A view of the naval battle, fought on 1 june 1795, between the british fleet, commanded by earl howe, and the french, resulting in a british victory. French revolutionary wars (1792-1802): war of the first coalition (1792-8). The french fleet of twenty-five sail of the line and fifteen frigates had sailed out of brest in order to bring in homeward bound merchant ships. The fleet was discovered by the british on 28 may and battle was given on the 29th. The action was interrupted by fog and battle was not re-engaged until 1 june when the british fleet prevailed and captured seven vessels. The defence, shown here, was part of the van squadron under the command of admiral graves. Having been the first to break through the french line, the defence was not initially supported by following british vessels and suffered considerable damage while engaging fire with the french ships. Known as 'the glorious first of june', this action was also known as the 'third battle of ushant'. The british were commanded by admiral richard howe, 1st earl howe (1726-99), and the french were commanded by admiral louis-thomas villaret de joyeuse (1747-1812). The british defeat of the french was only a tactical victory, the objective of capturing a french grain convoy was not achieved. Date: 1 January 1796. Dimensions: 48.8 x 65.6 cm (image). Medium: aquatint with etching and engraving. Depicted Place: Ushant, Brittany, France. Collection: Royal Collection. Ushant, 1794 RCIN 735027.c
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