Could Charles Beaufort have sunk herself during the action at Nice?
Short answerShe probably would not have sunk, but she could have damaged herself badly enough to be caught by the British.
NotesCatastrophic loss is less likely than serious damage from an operational mishap. Sinking is not considered the probable outcome. Damage severe enough to slow or immobilize the vessel remains credible, and a weakened ship could then have been caught and captured by the British. No particular engineering failure or damage sequence is specified in this limited counterfactual.