
The Battle of the Nile, also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay, was an important naval battle of the French Revolutionary Wars between a Kingdom of Great Britain fleet commanded by Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson and a France fleet under Vice-Admiral François-Paul Brueys D'Aigalliers. It took place on the evening and early morning of August 1 and August 2, 1798. French losses were as high as 1,700 dead (including Brueys) and 3,000 captured. British losses were 218 dead. Still on the rise but not yet the number one enemy of England, commanding General Napoleon Bonaparte intended to threaten the British position in India via the invasion and conquest of Egypt. The expedition was also cultural and included many scientists, educators, and technical specialists - including a surveying party as French intellectuals had long debated the feasibility of cutting a ship-canal between the Red and Mediteranean Seas. About three weeks after his landing there, a British fleet of 14 ships under Horatio Nelson, which had been scouring the eastern Mediterranean Sea looking for the French fleet, finally came upon the 15 French ships being used to support the invasion. The fleets met close to sunset on August 1. The French were at anchor in Abu Qir Bay, in shallow water near a shoal less than 4 fathoms (8 m) deep. The shoal was being used to protect the south-western (port) side of the fleet, while the starboard side faced the north-east and open sea. Nelson had already achieved great fame, and Adm. Brueys had studied his tactics at the Battle of the Saints and Battle of Copenhagen. As a consequnce, Brueys had his line of Battle chained together at anchor to prevent the Brittish from cutting his line and defeating a part of in in detail in a night action. Brueys expected the battle to begin the next morning, as he did not believe the British would risk a night encounter in shallow, uncharted waters. Leisurely preparations began for combat. Admiral Nelson observed that the French fleet was anchored too far from the shallows. He ordered his line of battle to divide in two, with one division to pass ''between'' the French line and the shoal, and the other division to close from the deeper side and so fire on the French from both sides. One British ship, HMS Culloden, ran aground, but the remainder were able to stay afloat and begin taking the French fleet apart one by one. The wind from the north meant that the unengaged French ships could not come up to help their fellows, enabling Nelson to put several ships on to a target at a time, working his way down the line. [[Image:Aboukir.jpg|thumb|left|The ''Orient'' explodes, by Arnald George.]] The French flagship French ship L'Orient came under fire first from HMS Bellerophon (1786), which received a battering and drifted away dismasted, and then from HMS Alexander and HMS Swiftsure. By 21:00 ''L'Orient'' was ablaze and the battle paused as ships tried to distance themselves from the anticipated explosion. At about 22:00 the fire reached the magazine and the flagship exploded, hurling blazing parts of ship and crew hundreds of metres into the air. Only a hundred or so of ''L'Orient'''s crew of a thousand survived by swimming from the burning ship. Only two French ships towards the end of the line, French ship Généreux and French ship Guillaume Tell together with the two frigates ''Diane'' and ''Justice'' were able to escape. French ship Le Timoleon and the frigate ''Artemise'' were burned, the frigate ''Serieuse'' was sunk, and the remaining French ships (French ship Le Guerrier, French ship Le Conquérant, French ship Le Spartiate, French ship L'Aquilon, French ship Le Souverain Peuple, French ship Le Franklin, French ship Le Tonnant, French ship L'Heureux, French ship Le Mercure) were captured by early morning on August 2. Other French ships were the bomb vessels ''Oranger'', ''Portugaise'' and ''Hercule'', the brigs ''Salamine'' 18, ''Railleur'' 18, and some other small ships. ''Hercule'' was scuttled. The British ships were HMS Vanguard (1787) (flagship), HMS Alexander, HMS Audacious (1785), HMS Bellerophon, HMS Culloden, HMS Defence, HMS Goliath, HMS Leander, HMS Majestic, HMS Minotaur, HMS Orion, HMS Swiftsure (1804), HMS Theseus (1786), and HMS Zealous. Returning home with Nelson's despatches, the ''Leander'', captained by Edward Berry, was later captured by the surviving 74-gun ''Généroux'' after a fierce battle, somewhat delaying the arrival of the triumphant news in Britain. The battle established British naval superiority during the remainder of the French Revolutionary Wars, and was an important contribution to the growing fame of Admiral Nelson. It is also well known for literary reasons: Felicia D. Hemans' poem "Casabianca_(poem)" (often known better by its first line, "The boy stood on the burning deck") is about the son of Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca, who died in the explosion of the French flagship ''L'Orient'' during this battle. == Recent Archaeology == In 2000, Dr. Paolo Gallo, an Italy Archaeology discovered a burial site on Nelson's Island in Abū Qīr Bay. The graves contained the remains of sailors, officers, marines, women (some of whom may have disguised their sex to serve as sailors), and surprisingly, three infants. Subsequent work with British historian and archaeologist Nick Slope determined that some the graves dated to shortly after the battle, while others dated from another battle in 1801. On April 18, 2005, thirty of the British sailors and officers were given a military funeral in Alexandria, attended by the crew of the visiting HMS Chatham (F87) . Only one of the bodies, that of Commodore James Russell, who died during the 1801 battle, was positively identified. One of his descendants attended the ceremony and was presented with a flag. == References == *Smith, Tannalee. "30 Members of British Fleet Reburied". Associated Press, April 18, 2005. *[http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/society_culture/women/women_nelson_navy_05.shtml "Burials on Nelson's Island" - BBC] [[Image:Battle of Aboukir Bay.png|thumb|right|300px|Map of ship positions and movements during the Battle of Aboukir Bay, August 1–August 2, 1798. British ships are red, French ships are blue. Intermediate ship positions are shown in pale red/blue. Based on a map from ''Intelligence in War'', John Keegan, 2003.]] Naval battles Battles of the French Revolutionary Wars 1798
''An event mentioned in this article is an Template:August 1 selected anniversaries'' ----- Some related current events from a [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4455033.stm BBC news article] which could be incorporated into Battle of the Nile if someone was so inclined...
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
Words begining with Battle_of_the_Nile:
Battle_of_the_Nile
Battle_of_the_Nile
Battle of the Nile
The Battle of the Nile, also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay, was an important naval battle of the French Revolutionary Wars between a Kingdom of Great Britain fleet commanded by Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson and a France fleet under Vice-Admiral François-Paul Brueys D'Aigalliers. It took place on the evening and early morning of August 1 and August 2, 1798. French losses were as high as 1,700 dead (including Brueys) and 3,000 captured. British losses were 218 dead. Still on the rise but not yet the number one enemy of England, commanding General Napoleon Bonaparte intended to threaten the British position in India via the invasion and conquest of Egypt. The expedition was also cultural and included many scientists, educators, and technical specialists - including a surveying party as French intellectuals had long debated the feasibility of cutting a ship-canal between the Red and Mediteranean Seas. About three weeks after his landing there, a British fleet of 14 ships under Horatio Nelson, which had been scouring the eastern Mediterranean Sea looking for the French fleet, finally came upon the 15 French ships being used to support the invasion. The fleets met close to sunset on August 1. The French were at anchor in Abu Qir Bay, in shallow water near a shoal less than 4 fathoms (8 m) deep. The shoal was being used to protect the south-western (port) side of the fleet, while the starboard side faced the north-east and open sea. Nelson had already achieved great fame, and Adm. Brueys had studied his tactics at the Battle of the Saints and Battle of Copenhagen. As a consequnce, Brueys had his line of Battle chained together at anchor to prevent the Brittish from cutting his line and defeating a part of in in detail in a night action. Brueys expected the battle to begin the next morning, as he did not believe the British would risk a night encounter in shallow, uncharted waters. Leisurely preparations began for combat. Admiral Nelson observed that the French fleet was anchored too far from the shallows. He ordered his line of battle to divide in two, with one division to pass ''between'' the French line and the shoal, and the other division to close from the deeper side and so fire on the French from both sides. One British ship, HMS Culloden, ran aground, but the remainder were able to stay afloat and begin taking the French fleet apart one by one. The wind from the north meant that the unengaged French ships could not come up to help their fellows, enabling Nelson to put several ships on to a target at a time, working his way down the line. [[Image:Aboukir.jpg|thumb|left|The ''Orient'' explodes, by Arnald George.]] The French flagship French ship L'Orient came under fire first from HMS Bellerophon (1786), which received a battering and drifted away dismasted, and then from HMS Alexander and HMS Swiftsure. By 21:00 ''L'Orient'' was ablaze and the battle paused as ships tried to distance themselves from the anticipated explosion. At about 22:00 the fire reached the magazine and the flagship exploded, hurling blazing parts of ship and crew hundreds of metres into the air. Only a hundred or so of ''L'Orient'''s crew of a thousand survived by swimming from the burning ship. Only two French ships towards the end of the line, French ship Généreux and French ship Guillaume Tell together with the two frigates ''Diane'' and ''Justice'' were able to escape. French ship Le Timoleon and the frigate ''Artemise'' were burned, the frigate ''Serieuse'' was sunk, and the remaining French ships (French ship Le Guerrier, French ship Le Conquérant, French ship Le Spartiate, French ship L'Aquilon, French ship Le Souverain Peuple, French ship Le Franklin, French ship Le Tonnant, French ship L'Heureux, French ship Le Mercure) were captured by early morning on August 2. Other French ships were the bomb vessels ''Oranger'', ''Portugaise'' and ''Hercule'', the brigs ''Salamine'' 18, ''Railleur'' 18, and some other small ships. ''Hercule'' was scuttled. The British ships were HMS Vanguard (1787) (flagship), HMS Alexander, HMS Audacious (1785), HMS Bellerophon, HMS Culloden, HMS Defence, HMS Goliath, HMS Leander, HMS Majestic, HMS Minotaur, HMS Orion, HMS Swiftsure (1804), HMS Theseus (1786), and HMS Zealous. Returning home with Nelson's despatches, the ''Leander'', captained by Edward Berry, was later captured by the surviving 74-gun ''Généroux'' after a fierce battle, somewhat delaying the arrival of the triumphant news in Britain. The battle established British naval superiority during the remainder of the French Revolutionary Wars, and was an important contribution to the growing fame of Admiral Nelson. It is also well known for literary reasons: Felicia D. Hemans' poem "Casabianca_(poem)" (often known better by its first line, "The boy stood on the burning deck") is about the son of Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca, who died in the explosion of the French flagship ''L'Orient'' during this battle. == Recent Archaeology == In 2000, Dr. Paolo Gallo, an Italy Archaeology discovered a burial site on Nelson's Island in Abū Qīr Bay. The graves contained the remains of sailors, officers, marines, women (some of whom may have disguised their sex to serve as sailors), and surprisingly, three infants. Subsequent work with British historian and archaeologist Nick Slope determined that some the graves dated to shortly after the battle, while others dated from another battle in 1801. On April 18, 2005, thirty of the British sailors and officers were given a military funeral in Alexandria, attended by the crew of the visiting HMS Chatham (F87) . Only one of the bodies, that of Commodore James Russell, who died during the 1801 battle, was positively identified. One of his descendants attended the ceremony and was presented with a flag. == References == *Smith, Tannalee. "30 Members of British Fleet Reburied". Associated Press, April 18, 2005. *[http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/society_culture/women/women_nelson_navy_05.shtml "Burials on Nelson's Island" - BBC] [[Image:Battle of Aboukir Bay.png|thumb|right|300px|Map of ship positions and movements during the Battle of Aboukir Bay, August 1–August 2, 1798. British ships are red, French ships are blue. Intermediate ship positions are shown in pale red/blue. Based on a map from ''Intelligence in War'', John Keegan, 2003.]] Naval battles Battles of the French Revolutionary Wars 1798
Battle of the Nile
''An event mentioned in this article is an Template:August 1 selected anniversaries'' ----- Some related current events from a [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4455033.stm BBC news article] which could be incorporated into Battle of the Nile if someone was so inclined...
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
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BA | BC | BD | BE | BF | BG | BH | BI | BJ | BK | BL | BM | BN | BO | BP | BR | BS | BT | BU | BW | BX | BY | BZ |Words begining with Battle_of_the_Nile:
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Battle_of_the_Nile
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