Orion disables the frigate Sérieuse with a single close-range broadside, while Theseus, Audacious, and Vanguard take stations around the leading French ships. French crews prepared mainly for attack from seaward and cannot man both batteries effectively. Better British drill and roughly twice the firing rate multiply the effect of concentrating two ships against one. The untouched French rear does not move forward to relieve the van, allowing the British to defeat successive sections instead of fighting the whole line at once.
Chapter · 1:12:47-1:20:48
The French van is attacked from both sides
Successive British ships enter on both sides of the French van, creating local superiority and rolling the engagement down the line.