XXIII.  As soon as the signal is made to prepare for battle, the fireships are to get their boarding grapnels fixed; and when in presence of an enemy, and that they perceive the fleet is likely to come to action, they are to prime although the signal for that purpose should not have been made; being likewise to signify when they are ready to proceed on service, by putting abroad the appointed signal.

They are to place themselves abreast of the ships of the line, and not in the openings between them, the better to be sheltered from the enemy’s fire, keeping a watchful eye upon the admiral, so as to be prepared to put themselves in motion the moment their signal is made, which they are to answer as soon as observed.

A fireship ordered to proceed on service is to keep a little ahead and to windward of the ship that is to escort her, to be the more ready to bear down on the vessel she is to board, and to board if possible in the fore shrouds.  By proceeding in this manner she will not be in the way of preventing the ship appointed to escort her from firing upon the enemy, and will run less risk of being disabled herself; and the ship so appointed and the two other nearest ships are to assist her with their boats manned and armed.

She is to keep her yards braced up, that when she goes down to board, and has approached the ship she is to attempt, she may have nothing to do but to spring her luff.

Captains of fireships are not to quit them till they have grappled the enemy, and have set fire to the train.

XXIV.  Frigates have it in particular charge to frustrate the attempts of the enemy’s fireships, and to favour those of our own.  When a fireship of the enemy therefore attempts to board a ship of the line, they are to endeavour to cut off the boats that attend her, and even to board her, if necessary.

XXV.  The boats of a ship attempted by an enemy’s fireship, with those of her seconds ahead and astern, are to use their utmost efforts to tow her off, the ships at the same time firing to sink her.

XXVI.  In action, all the ships in the fleet are to wear red ensigns.

FOOTNOTES: 

[1] This and Article II. appear to be the first mention of working the fleet by ‘guides.’

[2] The original has here the following erasure:  ’The same is to be understood of the bearing indicated, though the admiral should shape his course from the wind originally when the signal for forming upon a line of bearing is made.’

[3] It was Nelson’s improvement on this unscientific method of attack that is the conspicuous feature of his Memorandum, 1803, but it must be remembered that Howe had not yet devised the manoeuvre of breaking the line in all parts on which Nelson’s improvement was founded.

[4] Cf. note 1, p. 224.

[5] Howe’s insistence on these points both here and in Articles XXII.-XXV. is curious in view of the fact that the use of fireships in action had gone out of fashion.  From 1714 to 1763 only one English fireship is known to have been ‘expended,’ and that was by Commander Callis when he destroyed the Spanish galleys at St. Tropez in 1742.  At the peace of 1783 the Navy List contained only 17 fireships out of a total of 468 sail.  Howe had two fireships on the First of June, 1794, but did not use them.