After refitting he sailed to attack the French fleet at Brest. He took them by surprise on the 10th of August, initiating a ferocious battle, possibly the first in the Channel involving ships carrying heavy guns firing through ports. The French cut their anchor cables and attempted to escape, but Howard in the Mary Rose attacked the French flagship, forcing her out of the battle with 300 dead and injured, apparently with a single shot disabling her mast. The climax of the battle came when the "400 ton ship", probably the Peter Pomegranate, disabled a ship variously known as The Carrack of Brest, the Queen and the Marie la Cordeliere, (she was also recorded as weighing from 400 to 1,500 tons), with shots from six large "cortos", leaving her in a sinking condition. The Regent followed up this attack by grappling and boarding the carrack. Both caught fire after the English had boarded, with around two thousand men being killed. Among those killed on the English side were Sir Thomas Knevet (the captain), and Sir John Carew.(17)
The destruction of the ships was splendidly elaborated in another entry in the Sanuto Diaries... the French were losing when one of them, who preferred to die a heretic, set fire to the gunpowder. All the French who escaped death were brought to the King. Another French ship, the Admiralde was sunk. (A similar story is told about the explosion on board the San Salvador during the Armada campaign of 1588).
The French fleet retired into Brest, while the English spent the next two days capturing or destroying 32 French vessels, as well as recovering the valuable anchors the French had cut free in their haste to escape. The victorious fleet then sailed for Dartmouth and Southampton to refit.
Neither the English or the French were idle during the winter...
Parliament has sanctioned the King's determination to cross in person against France in the spring. He will send to Venice for bastard galleys because because Prejan, the King of France's captain, came to Brittany some time ago with galleys, 2 bastard and 4 subtle, passing by Spain, Gallicia and Biscay.... The King has sent to Rouen to make galleys. In place of the great ship Regent which was burnt the King of England is making a greater. Parliament has provided £600,000 for the enterprise.(18)
Prior to the campaign of 1513, the King reviewed the fleet at Greenwich, after which Howard sailed for the Straits of Dover. The ships were ordered to set all sail and race against each other. Howard was full of praise for the Mary Rose, which outsailed the rest. Writing to the King afterwards from the Mary Rose he described her as...
"Your good ship, the flower, I trow, of all ships that ever sailed"... Such a fleet was never seen in Christendom. Excuses the length of his letter, but the King commanded him to send word how every ship did sail.(19)
Howard's accounts for 1512 give an interesting picture of the expense of running a major warship, with a crew of 411 men.
"The Mary Roose:- Fyrst to Syr Edward Haward, knyght, chief captain and admyral of the Flete for his wages and vitayle at 10s. a day by the seid iij mounthes amountyng to £42. Also to Sir Thomas Wyndeham knight for his vitayle and wages at 18d. by the day by the seid iij mounthes, £6 6s. Also for the wages and vitayle of 2 lodesmen alias pylottes ych of thiem at 20s. a mounth by the seid iij mounthes £6. Also for the vitayle of 411 souldiours, 206 maryners, 120, gonners 20, and servitours 20, in the same ship, every man at 5s. a mounth by the seid tyme £308 5s. Also for wages of the same 411 persons every man at 5s. a mounth by the seid tyme £308 5s. Also for 34 deddeshares demi at 5s. a share by the seid tyme £25 17s. 6d. Also for toundage aftyr 3d a ton a weke by the seid tyme 500ton, nil quia navis Regis."
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