Leander briefly tries to help grounded Culloden, then continues into the battle when the effort fails. Its prepared batteries can fire along French hulls on both sides as gaps open in the line. Damage forces Peuple Souverain to move, giving the smaller British ship room to reach a raking position. At the head of the line, several French ships lose an estimated sixty to eighty percent of the people actually aboard, leaving guns dismounted and masts shot away. As each French ship strikes, British fire shifts to the next target and accelerates the collapse.
Notable Point · 1:20:51-1:27:24
Leander rakes the line as French losses mount
The 50-gun Leander exploits gaps to rake larger French ships while the leading vessels suffer catastrophic crew losses.