The Glorious First of June (known in France as Bataille du 13 prairial an 2 and sometimes called the Third Battle of Ushant) of 1794 was the first and largest naval action between the French and British fleets during the French Revolutionary Wars. The action was fought over west of Ushant, the most western point on Brittany in France, deep in the Atlantic Ocean. The British fleet under Lord Howe was attempting to defeat a French fleet under Villaret de Joyeuse which was in turn attempting to lure Howe away from a grain convoy destined for France from the United States.Tracy, p. 89 The future of the French Revolution depended on this 117-strong convoy, which would save France from famine if it arrived safely. Ultimately, both admirals were successful in their ambitions; Howe defeated Villaret in open battle and sunk or captured seven of his ships. Villaret managed to occupy Howe for long enough and inflict sufficient damage that the convoy escaped unscathed.Padfield, p. 39

Although the campaign was decided by a final major action, May 1794 saw both fleets at sea with several subordinate squadrons, both admirals conducting a complicated series of convoy, commerce raiding and fleet manoeuvre operations. Numerous merchant ships and small warships were taken or destroyed during the month-long campaign by both sides, and there were also two partial fleet engagements as Howe and Villaret made first contact.Padfield, p. 16 Both admirals suffered from wilful disobedience by a number of their officers during the battle, and confusion in reading signals, which caused an uneven series of melees to break out rather than the unified battle line Howe had envisaged when planning the action.Gardiner, p. 39 Nevertheless, both commanders were highly praised on their return to their home ports and the battle was considered a success by both sides, with only a few dissenters amongst the naval establishments of both nations.James, p. 175

Historians have had great trouble determining the exact dispositions of the French fleet, and even more trouble assessing the casualties it suffered in the battle. During The Terror then raging in France, bureaucracy broke down and consequently records were patchy or non-existent. The French Navy was no exception, and few ship's logs have survived, making an accurate order of battle difficult to discern. Those estimates which are available are often the work of British naval officers at the battle, whose accounts frequently differ.Sources on the French order of battle are patchy and sometimes contradictory, the best for the entire campaign being in William James's The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 1, 1793–1796. This source also provides the best available casualty data for both fleets and is the source on which this list is based. Other sources have backed up James in places but none are as complete. British dispositions, although taken from James, have been confirmed by several other sources Casualties too are almost impossible to establish exactly. French sources published after the battle give a figure of 3,000, but this number does not include those captured, which amounted to 3,500 alone. British estimates aboard captured ships alone are of 1,500 casualties and most historians agree that total French losses during the month-long campaign were around 7,000, as opposed to the British losses estimated at between 1,100 and 1,500.French losses have been estimated by various commentators and historians with some variation: N.A.M. Rodger gives 4,200 casualties and 3,300 captured; (Rodger, p. 430) Digby Smith gives 4,270 casualties and 3,254 captured; (Smith, p. 83) Padfield lists 3,500 casualties; (Padfield, p. 39) Gardiner 3,500 casualties and the same number captured. (Gardiner, p. 38) Saint-André gave 3,000 killed and wounded in his official dispatch and James assesses total French killed, wounded and captured as not less than 7,000. (James, p. 153) British casualty returns are easier to establish due to surviving records although there are discrepancies here too. The official total was 287 killed and 811 wounded during the campaign, whilst the individual ship totals listed in James do not add up to his eventual total of 1,148. (James, p. 152) Most sources agree however that the total casualty figure is approximately 1,200.

British fleet

28 May Ships of Lord Howe's fleet engaged on 28 May Ship Rate Guns Commander Casualties Notes Killed Wounded Total Third rate 74 Captain John Willett Payne 0 0 0 Third rate 74 Rear-Admiral Thomas PasleyCaptain William Johnstone Hope 0 0 0 Damage to topmasts. Third rate 74 Captain George Cranfield Berkeley 0 0 0 Third rate 74 Captain Albemarle Bertie 0 0 0 Third rate 74 Captain Lord Hugh Seymour 0 0 0 Third rate 74 Captain William Parker 3 19 22 Returned to Britain in a disabled stateTotal casualties 3 killed, 19 wounded, 22 total

29 May Ships of Lord Howe's fleet engaged on 29 May Ship Rate Guns Commander Casualties Notes Killed Wounded Total Third rate 80 Captain Anthony Molloy 3 19 22 Minor damage to rigging and hull Second rate 98 Rear-Admiral Alan GardnerCaptain John Hutt †Captain Hutt was mortally wounded in the action and took no further part in the campaign. He died on 30 June in Spithead. 23 26 49 Extensive damage to masts, rigging and hull First rate 100 Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander HoodCaptain William Domett 15 23 38 Minor damage to rigging and hull Third rate 74 Captain Thomas Pakenham 10 21 31 Minor damage to topmasts First rate 100 Vice-Admiral Thomas GravesCaptain Henry Nicholls 8 22 30 Third rate 74 Captain John Willett Payne 0 0 0 Minor damage to rigging and hull. Third rate 74 Captain John Thomas Duckworth 3 0 3 Minor damage to rigging. Third rate 74 Captain Henry Harvey 3 0 3 Minor damage to rigging. Third rate 74 Captain James Gambier 1 3 4 Minor damage to rigging Third rate 74 Captain Charles Cotton 1 13 14 Minor damage to rigging. First rate 100 Admiral Lord HoweCaptain Sir Roger CurtisCaptain Sir Andrew Snape Douglas 1 0 1 Minor damage to rigging.Total casualties 68 killed, 130 wounded, 198 total

1 June Lord Howe's fleet on the Glorious First of June Ship Rate Guns Commander Casualties Notes Killed Wounded Total Third rate 80 Captain Anthony Molloy 14 53 67 Third rate 74 Rear-Admiral Thomas PasleyCaptain William Johnstone Hope 4 27 31 Extensive damage to masts and rigging. Third rate 74 Captain Lord Hugh Seymour 11 32 43 Third rate 74 Captain John Willett Payne 8 26 34 First rate 100 Vice-Admiral Thomas GravesCaptain Henry Nicholls 14 44 58 Damage to masts and rigging Third rate 74 Captain George Cranfield Berkeley 29 80 109 Totally dismasted Third rate 74 Captain James Gambier 17 36 53 Totally dismasted. Second rate 98 Rear-Admiral Benjamin CaldwellCaptain George Blagdon Westcott 7 24 31 Damage to masts and rigging. Third rate 74 Captain James Pigott 3 8 11 Second rate 98 Rear-Admiral George BowyerCaptain Cuthbert Collingwood 9 25 34 Third rate 74 Captain Thomas Pakenham 4 10 14 Third rate 74 Captain Isaac Schomberg 2 5 7 Third rate 80 Captain Thomas Mackenzie 2 12 14 First rate 100 Admiral Lord HoweCaptain Sir Roger CurtisCaptain Sir Andrew Snape Douglas 13 29 42 Extensive damage to masts and rigging. Third rate 74 Captain John Harvey †Lieutenant William Edward Cracraft 45 114 159 Lost mizzenmast, extensive damage to remaining masts and rigging. Third rate 74 Captain Thomas Pringle 2 9 11 Third rate 74 Captain John Thomas Duckworth 2 24 26 Minor damage to masts and rigging Second rate 98 Rear-Admiral Alan Gardner 14 40 54 Lost mainmast, damage to remaining masts and rigging Third rate 74 Captain Henry Harvey 2 7 9 Third rate 74 Captain John Bazely 0 8 8 Third rate 74 Captain James Montagu † 4 13 17 First rate 100 Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander HoodCaptain William Domett 5 49 54 Lost foremast, damage to remaining masts and rigging. Third rate 74 Captain Charles Cotton 2 5 7 Second rate 98 Captain John Elphinstone 13 39 52 Severe damage to masts and rigging Third rate 74 Captain Albemarle Bertie 0 0 0Support ships Fifth rate 38 Captain William Bentinck 3 5 8 Fifth rate 38 Captain Edward Thornbrough 0 0 0 Fifth rate 36 Captain Arthur Kaye Legge 0 0 0 Fifth rate 36 Captain Robert Forbes 0 0 0 Fifth rate 36 Captain William Brown 0 0 0 Fifth rate 36 Captain Robert Stopford 0 0 0 Sixth rate 28 Captain Robert Barlow 0 0 0 Hospital ship - Captain George Countess - - - Fireship 14 Commander William Bradley - - - Fireship 14 Commander John Cooke - - - Sloop 18 Commander Thomas Le Marchant Gosselin - - - Cutter 16 Lieutenant John Winne 0 0 0 Cutter 16 Lieutenant Charles Cotgrave 0 0 0Total casualties 229 killed, 724 wounded, 953 total

Attached squadrons Admiral Montagu's squadron Ship Rate Guns Commander Casualties Notes Killed Wounded Total Third rate 74 Rear-Admiral George MontaguCaptain Lawrence Halstead - - - Third rate 74 Captain Richard Rodney Bligh - - - Third rate 74 Captain William Truscott - - - Third rate 74 Captain Charles Pole - - - Attached on 4 June. Third rate 74 Captain George Wilson - - - Third rate 74 Captain Robert Calder - - - Third rate 74 Captain Richard Lucas - - - Third rate 74 Captain Thomas Louis - - - Attached on 4 June. Third rate 64 Captain Sir Richard Bickerton - - - Attached on 4 June. Fifth rate 32 Captain Henry Curzon - - - Fifth rate 36 Captain Sir Richard Strachan - - -

Captain Rainier's convoy escort Ship Rate Guns Commander Casualties Notes Killed Wounded Total Third rate 74 Captain Peter Rainier - - - Ordered to Madras Third rate 64 Captain Robert MontaguWinfield 2007, p. 511 - - - Detached to Saint Helena Fourth rate 50 Captain Samuel Osborne - - - Ordered to Madras Fifth Rate 44 Captain Edward Pakenham - - - Ordered to Madras Fifth Rate 44 Captain William ClarkWinfield 2007, p. 850 - - - Detached to Saint Helena Fifth Rate 32 Captain Henry Newcome - - - Ordered to Madras Sloop 14 Commander John DollingWinfield 2008, p. 579 - - - Ordered to MadrasSource: Parkinson, p. 68

French fleet

28 May Ships of Villaret de Joyeuse's fleet engaged on 28 May Ship Rate Guns Commander Casualties Notes Killed Wounded Total Révolutionnaire First rate 110 Captain Vaudangel ~400 Returned to France in a disabled state Third rate 74 Captain Pilastre - - - Returned to France with RévolutionnaireAlthough other ships were engaged during the action, their names and details are unknown.

29 May Ships of Villaret de Joyeuse's fleet engaged on 29 May Ship Rate Guns Commander Casualties Notes Killed Wounded Total Montagnard Third rate 74 Captain Jean-Baptiste-François Bompart Unknown Badly damaged, attached to Vanstabel's squadron. Third rate 74 Captain Bertrand Keranguen Captain Bruix Unknown First rate 110 Captain Pierre-Jacques Longer Captain Bouvet Unknown Third rate 74 Captain Alain Joseph Dordelin Unknown Third rate 80 Captain LamesleCaptain Nielly Unknown Returned to France in a disabled state. ?The ship originally named Mont Blanc was in fact called Trente-un-Mai by June 1794 due to renaming a few weeks previously and the French fleet did not possess a vessel of this name in May 1794. Thus, the ship departing with Indomptable was misidentified by British sources at the time and the true identity of this vessel is unclear, although it may have been Brutus, a 42–gun razé. Third rate 74 Captain Thévenard - - - Returned to France with Indomptable.Although other ships were engaged during the action, their names and details are unknown.

1 June