter, reached the spot; and on that day and the following the survivors were taken off from the wreck. The disaster is supposed to have cost the loss of upwards of 1000 lives. This was the most terrible episode of an adventure which, from beginning to end, was singularly unfortunate.