Battle of Nile
Posted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 6:15 pm
Early in 1798 General Napoleon had set his sights on Egypt as a stepping stone to India and some of Britain's other Dominions. Nelson was dispatched to seek out the French fleet and thereby establish Bonaparte's intentions.
In May 1798 Rear Admiral Nelson set sail from Gibraltar with three 74-gun ships, a frigate and a 20-gun ship in a search for the French fleet. En route to Egypt the French had taken Malta. Hearing this news Nelson sped there, arriving, ironically before the French. Fearing an invasion of Turkey, Nelson set sail for there, crossing paths with the French without either fleet seeing each other which in turn enabled the French to land at Alexandria, Egypt, unopposed.
Having positioned the fleet 15 miles off Aboukir bay, lined up in a seemingly impregnable position, Admiral Breuys, Commander of the French Navy, sent out two ships when Nelson arrived, to lure him in. Before nightfall though, two British ships had broken through the French line and left the French fleet open to attack from both sides. The sea battle which ensued was a momentous encounter. The French more powerful in some respects, but equal to the British in bravery, were out manoeuvred and out fought by skill and the sheer effort of the British seamen.
The Battle of the Nile which took place in August 1798 was to be a spectacular victory for Nelson, confirming the supremacy and moral ascendancy of the Royal British Navy over that of its most powerful and bitter rival, revolutionary France. Nelson's victory was one of the turning points in the battle for supremacy in the Mediterranean and Europe, cutting the French Navy off from Napoleon's army and forcing them to flee to France.
Gibraltar Philatelic
Gibraltar SG840 843
In May 1798 Rear Admiral Nelson set sail from Gibraltar with three 74-gun ships, a frigate and a 20-gun ship in a search for the French fleet. En route to Egypt the French had taken Malta. Hearing this news Nelson sped there, arriving, ironically before the French. Fearing an invasion of Turkey, Nelson set sail for there, crossing paths with the French without either fleet seeing each other which in turn enabled the French to land at Alexandria, Egypt, unopposed.
Having positioned the fleet 15 miles off Aboukir bay, lined up in a seemingly impregnable position, Admiral Breuys, Commander of the French Navy, sent out two ships when Nelson arrived, to lure him in. Before nightfall though, two British ships had broken through the French line and left the French fleet open to attack from both sides. The sea battle which ensued was a momentous encounter. The French more powerful in some respects, but equal to the British in bravery, were out manoeuvred and out fought by skill and the sheer effort of the British seamen.
The Battle of the Nile which took place in August 1798 was to be a spectacular victory for Nelson, confirming the supremacy and moral ascendancy of the Royal British Navy over that of its most powerful and bitter rival, revolutionary France. Nelson's victory was one of the turning points in the battle for supremacy in the Mediterranean and Europe, cutting the French Navy off from Napoleon's army and forcing them to flee to France.
Gibraltar Philatelic
Gibraltar SG840 843