A small British group helps divert Villeneuve

Phoenix and her damaged prize Didon met the 74-gun HMS Dragon while trying to reach safety. Villeneuve then sighted the ship of the line signalling with two frigates and interpreted them as the advance screen of a major British fleet. Their signals seemed to point toward unseen forces over the horizon, strengthening his fear that the Channel Fleet had moved south to intercept him. He turned away from the route toward Brest and Boulogne even though the British group had originally been bound for Gibraltar. Scouting patterns, deception, and an opponent's expectations redirected the campaign without a fleet action.