The Desperate Action Between the Terrible and Vengeance, Dec. 1757

An 18th century print of one of the most legendary naval actions of the Seven Years’ War.

In 1757, during the Seven Years’ War, a dramatic naval engagement was fought off the coast of Brittany between the French Vengeance and the British Terrible (commanded by Captain William Death). The rival privateers engaged in a fierce action that lasted several hours before the French vessel was forced to surrender. The encounter became famous in contemporary accounts for the determination of both crews and the heavy casualties sustained during the fighting.

This eye-catching print captures the chaos of battle, with billowing smoke obscuring the two ships with locked yardarms. Wreckage floats in the surrounding waters. England’s flag drapes over the scene, with two sailors, sabres at the ready, resting on the foundation below. The image was designed by artists Robert Smirke and Robert Cleveley, with engraving by S. Cann. Published in 1797, forty years after the famous battle, by H. Bowyer of London