Captain Ferris kept his surviving crew below while French and Spanish fire concentrated on the grounded Hannibal, then struck at 14:00. The ship's surgeon reported that some wounded men were trampled as the boarding party rushed aboard to extinguish fires. Hannibal's ensign was then rehoisted upside down as a distress signal. Dundas interpreted it as a request for rescue and sent Calpe, boats, and dockyard carpenters back into the bay before the mistake or deception became clear. Visual signaling became dangerously fragile amid surrender, damage, and boarding.
Notable Point · 2:31:19-2:33:16
Hannibal's surrender produced a dangerous signal error
After Hannibal struck, an upside-down ensign drew British boats and HMS Calpe back toward a ship already in enemy hands.