Alexandria's limits push the fleet into Aboukir Bay

Alexandria's small harbor could not hold the expedition's warships alongside the merchant vessels and stores Napoleon had gathered. The battle fleet therefore needed another anchorage near the army. Brueys was an effective administrator who had arranged supplies for Napoleon, but his habit of obeying orders literally left little room for independent action. He was suited to delicate tasks with tightly defined instructions and poorly suited to a fleet command that demanded decisions beyond them.