After one hour, the British had gained the upper hand, damaging the hull and rigging of the corvette. As
Ambuscade came off the stern of
Bayonnaise in an attempt to
rake her, one of the British frigate's starboard 12-pounders burst. The explosion destroyed
Ambuscades boats, left 13 of her sailors dead and wounded, and confused the crew.
Bayonnaise attempted to take advantage of the confusion to escape south, but
Ambuscade gave chase again and caught up with the corvette around 3 PM. As the frigate sailed on the port side of the corvette on a parallel course, overtaking her,
Bayonnaise backed sail and turned hard to port, ramming
Ambuscade. The
bowsprit of
Bayonnaise cut down
Ambuscades
mizzen, wounding part of the crew standing on the
poop deck, and entangling the two ships. Both ships fired a last
broadside and closed their
gunports.
Bayonnaise lost numerous men, and her captain, Richer, had an arm shot off. Nevertheless, French
grapeshot and
musketry fire cleared the decks of
Ambuscade. Most of the British officers were wounded and taken below deck, leaving only ailing lieutenant Joseph Briggs in command. Having grappled the corvette to the frigate, the French used
Bayonnaises bowsprit to bridge the gap between the ships and climb onto the taller
Ambuscade. The French boarded and seized a light gun loaded with grapeshot, which they used to clear the forecastle of its defenders. The quarterdeck of
Ambuscade suffered the explosion of a powder box, which destroyed the wheel and the stern boat. After a bloody, 30-minute melee, purser William Beaumont Murray, the last British officer still standing, surrendered
Ambuscade. During the battle,
Ambuscade had had 15 killed and 39 wounded, including Jenkins and his two lieutenants, and
Bayonnaise 25 killed and 30 wounded, including Richer and his lieutenant. ==Aftermath==