After taking command of the squadron, Riou stood in toward Flushing to examine the ships there. Strong North Sea gales and squalls drove the force offshore. By daylight Amazon was alone, fifty miles northwest of Texel, with neither land nor another squadron ship in sight. Two days later the crew found spars and rigging from a small sloop- or cutter-rigged vessel that had apparently foundered. The wreckage shows the danger these patrols faced even without an enemy engagement.
Notable Point · 17:31-18:10
North Sea weather breaks up Amazon's squadron
A reconnaissance run toward Flushing ended with gales and squalls scattering Riou's frigate squadron and revealing wreckage from a smaller vessel.