Starry, starry night...

Originally shared June 1 2025 on [FB][IG][Twt]

On 1 June 1794, the Royal Navy fought one of the most famous battles of the Age of Sail.

Known as the Glorious First of June, it was the first major fleet action between Britain and Revolutionary France during the French Revolutionary Wars.

For days, the two fleets manoeuvred across the Atlantic. The British, under Admiral Lord Howe, sought to intercept a vital French grain convoy carrying food desperately needed by a nation facing shortages and political upheaval. The French fleet, commanded by Admiral Villaret de Joyeuse, was determined to protect it.

When the fleets finally met, the fighting was fierce. Ships exchanged devastating broadsides at close range as thousands of sailors and marines faced the realities of battle at sea.

By the end of the action, six French ships had been captured and Britain celebrated what was seen as a great naval victory.

One day I was in a shopping centre (2010 maybe?) and I passed a charity shop. There was a cheap print of this that had been glued to a block of wood.

I bought it because I was so drawn to it.

I later found out that the ship on the left is HMS Queen Charlotte. No word of a lie, that knowledge gave me actual goosebumps.

She has a really sad story.

Originally shared May 25 2023 on [FB | X]