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NAVAL COMBAT IN THE AGE OF SAIL
THE BATTLE THE BA

OF THE NILE

The victories of British Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson are
among the most renowned examples of naval combat in
the age of sailing ships. At Aboukir Bay in 1798, Nelson TTLE OF THE NILE
demolished a French fleet with a typically risky attack
that rewrote the rules and tactics of fighting in line.

During the French Revolutionary War, Five British ships sailed around the
the French fleet escorted General head of the French line and into the
Napoleon Bonaparte’s expeditionary shallow water between the French
force from France to Egypt. By ships and the shore. This maneuver
August 1, 1798, 13 French ships took the French by surprise—the
of the line and four frigates were gunports on the landward side of
anchored at Aboukir Bay, on the their ships were closed. Nelson’s
Egyptian coast near Alexandria. ships also sailed into position on the
Britain’s Admiral Lord Nelson had seaward side of the French van,
been seeking to intercept Bonaparte’s trapping each of the five French ships
troop convoy, chasing it with his 14 between a pair of British vessels.
ships of the line. The ships, with one Shattered by point-blank broadsides
exception, were all 74-gun. On the from port and starboard, the French
afternoon of August 1 his lookouts ships were soon in a desperate state.
sighted the French fleet, which had The British attack on the French
adopted an apparently impregnable center, however, did not go as well at
defensive position: the ships were first. L’Orient dismasted Bellerophon by
anchored in line of battle with their firing repeated broadsides, and the
port side close to the shore, ready crippled ship drifted out of the battle.
to fire broadsides to starboard. The Nelson, standing in full view on the
French fleet was also mainly composed deck of his flagship Vanguard—as
of 74-gun ships, but the fleet’s was customary—was cut across the
commander, Admiral François-Paul forehead by a metal shard.
Brueys, had a flagship, L’Orient, that
was larger than any of the British DESTRUCTION AND DEFEAT
ships—a massive 120-gun three- The fighting continued after dark,
decker. Meanwhile, the shallow bay and the valiant resistance of the
had numerous unmarked sandbanks French fleet began to fail. At around
and shoals that any attacker would 10:00pm, L’Orient caught fire and
need to negotiate with care. when the flames reached the ship’s
Nelson decided to attack at once, powder magazine it exploded,
although it was late in the day, focusing scattering burning wreckage over
on the leading French ships (the van) a wide area. Admiral Brueys was
and the center of the fleet. Due to already dead, cut almost in half by
wind direction, the ships of the French a cannon shot. During the night the
rear would be unable to join the fight, fighting died down, and dawn broke
leaving the British with a local over a scene of desolation: wreckage
superiority in numbers. and dismembered bodies filled the
When the British ships sailed into bay. The ships in the rear of the
the bay it was nearly sunset. Many French line had remained mere
French sailors had been ashore and spectators of the carnage, while
were still hurrying to rejoin their several French vessels had slipped
ships. Only one British vessel came away in the night. Nelson had
to grief on a shoal, a tribute to the destroyed two French ships of
quality of Royal Navy seamanship. the line and captured nine.