A cropped image, focusing on the French flagship, from The Destruction of ‘L’Orient’ at the Battle of the Nile, 1 August 1798

George Arnald

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The Battle of the Nile (also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay, in French as the Bataille d’Aboukir or in Egyptian Arabic as معركة أبي قير البحرية) was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798. The battle was the climax of a naval campaign that had ranged across the Mediterranean during the previous three months, as a large French convoy sailed from Toulon to Alexandria, carrying an expeditionary force under General Napoleon Bonaparte. The French were defeated by the British forces led by Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson.