I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1152 A Crushing Defeat Unseen in a Century

Immediately, the British Mediterranean Fleet, with 14 battleships at its core, 4 battleships defending the rear, and steam warships divided into two groups to cover the flanks, formed the tightest defensive formation and sailed northeast.

Ten minutes later, Pixar saw planks floating around on the sea.

That was the wreckage of the first "Shield" to lose power.

A frigate rushed forward and launched small boats to rescue the crew members who had fallen into the water.

Unable to locate the French steam warships, Pixar was forced to leave behind three battleships and three frigates to prevent the French from attacking the rescue ship. The main force of the fleet continued forward.

More and more wreckage was appearing at sea. Officers kept coming to the command room to report to Pix, “Sir, the rescued sailors say that the ‘Goldhead Snapper’ and the ‘Grey Mahi-mahi’ have been sunk.”

"Report, the 'Gravel' has been confirmed sunk..."

"Commander, the 'Serpentine Rock' has been sunk..."

Fortunately, the cannons of that era had limited destructive power against ships. After sailing 6 nautical miles, Pixar finally encountered the first steam-powered warship to escape, the "Handsword".

The third-class battleship "Thor" immediately stepped forward to tow it out of the combat zone, when suddenly black smoke billowed from the sea to the west, and three French steam frigates rushed toward it at an extremely high speed.

The British fast fleet quickly dispatched two ships to relieve pressure on HMS Thor—these small French ships certainly couldn't destroy the battleship, but they could cause considerable damage, as had been repeatedly proven years earlier.

The French steam warships then dispersed, and one of them provocatively sped past the starboard side of the "Thor" and fired a few shots at random.

The other two ships charged straight at HMS Swordsman, firing two salvos at a distance of 400 meters. When the British steamships arrived, they turned sharply north and fled.

Two British frigates, clearly enraged, passed through the debris on the sea surface and followed suit with a hard turn to port.

Then, Pixar saw through his telescope that one of the ships suddenly slowed down dramatically, its smokestacks stopped smoking, and it drifted next to the "Double Sword".

He closed his eyes helplessly and gestured to the messenger beside him: "Have the entire fast fleet retreat."

He had previously heard from officers in the fast fleet that the steam warships were running perfectly fine when they suddenly malfunctioned, and he thought they were trying to shirk responsibility.

And now, he has actually put on a show for it.

Based on this trend, it's uncertain whether the warships with problems can be saved, while the ships without problems may be destroyed by French warships.

British steam warships all retreated behind the battle line, while several third-rate battleships moved forward to surround the troubled ship and began securing the towing ropes.

The entire British fleet was stuck in place for nearly 20 minutes...

It wasn't until 3 p.m. that they finished searching the area where the battle had taken place and rescued three steam warships with broken shafts.

In the command room of the HMS Victory, the staff officer bowed his head and said to Pix, "Commander, we still haven't found the Cyclone. Nor have any sailors witnessed it sinking."

Pixar clenched his fists tightly, and after a long while, he said in a deep voice, "Send the order to return to Gibraltar immediately."

The Cyclone was the flagship of the fast fleet. It might have been better if it had been sunk, but now it seems most likely that it was captured by the French.

It's worth noting that the fleet commander, Colonel Russell, is most likely still on board.

However, Bruyès had no intention of letting the British go so easily. The Franco-Spanish fleet remained well behind them. Steam warships constantly appeared on the flanks and rear of the British fleet, using their superior maneuverability to fire a few shots, then circle back.

Unable to send steam-powered warships to provide cover, the British Mediterranean Fleet once again experienced Lord Hood's nightmare from a few years earlier—

The massive battleships dared only to huddle together in a tight defensive formation, constantly being skimmed by the smaller French ships. After two days, they were all bearing damage.

Finally, at noon on the third day, the mooring lines of the British cruiser HMS Triangle Flag, which was being towed, became tangled, forcing it to stop for repairs.

Seven French warships immediately surrounded it and sank it in less than ten minutes.

The battleship that was towing the "triangular flag" also lost its stern sail.

A week later, the British Mediterranean Fleet finally spotted the Gibraltar fortress standing atop the hill, but Pixar showed no signs of relief; instead, his hands trembled uncontrollably.

The latest loss report submitted by the staff shows that he lost 12 steam warships during this "return to the Mediterranean" operation, nine of which were cruisers—their larger hulls caused greater shaft stress when turning, so they were damaged more than frigates.

In addition, three third-class ships, the USS Thor, the USS Minotaur, and the USS Orion, were severely damaged. All other warships were damaged...

The number of enemy ships damaged was zero.

Pixar knew that such a poor record would most likely force him into early retirement. At the same time, the Empire's plan to return to the Mediterranean would be delayed for several years…

A week later.

In his office at the British Admiralty, Admiral Jervis slammed the French newspaper that had just been delivered that morning onto the table, his face even more somber than the London sky.

The front page of the newspaper read: "The triumphant return ceremony of the Toulon fleet will be held in three days, with British officer Colonel Russell returning to port with the fleet."

The text below, in bold, labels the ships "Foxhound" and "Cyclone." These were spoils of war from the Toulon fleet.

Further on, the words "No British fleet will appear in the Mediterranean in the future" were printed...

Yes, Joseph anticipated that the British would definitely send a fleet to intervene after learning of the French landing in Egypt, just as they had done with Napoleon in history.

So he ordered the Franco-Spanish fleet to attack the British, at least to deter them from venturing into the Mediterranean, but he never expected to achieve such outstanding results.

It's important to know that the British Navy hasn't suffered such heavy losses since the Battle of Tessell more than a century ago.

This battle further consolidated France's dominance over the Mediterranean and made the Italian states more dependent on France.

The officer standing nearby glanced furtively at Jarvis's expression, then steeled himself and continued his report:

"General, in addition, Lord Duncan and General Parker proposed to halt the construction of steam-powered warships, and this proposal received the support of several other generals..."

Jelveston frowned immediately.

Duncan and Parker are both powerful figures on the Naval Council, and even they have come up with such a foolish idea. It seems I'll have to personally lobby them.

He knew very well that without steam warships, it would be impossible to set foot in the Mediterranean, and that future naval battles would be dominated by steam ships.

(End of this chapter)