Bellerophon fights Orient alone from the opening phase until about 8 p.m., an engagement a third-rate should not survive against a well-handled 120-gun first-rate. Captain Henry D'Esterre Darby's ship suffers 197 casualties and repeated fires but keeps the French flagship occupied. British fire mortally wounds Admiral Brueys and devastates Orient's quarterdeck. At about 8:20 p.m., Bellerophon cuts her cable and withdraws, resuming fire intermittently as repairs permit. The duel shows how command, training, and rate of fire affect the use of a ship's nominal armament.
Notable Point · 1:36:57-1:40:19
Bellerophon holds the 120-gun Orient alone
A British 74-gun third-rate absorbs the attention of the much larger French flagship for hours, exposing the gap between nominal armament and effective fighting power.