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NAVAL HISTORY of GREAT BRITAIN - Vol II
1798
BATTLE OF THE NILE
167


men wounded, and the ship was quite as perfect in her masts, and nearly so in her rigging, as when, three hours before, she had commenced the engagement.

The Conquérant, besides receiving a portion of the fire from the ships that ran by her, and a very warm fire from the quarter-guns of the Theseus, found two steady opponents in the Goliath and Audacious, the latter, for a while, in a raking position. At the end of 10 or 12 minutes, after having, by the united fire of two ships, upon whom, from the positions they had taken, she was unable to bestow a suitable return, had her fore and mizen masts shot away, and her mainmast left in the act of falling, the Conquérant hauled down her flag. This ship appears to have been the first that struck ; but still, being entirely disabled, she could have resisted no longer. Her loss in killed and wounded we are unable to enumerate ; but it is stated to have been nearly as severe as that of the Guerrier, including among the wounded her commander, M. Dalbarade. Of the Conquérant's two principal opponents, the Goliath had suffered the most ; having had nearly the whole of her main and mizen rigging shot away, and all her masts badly wounded. The loss on board the Goliath was also severe, amounting to 21 killed and 41 wounded. The fore and main masts and main topmast of the Audacious were considerably injured ; but her loss, owing to her secure position on the larboard bow of her principal opponent, was only one killed and 35 (an unusually large proportion) wounded.

The Spartiate, after sustaining the direct fire of the Theseus, until the Vanguard's position obliged that ship to drop a little further down the line, found herself assailed, on the starboard side, by the whole broadside force of the Vanguard, and by an occasional fire on the quarter, from the aftermost guns of the Minotaur. Subsequently, too, on the Conquérant's surrender, the Spartiate became exposed, on her larboard bow, to a fire from the quarter guns of the Audacious. Thus surrounded by foes, the Spartiate's masts did not long remain standing, and her colours came down nearly at the same time as the Guerrier's light. At the onset of the attack upon her, the Spartiate had found an able second astern in the Aquilon ; who, from the slanting position she had obtained by springing her broadside, (having no opponent to occupy her attention on the larboard side), had succeeded in raking the Vanguard with destructive effect, until the Minotaur crippled the Aquilon's means of annoyance. With two such opponents as the Spartiate and Aquilon upon her, the Vanguard's damages might well be serious ; and, although none of her masts fell over the side, they were all badly wounded. The loss on board the Vanguard was proportionably severe, amounting to 30 killed and 76 wounded, and that of the Spartiate, the Vanguard's principal opponent, although we are unable to state the amount, was still more severe, including among the badly wounded Captain Emeriuil.

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