The Battle of the Nile was a significant naval action fought from 1 to 3 August 1798. The battle took place in Aboukir Bay, near the mouth of the River Nile on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt, and pitted a British fleet of the Royal Navy against a fleet of the French Navy. The battle was the climax of a three-month campaign in the Mediterranean during which a huge French convoy under General Napoleon Bonaparte had sailed from Toulon to Alexandria via Malta.James, Vol. 2, p. 151 Despite close pursuit by a British fleet of thirteen ships of the line, one fourth rate and a sloop under Sir Horatio Nelson, the French were able to reach Alexandria unscathed and successfully land an army, which Bonaparte led inland.Clowes, p. 356 The fleet that had escorted the convoy, consisting of thirteen ships of the line, four frigates and a number of smaller vessels under Vice-Admiral François-Paul Brueys D'Aigalliers, anchored in Aboukir Bay as the harbour of Alexandria was too narrow, forming a line of battle that was protected by shoals to the north and west.Gardiner, p. 31

Nelson reached the Egyptian coast on 1 August and discovered the French fleet at 14:00. Advancing during the afternoon, his ships entered the bay at 18:20 and attacked the French directly, despite the rapid approach of nightfall.Adkins, p. 23 Taking advantage of a large gap between the lead French ship Guerrier and the northern shoal, HMS Goliath rounded the French line at 18:40 and opened fire from the unprepared port side, followed by five more British ships.James, Vol. 2, p. 164 The rest of the British line attacked the starboard side of the French van, catching the ships in a fierce crossfire.Gardiner, p. 33 For three hours the battle continued as the British overwhelmed the first five French ships but were driven away from the heavily defended centre.Clowes, p. 366 The arrival of reinforcements allowed a second assault on the centre at 21:00 and at 22:00 the French flagship Orient exploded.Keegan, p. 65 Despite Brueys' death, the French centre continued to fight until 03:00, when the badly damaged Tonnant managed to join the thus far unengaged French rear division.James, Vol. 2, p. 172 At 06:00 firing began again as the less damaged ships of the British fleet attacked the French rear, forcing Counter-Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve to pull away for the mouth of the bay.James, Vol. 2, p. 173 Four French ships were too badly damaged to join him and were beached by their crews, two subsequently surrendered. Villeneuve eventually escaped to open water with just two ships of the line and two frigates.Mostert, p. 272 On 3 August the last two remaining French ships stranded in the bay were defeated, one surrendering and the other deliberately set on fire by its crew.Adkins, p. 37

The almost total destruction of the French fleet reversed the strategic situation in the Mediterranean, giving the Royal Navy control of the sea which it retained until the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815.Mostert, p. 274 Nelson and his captains were highly praised and generously rewarded, although Nelson privately complained that his peerage was not senior enough.Jordan & Rogers, p. 219 Bonaparte's army was trapped in the Middle East and Royal Navy dominance played a significant part in its subsequent defeat at the Siege of Acre;Rose, p. 144 Bonaparte himself abandoned the army late in 1799 to return to France and deal with the outbreak of the War of the Second Coalition.Gardiner, p. 62 Of the captured ships, three were no longer serviceable and were burnt in the bay, and three others were judged fit only for harbour duties owing to the damage they had received in the battle.James, Vol. 2, p. 185 The remainder enjoyed long and successful service careers in the Royal Navy; two subsequently served at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.Gardiner, p. 39

Orders of battle The ships in the orders of battle below are listed in the order in which they appeared in the respective battle lines. Listed in the casualties section are the totals of killed and wounded as best as can be established: due to the nature of the battle, French losses were hard to calculate precisely. Officers killed in action are marked with a † symbol. Note that as carronades were not traditionally taken into consideration when calculating a ship's rate,James, Vol. 1, p. 32 these ships may have been carrying more guns than indicated below.

British fleet + Rear-Admiral Nelson's fleet Ship Rate Guns Commander Casualties Notes Killed Wounded Total Third rate 74 Captain Thomas Foley Masts and hull severely damaged Third rate 74 Captain Samuel Hood Lightly damaged Third rate 74 Captain Sir James Saumarez Lightly damaged Third rate 74 Captain Davidge Gould Lightly damaged Third rate 74 Captain Ralph Willett Miller Hull severely damaged Third rate 74 Rear Admiral Sir Horatio NelsonCaptain Edward Berry Masts and hull severely damaged Third rate 74 Captain Thomas Louis Lightly damaged Third rate 74 Captain John Peyton Masts lightly damaged Third rate 74 Captain Henry Darby Dismasted and severely damaged Third rate 74 Captain George Blagden Westcott Lost mainmast and mizzenmast, hull severely damaged Fourth rate 50 Captain Thomas Thompson Lightly damaged Third rate 74 Captain Alexander Ball Masts severely damaged Third rate 74 Captain Benjamin Hallowell Severely damaged Third rate 74 Captain Thomas Troubridge Grounded on the Aboukir shoal during the attack and took no part in the action. Hull severely damaged. Sloop-of-war 16 Commander Thomas Hardy Assisted Culloden during the battle and took no part in the fighting Total casualties: 218 killed, 678 wounded, 896 total Sources: James, Vol. 2, pp. 152–175, Clowes, p. 357.

French fleet + Vice-Admiral Brueys' fleet Line of battle Ship Rate Guns Commander Casualties Notes Killed Wounded Total Third rate 74 Captain Jean-François-Timothée Trullet ~350–400 casualtiesJames, Vol. 2, p. 166 Dismasted and severely damaged. Captured but later destroyed as unserviceable. Third rate 74 Captain Etienne Dalbarade ~350 casualtiesJames, Vol. 2, p. 167 Dismasted and severely damaged. Captured and became HMS Conquerant but never saw front line service. Third rate 74 Captain Maurice-Julien Emeriau Germani, p. 59 Dismasted and severely damaged. Captured and became HMS Spartiate. Third rate 74 Captain Antoine René Thévenard Keegan, p. 65 Dismasted and severely damaged. Captured and became HMS Aboukir but never saw front line service. Third rate 74 Captain Pierre-Paul Raccord Heavy casualties Fore and main masts collapsed and hull severely damaged. Captured and became HMS Guerrier but never saw front line service. Third rate 80 Counter-Admiral Armand BlanquetCaptain Maurice Gillet ~400 casualtiesJames, Vol. 2, p. 171 Mainmast and mizzenmast collapsed and hull severely damaged. Captured and became HMS Canopus. First rate 120 Vice-Admiral François-Paul Brueys d'Aigalliers Counter-Admiral Honoré GanteaumeCaptain Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca ~1,000 casualtiesJames, Vol. 2, p. 176 Destroyed in an ammunition explosion Third rate 80 Commodore Aristide Aubert Du Petit Thouars Heavy casualties Dismasted, grounded and severely damaged. Captured on 3 August and became HMS Tonnant. Third rate 74 Captain Jean-Pierre Etienne Light casualties Grounded and severely damaged. Captured on 2 August but later burnt as unserviceable. Third rate 74 Lieutenant Pierre-Philippe Cambon Light casualties Grounded and severely damaged. Captured on 2 August but later burnt as unserviceable. Third rate 80 Counter-Admiral Pierre-Charles VilleneuveCaptain Saulnier Light casualties Escaped on 2 August Third rate 74 Captain Louis-Jean-Nicolas Lejoille Light casualties Escaped with Guillaume Tell on 2 August Third rate 74 Captain Louis-Léonce Trullet Light casualties Grounded and severely damaged. Scuttled by its crew on 3 August. Frigates Fifth rate 36 Captain Claude-Jean Martin Heavy casualties Sank due to damage received in the battle Fifth rate 36 Captain Pierre-Jean Standelet Light casualties Scuttled by its crew on 2 August Fifth rate 40 Captain Jean Villeneuve Escaped with Guillaume Tell on 2 August Fifth rate 40 Counter-Admiral Denis DecrèsCaptain Éléonore-Jean-Nicolas Soleil Escaped with Guillaume Tell on 2 AugustThe head of the French line was supported by guns mounted on Aboukir Island and a number of gunboats and bomb vessels situated among the shoals to the west of the line.Clowes, p. 353 These participated in the battle but with little effect, and several grounded during the engagement, with one bomb vessel scuttled by its crew.Warner, p. 121Total casualties: ~3,000–5,000 Sources: James, Vol. 2, pp. 152–175, Clowes, p. 357.

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