Order of battle at the Glorious First of June

The sinking of the Vengeur du Peuple,
engraving by P. Ozanne

The Glorious First of June, (known in France as Bataille du 13 prairial an 2 and sometimes called Third Battle of Ushant) of 1794 was the first and largest naval action between the French and British fleets during the French Revolutionary Wars. The action was fought over 400 miles (640 km) west of Ushant, the most Western point on Britanny in France, deep in the Atlantic Ocean. The British fleet under Lord Howe was attempting to defeat a French fleet under Villaret de Joyeuse which was in turn attempting to lure Howe away from a grain convoy destined for France from the United States.^[1] The future of the French Revolution depended on this 117 strong convoy which would save France from famine if it arrived safely. Ultimately, both admirals were successful in their ambitions; Howe defeated Villaret in open battle and took seven of his ships. Villaret managed to occupy Howe for long enough and inflict sufficient damage that the convoy escaped unscathed.^[2]

Although the campaign was decided by a final major action, May 1794 saw both fleets at sea with several subordinate squadrons, both admirals conducting a complicated series of convoy, commerce raiding and fleet manoeuvre operations. Numerous merchant ships and small warships were taken or destroyed during the month-long campaign by both sides and there were also two partial fleet engagements as Howe and Villaret made first contact.^[3] Both admirals suffered from wilful disobedience by a number of their officers during the battle, as well as confusion in reading signals which caused an uneven series of melees to break out rather than the unified battleline Howe had envisaged when planning the action.^[4] Nevertheless, both commanders were highly praised on their return to their home ports and the battle was considered a success by both sides, with only a few dissenters amongst the naval establishments of both nations.^[5]

Historians have had great trouble determining the exact dispositions of the French fleet and even more trouble assessing the casualties it suffered in the battle. During The Terror then raging in France, bureaucracy broke down and consequently records were patchy or non-existent. The French Navy was no exception and few ship's logs have survived, making an accurate order of battle difficult to discern.^[6] Those estimates which are available are often the work of British naval officers at the battle whose accounts frequently differ.^[7] Casualties too are almost impossible to establish exactly. French sources published after the battle give a figure of 3,000, but this number does not include those captured, which amounted to 3,500 alone. British estimates aboard captured ships alone are of 1,500 casualties and most historians agree that total French losses during the month-long campaign were around 7,000, as opposed to the British losses estimated at between 1,100 and 1,500.^[8]

British fleet

28 May

Ships of Lord Howe's fleet engaged on 28 May
Ship	Rate	Guns	Commander	Casualties			Notes
				Killed	Wounded	Total
HMS Russell	Third rate	74	Captain John Willett Payne	0	0	0
HMS Bellerophon	Third rate	74	Rear-Admiral Thomas Pasley Captain William Johnstone Hope	0	0	0	Damage to topmasts.
HMS Marlborough	Third rate	74	Captain George Cranfield-Berkeley	0	0	0
HMS Thunderer	Third rate	74	Captain Albemarle Bertie	0	0	0
HMS Leviathan	Third rate	74	Captain Lord Hugh Seymour	0	0	0
HMS Audacious	Third rate	74	Captain William Parker	3	19	22	Returned to Britain in a disabled state
Total casualties 3 killed, 19 wounded, 22 total

29 May

Ships of Lord Howe's fleet engaged on 29 May
Ship	Rate	Guns	Commander	Casualties			Notes
				Killed	Wounded	Total
HMS Caesar	Third rate	80	Captain Anthony Molloy	3	19	22	Minor damage to rigging and hull
HMS Queen	Second rate	98	Rear-Admiral Alan Gardner Captain John Hutt †[9]	23	26	49	Extensive damage to masts, rigging and hull
HMS Royal George	First rate	100	Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander Hood Captain William Domett	15	23	38	Minor damage to rigging and hull
HMS Invincible	Third rate	74	Captain Thomas Pakenham	10	21	31	Minor damage to topmasts
HMS Royal Sovereign	First rate	100	Vice-Admiral Thomas Graves Captain Henry Nicholls	8	22	30
HMS Russell	Third rate	74	Captain John Willett Payne	0	0	0	Minor damage to rigging and hull.
HMS Orion	Third rate	74	Captain John Thomas Duckworth	3	0	3	Minor damage to rigging.
HMS Ramillies	Third rate	74	Captain Henry Harvey	3	0	3	Minor damage to rigging.
HMS Defence	Third rate	74	Captain James Gambier	1	3	4	Minor damage to rigging
HMS Majestic	Third rate	74	Captain Charles Cotton	1	13	14	Minor damage to rigging.
HMS Queen Charlotte	First rate	100	Admiral Lord Howe Captain Sir Roger Curtis Captain Sir Andrew Snape Douglas	1	0	1	Minor damage to rigging.
Total casualties 68 killed, 130 wounded, 198 total

1 June

Lord Howe's fleet on the Glorious First of June
Ship	Rate	Guns	Commander	Casualties			Notes
				Killed	Wounded	Total
HMS Caesar	Third rate	80	Captain Anthony Molloy	14	53	67
HMS Bellerophon	Third rate	74	Rear-Admiral Thomas Pasley Captain William Johnstone Hope	4	27	31	Extensive damage to masts and rigging.
HMS Leviathan	Third rate	74	Captain Lord Hugh Seymour	11	32	43
HMS Russell	Third rate	74	Captain John Willett Payne	8	26	34
HMS Royal Sovereign	First rate	100	Vice-Admiral Thomas Graves Captain Henry Nicholls	14	44	58	Damage to masts and rigging
HMS Marlborough	Third rate	74	Captain George Cranfield-Berkeley	29	80	109	Totally dismasted
HMS Defence	Third rate	74	Captain James Gambier	17	36	53	Totally dismasted.
HMS Impregnable	Second rate	98	Rear-Admiral Benjamin Caldwell Captain George Blagdon Westcott	7	24	31	Damage to masts and rigging.
HMS Tremendous	Third rate	74	Captain James Pigott	3	8	11
HMS Barfleur	Second rate	98	Rear-Admiral George Bowyer Captain Cuthbert Collingwood	9	25	34
HMS Invincible	Third rate	74	Captain Thomas Pakenham	4	10	14
HMS Culloden	Third rate	74	Captain Isaac Schomberg	2	5	7
HMS Gibraltar	Third rate	80	Captain Thomas Mackenzie	2	12	14
HMS Queen Charlotte	First rate	100	Admiral Lord Howe Captain Sir Roger Curtis Captain Sir Andrew Snape Douglas	13	29	42	Extensive damage to masts and rigging.
HMS Brunswick	Third rate	74	Captain John Harvey † Lieutenant William Edward Cracraft	45	114	159	Lost mizenmast, extensive damage to remaining masts and rigging.
HMS Valiant	Third rate	74	Captain Thomas Pringle	2	9	11
HMS Orion	Third rate	74	Captain John Thomas Duckworth	2	24	26	Minor damage to masts and rigging
HMS Queen	Second rate	98	Rear-Admiral Alan Gardner	14	40	54	Lost mainmast, damage to remaining masts and rigging
HMS Ramillies	Third rate	74	Captain Henry Harvey	2	7	9
HMS Alfred	Third rate	74	Captain John Bazely	0	8	8
HMS Montagu	Third rate	74	Captain James Montagu †	4	13	17
HMS Royal George	First rate	100	Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander Hood Captain William Domett	5	49	54	Lost foremast, damage to remaining masts and rigging.
HMS Majestic	Third rate	74	Captain Charles Cotton	2	5	7
HMS Glory	Second rate	98	Captain John Elphinstone	13	39	52	Severe damage to masts and rigging
HMS Thunderer	Third rate	74	Captain Albemarle Bertie	0	0	0
Support ships
HMS Phaeton	Fifth rate	38	Captain William Bentinck	3	5	8
HMS Latona	Fifth rate	38	Captain Edward Thornbrough	0	0	0
HMS Niger	Fifth rate	36	Captain Arthur Kaye Legge	0	0	0
HMS Southampton	Fifth rate	36	Captain Robert Forbes	0	0	0
HMS Venus	Fifth rate	36	Captain William Brown	0	0	0
HMS Aquilon	Fifth rate	36	Captain Robert Stopford	0	0	0
HMS Pegasus	Sixth rate	28	Captain Robert Barlow	0	0	0
HMS Charon	Hospital ship	-	Captain George Countess	-	-	-
HMS Comet	Fireship	14	Commander William Bradley	-	-	-
HMS Incendiary	Fireship	14	Commander John Cooke	-	-	-
HMS Kingfisher	Sloop	18	Captain Thomas Le Marchant Gosseyln	-	-	-
HMS Rattler	Cutter	16	Lieutenant John Winne	0	0	0
HMS Ranger	Cutter	16	Lieutenant Charles Cotgrave	0	0	0
Total casualties 229 killed, 724 wounded, 953 total

Attached squadrons

Admiral Montagu's squadron
Ship	Rate	Guns	Commander	Casualties			Notes
				Killed	Wounded	Total
HMS Hector	Third rate	74	Rear-Admiral George Montagu Captain Lawrence Halstead	-	-	-
HMS Alexander	Third rate	74	Captain Richard Rodney Bligh	-	-	-
HMS Ganges	Third rate	74	Captain William Truscott	-	-	-
HMS Colossus	Third rate	74	Captain Charles Pole	-	-	-	Attached on 4 June.
HMS Bellona	Third rate	74	Captain George Wilson	-	-	-
HMS Theseus	Third rate	74	Captain Robert Calder	-	-	-
HMS Arrogant	Third rate	74	Captain Richard Lucas	-	-	-
HMS Minotaur	Third rate	74	Captain Thomas Louis	-	-	-	Attached on 4 June.
HMS Ruby	Third rate	64	Captain Sir Richard Bickerton	-	-	-	Attached on 4 June.
HMS Pallas	Fifth rate	32	Captain Henry Curzon	-	-	-
HMS Concorde	Fifth rate	36	Captain Sir Richard Strachan	-	-	-

Captain Rainier's convoy escort
Ship	Rate	Guns	Commander	Casualties			Notes
				Killed	Wounded	Total
HMS Suffolk	Third rate	74	Captain Peter Rainier	-	-	-	Ordered to Madras
HMS Sampson	Third rate	64		-	-	-	Detached to Saint Helena
HMS Centurion	Fourth rate	50	Captain Samuel Osborne	-	-	-	Ordered to Madras
HMS Resistance	Fifth Rate	44	Captain Edward Pakenham	-	-	-	Ordered to Madras
HMS Argo	Fifth Rate	44		-	-	-	Detached to Saint Helena
HMS Orpheus	Fifth Rate	32	Captain Henry Newcome	-	-	-	Ordered to Madras
HMS Swift	Sloop	14		-	-	-	Ordered to Madras
Source: Parkinson, p. 68

French fleet

28 May

Ships of Villaret de Joyeuse's fleet engaged on 28 May
Ship	Rate	Guns	Commander	Casualties			Notes
				Killed	Wounded	Total
Révolutionnaire	First rate	110	Captain Vaudangel[10]			~400	Returned to France in a disabled state
Audacieux	Third rate	74	Captain Pilastre[10]	-	-	-	Returned to France with Révolutionnaire
Although other ships were engaged during the action, their names and details are unknown.

29 May

Ships of Villaret de Joyeuse's fleet engaged on 29 May
Ship	Rate	Guns	Commander	Casualties			Notes
				Killed	Wounded	Total
Montagnard	Third rate	74	Captain Jean-Baptiste-François Bompard[10]	Unknown			Badly damaged, attached to Vanstabel's squadron.
Éole	Third rate	74	Captain Bertrand Keranguen Captain Bruix [10]	Unknown
Terrible	First rate	110	Captain Pierre-Jacques Longer Captain Bouvet[10]	Unknown
Tyrannicide	Third rate	74	Captain Alain-Joseph Dordelin	Unknown
Indomptable	Third rate	80	Captain Lamesle Captain Nielly[10]	Unknown			Returned to France in a disabled state.
Mont Blanc ?[11]	Third rate	74	Captain Thévenard	-	-	-	Returned to France with Indomptable.
Although other ships were engaged during the action, their names and details are unknown.

1 June

Vanguard (Rear-Admiral Bouvet)
Ship	Rate	Guns	Commander	Casualties			Notes
				Killed	Wounded	Total
Convention	Third rate	74	Captain Allary[10]	Unknown
Gasparin	Third rate	74	Captain Tardy[10]	Unknown
America	Third rate	74	Captain L'Héritier	134	110	244	Totally dismasted. Captured, subsequently HMS Impétueux.
Téméraire	Third rate	74	Captain Morel[10]	Unknown			Attached from Nielly's squadron
Terrible	First rate	110	Rear-Admiral Bouvet Captain Longer[Note 1]	Unknown			Lost main and mizen masts.
Impétueux	Third rate	74	Captain Douville  †	100	85	185	Totally dismasted. Captured, subsequently destroyed in a dockyard fire.
Mucius	Third rate	74	Captain Lareguy [10]	Unknown			Totally dismasted.
Éole	Third rate	74	Captain Bertrand Keranguen †	Unknown
Tourville	Third rate	74	Captain Langlois[10]	Unknown
Précieuse	Frigate	32		Unknown
Naïade	Brig-Corvette	16		Unknown
Ships ordered by position in the line of battle (Guérin, vol.6, p. 503-504)

Battle corps (Rear-Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse)
Ship	Rate	Guns	Commander	Casualties			Notes
				Killed	Wounded	Total
Trajan	Third rate	74	Captain Dumoutier[10]	Unknown			Attached from Nielly's squadron.
Tyrannicide	Third rate	74	Captain Dordelin	Unknown			Extensive damage to masts and rigging.
Juste	Third rate	80	Captain Blavet	100	145	245	Totally dismasted. Captured, subsequently HMS Juste
Montagne	First rate	120	Rear-Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse Représentant en mission Jean Bon Saint-André Flag Captain Bazire † Captain Vignot[10]			~300
Jacobin	Third rate	80	Captain Gassin	Unknown
Achille	Third rate	74	Captain La Villegris	36	60	66	Totally dismasted. Captured, subsequently dismantled.
Northumberland	Third rate	74	Captain Étienne	60	100	160	Totally dismasted. Captured, subsequently dismantled.
Vengeur du Peuple	Third rate	74	Captain Renaudin[10]	~200-600			Captured but sank due to severe damage.
Patriote	Third rate	74	Captain Lacadou[10]	Unknown			Attached from Nielly's squadron.
Proserpine	Frigate	38		Unknown
Tamise	Frigate	32		Unknown
Papillon	Corvette	12		Unknown
Ships ordered by position in the line of battle (Guérin, vol.6, p. 503-504)

Rear guard
Ship	Rate	Guns	Commander	Casualties			Notes
				Killed	Wounded	Total
Entreprenant	Third rate	74	Captain Lefranq[10]	Unknown
Neptune	Third rate	74	Captain Tiphaine[10]	Unknown
Jemmappes	Third rate	74	Captain Desmartis Captain Le Roy[10]	Unknown			Totally dismasted.
Trente-et-un-Mai	Third rate	74	Captain Ganteaume[10]	Unknown			Attached to fleet 31 May. Extensive damage to masts and rigging.
Républicain	First rate	110	Rear-Admiral Nielly Captain Lebeau Captain Louger[10]	Unknown			Totally dismasted.
Sans Pareil	Third rate	80	Captain Courand[12]	260	120	380	Attached from Nielly's squadron. Totally dismasted. Captured, subsequently HMS Sans Pareil.
Scipion	Third rate	80	Captain Huguet[10]	64	151	215	Totally dismasted.
Pelletier	Third rate	74	Captain Berrade Captain Raillard[10]	Unknown
Galathée	Frigate	32		Unknown
Gentille	Frigate	32		Unknown
Ships ordered by position in the line of battle (Guérin, vol.6, p. 503-504)

Attached squadrons

Admiral Vanstabel's convoy escort
Ship	Rate	Guns	Commander	Casualties			Notes
				Killed	Wounded	Total
Jean-Bart	Third rate	74	Rear-Admiral Pierre Vanstabel	-	-	-
Tigre	Third rate	74		-	-	-
Embuscade	frigate	32	Lieutenant Maurice-Julien Emeriau	-	-	-
Vanstabel's squadron was accompanied by one more frigate and a brig.

Admiral Cornic's squadron
Ship	Rate	Guns	Commander	Casualties			Notes
				Killed	Wounded	Total
Majestueux	First rate	110	Rear-Admiral Pierre-François Cornic	-	-	-
Aquilon	Third rate	74	Captain Thevenaut[10]	-	-	-
Jupiter	Third rate	74		-	-	-
Marat	Third rate	74		-	-	-
Nestor	Third rate	74		-	-	-
Redoutable	Third rate	74		-	-	-
Révolution	Third rate	74		-	-	-
Superbe	Third rate	74		-	-	-
Cornic's squadron was accompanied by two frigates, a corvette and a cutter.

The various French units patrolling in the Bay of Biscay kept in contact through a large number of frigates and smaller craft which passed messages between the commanders. This close contact enabled the French fleets to successfully divert the British away from the convoy. Due to the turbulent situation existing in France during 1794, accurate records regarding which frigates were with which fleet and which were present at which action do not exist. Thus only an incomplete listing of French support craft can be created, based mainly on those recognised and reported by British officers.^[6]

Attached frigates
Ship	Rate	Guns	Commander	Casualties			Notes
				Killed	Wounded	Total
Bellone	Fifth rate	36		-	-	-
Seine	Fifth rate			-	-	-
Tamise	Fifth rate	32	Captain Jean-Marthe-Adrien L'Hermite	-	-	-	Present at the Glorious First of June.
Galathée	Fifth rate	32		-	-	-	Present at the Glorious First of June.
Républicaine ?	Corvette	20		-	-	-	Captured and burnt 27 May.
Inconnue	Corvette	16		-	-	-	Captured and burnt 27 May.

See also

Notes, citations and references

Notes

1. Guérin lists captain Le Ray

Citations

1. Tracy, p. 89
2. Padfield, p. 39
3. Padfield, p. 16
4. Gardiner, p. 39
5. James, p. 175
6. James, p. 147
7. Sources on the French order of battle are patchy and sometimes contradictory, the best for the entire campaign being in William James's The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 1, 1793-1796. This source also provides the best available casualty data for both fleets and is the source on which this list is based. Other sources have backed up James in places but none are as complete. British dispositions, although taken from James, have been confirmed by several other sources
8. French losses have been estimated by various commentators and historians with some variation: N.A.M. Rodger gives 4,200 casualties and 3,300 captured; (Rodger, p. 430) Digby Smith gives 4,270 casualties and 3,254 captured; (Smith, p. 83) Padfield lists 3,500 casualties; (Padfield, p. 39) Gardiner 3,500 casualties and the same number captured. (Gardiner, p. 38) Saint-André gave 3,000 killed and wounded in his official dispatch and James assesses total French killed, wounded and captured as not less than 7,000. (James, p. 153) British casualty returns are easier to establish due to surviving records although there are discrepancies here too. The official total was 287 killed and 811 wounded during the campaign, whilst the individual ship totals listed in James do not add up to his eventual total of 1,148. (James, p. 152) Most sources agree however that the total casualty figure is approximately 1,200.
9. Captain Hutt was mortally wounded in the action and took no further part in the campaign. He died on 30 June in Spithead.
10. • F. Ladimir (1856). Campagnes, thriomphes, revers, désastres et guerres civiles des Français de 1792 à la paix de 1856: Par F. Ladimir et E. Moreau. D'après les Bulletins des Armées, le Moniteur, des documents, notes, memoires et rapports officiels. ouvrage enrichi de cartes dressées pour l'intelligence du récit, orné des portraits des principaux généraux qui ont commande les armées françaises. Et accompagné d'un Recueil des plus célebres Batailles, Faits militaires. Tableaux, Statues, ollé dailles etc. gravés par les meilleurs artistes et consacrés a célebrer les victoires des Français jusqu' à nos jours. Librairie Populaire des Villes et des Campagnes. p. 18.
11. The ship originally named Mont Blanc was in fact called Trente-un-Mai by June 1794 due to renaming a few weeks previously and the French fleet did not possess a vessel of this name in May 1794. Thus, the ship departing with Indomptable was misidentified by British sources at the time and the true identity of this vessel is unclear, although it may have been Brutus, a 42–gun razé.
12. Guérin, vol.6, p.503-504

References

• Gardiner, Robert (2001) [1996]. "The Glorious First of June". Fleet Battle and Blockade. Caxton Editions. ISBN 1-84067-363-X.
• Guérin, Léon (1857). Histoire maritime de France (in French) 6. Dufour et Mulat.
• James, William (2002) [1827]. The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 1, 1793-1796. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-905-0.
• Padfield, Peter (2000) [1976]. Nelson's War. Wordsworth Military Library. ISBN 1-84022-225-5.
• Parkinson, C. Northcote (1954). War in the Eastern Seas, 1793 - 1815. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd.
• Rodger, N.A.M. (2004). The Command of the Ocean. Allan Lane. ISBN 0-7139-9411-8.
• Smith, Digby (1998). The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. Greenhill Books. ISBN 1-85367-276-9.
• Tracy, Ed. Nicholas (1998). The Naval Chronicle, Volume 1, 1793-1798. Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-091-4.