HMS Hannibal grounded during the failed British attack

Hannibal tried to pass around the British line and engage the French flagship more effectively, but grounded north of the action and soon lost the spars and halyards needed to communicate. Plans for a Marine landing gave way to unsuccessful efforts to tow her free, and Saumarez withdrew after roughly five and a half hours of combat. An inverted British ensign later prompted a mistaken rescue attempt from Gibraltar, adding lost boats and men to a battle already marked by confusion and hard fighting. Whether the signal was a misunderstanding or a deliberate ruse remained uncertain, but its practical effect was to draw more British personnel into danger after Hannibal had surrendered.