Editing Glorious First of June (section)

{{Short description|1794 naval battle of the French Revolutionary Wars}}
{{For|the play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan|The Glorious First of June (play)}}
{{Redirect|Fourth Battle of Ushant|other engagements named for Ushant|Battle of Ushant (disambiguation)}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict    = Glorious First of June
| partof      = the [[Atlantic campaign of May 1794]]
| image       = Loutherbourg-La Victoire de Lord Howe.jpg
| image_size  = 300
| caption     = ''[[Lord Howe's action, or the Glorious First of June]]'', [[Philip James de Loutherbourg]]
| date        = 1 June 1794
| place       = {{convert|400|nmi|km}} west of [[Ushant]], [[Atlantic Ocean]]{{efn|Although some sources differ (Smith, p. 82 claims only 50&nbsp;km from Ushant, which may be a typographical error), the accepted position of the battle is approximately {{convert|400|nmi|km}} west of [[Ushant]] in the Eastern Atlantic.}}{{sfn|Padfield |2000|p=13}}
| coordinates = {{coord|47|24|N|17|27|W|type:event|display=inline,title}}
| result      = See ''[[#Aftermath|Aftermath]]''
| combatant1  = [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]]
| combatant2  = [[First French Republic|France]]
| commander1  = [[Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe|Richard Howe]]
| commander2  = [[Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse|Villaret de Joyeuse]]
| strength1   = 25 ships of the line <br /> 7 frigates <br /> 2 fireships <br /> 2 cutters <br /> 1 sloop ([[Glorious First of June order of battle#British fleet|OOB]])
| strength2   = 26 ships of the line <br /> 5 frigates <br /> 2 corvettes ([[Glorious First of June order of battle#French fleet|OOB]])
| casualties1 = 1,200 killed and wounded
| casualties2 = 4,000 killed or wounded <br /> 3,000 captured <br /> 6 ships of the line captured <br /> 1 ship of the line sunk
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox First Coalition}} <br /> {{Campaignbox French Revolutionary Wars Naval Battles}} <br /> {{Campaignbox Atlantic campaign of May 1794}}
}}

The '''Glorious First of June''', also known as the '''Fourth Battle of Ushant''', (known in France as the '''{{lang|fr|Bataille du 13 prairial an 2}}''' or '''{{lang|fr|Combat de Prairial}}'''){{efn|The battle is generally known in both English and French by its date rather than its geographical location. Naval battles were traditionally known by the closest land feature to the battle or a particularly prominent coastal feature nearby. In the case of the Glorious First of June, however, the nearest land was hundreds of miles away and bore no relation to the battle. Thus the date has instead been commonly used to represent the action. The discrepancy between English and French renditions is a result of the different calendars then in use: for Britain the [[Gregorian calendar]] and for France the [[French Revolutionary calendar]]. The name Third Battle of Ushant follows the nearest landmark tradition and also acknowledges the two previous [[Battle of Ushant (disambiguation)|Battles of Ushant]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]].{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}}} was fought on 1 June 1794 between the [[Royal Navy|British]] and [[French Navy|French navies]] during the [[War of the First Coalition]]. It was the first and largest [[fleet action]] of the [[French Revolutionary Wars]].

The action was the culmination of the [[Atlantic campaign of May 1794]], which had criss-crossed the [[Bay of Biscay]] over the previous month and saw both sides capturing numerous merchant ships and small warships along with engaging in two partial, but inconclusive, fleet actions. The British [[Channel Fleet|Channel Squadron]] under Admiral [[Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe|Lord Howe]] attempted to prevent the passage of a vital French [[Cereal|grain]] [[convoy]] from the [[Federalist Era#Foreign Affairs|United States]], which was protected by the French [[Ponant Fleet|Atlantic Squadron]], commanded by [[Counter admiral|Counter-admiral]] [[Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse]]. The two forces clashed in the Atlantic Ocean, some {{convert|400|nmi|km|-2}} west of the French island of [[Ushant]] on 1 June 1794.

During the battle, Howe defied naval convention by ordering his fleet to turn towards the French and for each of his vessels to [[raking fire|rake]] and engage their immediate opponent. This unexpected order was not understood by all of his captains, and as a result, his attack was more piecemeal than he intended. Nevertheless, his ships inflicted a severe tactical defeat on the French fleet. In the aftermath of the battle both fleets were left shattered; in no condition for further combat, Howe and Villaret returned to their home ports. Despite losing seven of his [[ships of the line]], Villaret had bought enough time for the French grain convoy to reach safety unimpeded by Howe's fleet, securing a strategic success. However, he was also forced to withdraw his battle fleet back to port, leaving the British free to conduct a campaign of [[blockade]] for the remainder of the war. In the immediate aftermath, both sides claimed victory and the outcome of the battle was seized upon by the press of both nations as a demonstration of the prowess and bravery of their respective navies.

The battle demonstrated a number of the major problems inherent in the French and British navies at the start of the French Revolutionary Wars. Both admirals were faced with disobedience from their captains, along with ill-discipline and poor training among their shorthanded crews, and they failed to control their fleets effectively during the height of the combat.