The Battle of Quiberon Bay Chaplain, RN

Quiberon Bay, 25 November 1759

The firing now became very alert on both sides, and there was no distinguishing any longer English colours from French. M. du Verger, the French rear admiral, in the Formidable bore a very fierce cannonade from the Resolution; but upon the Royal George's coming up, they hauled down their flag, and struck to Sir Edward Hawke,... The Royal George continued advancing, and Sir Edward gave orders to his Master to carry him close alongside of M. Conflans in the Soleil Royal. The French admiral seemed to have the same ambition on his part, and it was a glorious sight to behold the blue and white flags, both at the maintop mast-head, bearing down to each other. The Royal George passed the Torbay, which was closely engaged with the Thésée of 74 guns, and soon after sent that unfortunate ship to the bottom. On the other side was the Magnanime, who kept an incessant fire on one of the largest of the French ships and in the end obliged her to strike. She afterwards ran ashore and was burnt.

The two commanders-in-chief were now very near, and M. Conflans gave the English admiral his broadside; the Royal George returned the uncivil salutation; but after two or three exchanges of this kind, the Marshal of France declined the combat and steered off. The French Vice-Admiral likewise gave Sir Edward his broadside, and soon followed the example of his superior. Another and another acted the same part; the fifth ship escaped not so well. Sir Edward poured his whole fire into her at once, and repeating the same, down she went along side of him. The Royal George's people gave a cheer, but it was a faint one; the honest sailors were touched at the miserable state of so many hundreds of poor creatures. The blue flag was now encountered with seven ships at the same time, and appeared to be in the very centre of the French rear. Every observer pitied the Royal George, to see her singly engaged against so many of the enemy... her situation would have been lamentable if the enemy had preserved any degree of composure, or fired with any sort of direction; but their confusion was so great, that of many hundreds of shot, I do not believe that more than 30 or 40 struck the ship.

Sir Charles Hardy, in the Union, with the Mars, Hero, and several other ships, were crowding to the Admiral's assistance, when the retreat of the French, covered by the obscurity of the evening, put an end to the engagement. Happy circumstance for the enemy, as an hour's daylight more would have brought on their total ruin!

The battle was fought so near the coast of Brittany, that ten thousand persons on the shore were sad witnesses of the white flag's disgrace....

The glory of the British flag has been nobly supported, while that of the enemy is vanished into empty air.

Burrows, Montagu. Life of Lord Hawke (1883), p. 394.