'Twice I hauled the squadron to the westward,' Pasley wrote, 'and each time I met a violent gale from the NW. In the last attempt we carried away our bumpkin.' When it became clear that there was going to be no let-up in the weather Pasley ordered the squadron to bear away and seek shelter in Torbay. He assured the Admiralty that the Channel was clear of enemy cruisers and promised to resume his station off the French coast as soon as the gales subsided. This he did but the squadron was again driven back to Torbay, this time by a strong south-westerly gale which caused the Defence to spring her main topmast. He concluded his report, 'Since I have had the honour of commanding a kings ship I never experienced such a continuance of boisterous weather as the squadron entrusted to my care has encountered from the 24th ult.' And this came from a veteran sailor who had made several Atlantic crossings and sailed as far afield as Newfoundland and the Guinea coast of Africa.
Later, in the long war against France, and for limited periods, the British Navy mounted a continous blockade of the French coast but this was not a policy pursued in the early stages of the war. An effective blockade required a very large fleet in order to contain the enemy ships in their naval bases. Lord Howe, who was in command of the Channel fleet from 1790 to 1794, saw no point in wearing out his ships during the winter months and preferred to send squadrons out to patrol the western approaches while keeping much of the fleet in home waters, ready for action in the event of the French fleet putting to sea. This led to him being called 'Lord Torbay' by those who wanted to see quick results but Howe was old enough and experienced enough to shrug off criticism from landsmen who knew little or nothing of naval matters.
Richard, Earl Howe, Admiral of the Fleet, is little known today outside the small world of those interested in maritime history. He never achieved the fame of Nelson or Drake or Captain Cook, and yet in an age which produced a succession of brilliant naval commanders he was a revered figure, admired by his fellow officers and widely respected by the common sailors in his fleet. He had captured a French ship off the mouth of the St Lawrence River at the beginning of the Seven Years War and he later led Hawke's fleet into action in the Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759. He had been Commander-in-Chief on the North American station during the American War of Independence and had fought a series of rearguard actions against superior French forces. He had led the fleet which recaptured Gibraltar from the Spanish in 1782. And for five years he had held the office of First Lord of the Admiralty. His reputation was built on his courage, his leadership and his mastery of all aspects of his profession. Nelson was among his admirers and after his victory at the Nile it was the letter of congratulation he received from Howe that he valued above all others.
'It is only this moment that I had the invaluable approbation of the great, the immortal Earl Howe,' he wrote, 'an honour the most flattering a Sea-officer could receive, as it comes from the first and greatest Sea-officer the world has ever produced.' He went on to describe Howe as 'our great Master in Naval tactics and bravery . . .' Howe would have been the first to disown such extravagant praise. He was a man of few words, as unshakeable as a rock, and as silent, according to Horace Walpole. His dour manner, his rugged, impassive features, his dark eyes and heavy, black eyebrows had earned him the name of 'Black Dick'. He was now aged sixty-eight and was shortly to lead his ships into battle in the first major fleet action of the war against Revolutionary France.
FIVE
The Glorious First of June
1794
On the morning of 28 May 1794 the Bellerophon was far out in the North Atlantic. The Isle of Ushant on the French coast was 400 miles to the east, and Plymouth, the nearest British naval base, was more than 600 miles away. The weather was fine, but high feathery clouds, a freshening south-westerly breeze and a heavy swell from the west warned of gales to come. In the pale light of dawn it was just possible to see the topsails of the frigates on the eastern horizon. They had been sent ahead to search for the enemy fleet which was known to be somewhere close at hand. Astern of the Bellerophon was the main body of the British fleet, sailing in two columns with Lord Howe in the Queen Charlotte leading the weather column. Sailing in company with the Bellerophon were the Russell, the Thunderer and the Marlborough. They were the fastest 74-gun ships in the fleet and together formed the flying squadron of Thomas Pasley who had recently been promoted to rear-admiral. Their job was to chase and intercept the enemy ships if and when they were sighted.
The British were on the lookout for a large convoy of merchant ships and their escorting warships. France had suffered a bad harvest in 1793 and was heavily dependent on supplies of grain from America. A convoy had been assembled in Virginia consisting of more than a hundred merchantmen: some of the ships were carrying produce from the French West Indies; most were carrying cargoes of wheat flour. The convoy had set off from America on 2 April accompanied by two ships of the line and three frigates. Another squadron of five ships of the line, three frigates and a corvette, under Rear-Admiral Nielly, was sent out from France to meet them. To make doubly sure that the convoy did not fall into the hands of the British, the Brest fleet, under the command of Rear-Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse, was despatched on 16 May to bring the merchantmen safely into port. The Brest fleet consisted of twenty-six ships of the line, including three huge three-deckers of 110 guns, and one of 120 guns.
The Channel fleet, under the command of Lord Howe, did not have the weight of guns of the French fleet but it had more supporting vessels. There were twenty-six ships of the line, seven frigates, two fireships, two armed cutters and a hospital ship. Anchored in port this would have been an impressive array of vessels but in the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean they were no more than a few white specks on the ruffled grey surface of the sea. Thanks to the prevailing foggy weather Villaret-Joyeuse had successfully avoided the watching British ships on his outward voyage towards the convoy and in theory he should have been able to evade them on his return. However, two French corvettes and various merchant ships had blundered into the path of Howe's fleet and had given him some idea of the whereabouts of the enemy. Instead of heading westwards out into the Atlantic, Howe had altered course and the fleet was now steering south-east.
At 6 am on the 28th the frigate Phaeton sent a signal back to Admiral Pasley on the Bellerophon. She had sighted a strange sail to the south-east. She followed this with a second signal to the effect that there was a strange fleet to the south-south-west. Three hours passed by with no further news and the four ships of the flying squadron continued to sail south-eastwards, heeling before the rising wind, their bows dipping into the choppy seas and sending puffs of white salt spray into the air. At around 9 o'clock the lookouts on the Bellerophon saw for themselves the sails of a large fleet on the horizon to windward. As they drew closer they were able to count the individual ships. There were thirty-three ships in all and twenty-three of them appeared to be ships of the line. A young observer in Howe's fleet recorded that 'At 10 the Bellerophon 74 commanded by the bold Adml Paisley [Pasley] went per signal to reconnoitre the strange fleet.' Accompanied by the other three ships of the flying squadron, the Bellerophon slowly and steadily gained on the fleet but it was not until noon that the lookouts in the tops were able to confirm what they already knew. Ahead of them was the French fleet. It was stretched out in a long line, 'standing on the larb'd tack under easy sail'.