An opportunity was speedily given to these officers to show that they could be as good as their word. A council of war decided to take the initiative against the French. A body of troops was to be landed at St. Malo, while the allied fleet was to lie to the westward of that place in order to provoke a battle. On the 18th May, Russell sailed from St. Helens, and on the following day when he was about twenty miles off Cape Barfleur, the easterly corner of the Côtentin, the look-out ships to the westward of the fleet made the signal for seeing the enemy. In fact, while the allies had been talking of invading France, Tourville had sailed from Brest with the intention of covering an invasion of England, and after suffering some delay from the weather had come so far. The two fleets now opposed to one another were divided as follows, and consisted of the elements shown on these lists:— +-------------------------+----------------------------------------------+ | THE DUTCH | THE ENGLISH | +-------------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+ | The White Squadron | Red Squadron | Blue Squadron | +-------------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+ | Guns | Guns | Guns | | _The Zealand_ 90 | =The Royal | =The Victory= 100 | | _Konig Wilhelm_ 92 | William= 100 | =Albemarle= 90 | | _Brandenburg_ 92 | =London= 100 | =Windsor Castle= 90 | | _West Friesland_ 84 | =Britannia= 100 | =Neptune= 90 | | _Printz_ 92 | =St. Andrew= 100 | =Vanguard= 90 | | _Printzess_ 92 | =Royal Sovereign= 100 | =Duchess= 90 | | _Bexhirmer_ 84 | =St. Michael= 90 | =Ossory= 90 | | _Casteel Medenblick_ 86 | =Sandwich= 90 | =Duke= 90 | | _Captain General_ 84 | =Royal Catherine= 90 | =Resolution= 70 | | _North Holland_ 68 | =Cambridge= 70 | =Monk= 60 | | _Erste Edele_ 74 | =Plymouth= 60 | =Expedition= 70 | | _Munickendam_ 72 | =Breda= 80 | =Royal Oak= 74 | | _Gelderland, A._ 72 | =Kent= 70 | =Northumberland= 70 | | _Stadt Meeyden_ 72 | =Swiftsure= 70 | =Lion= 60 | | _Etswout_ 72 | =Hampton Court= 70 | =Berwick= 70 | | _Printz Casimir_ 70 | =Grafton= 70 | =Defiance= 70 | | _Frisia_ 70 | =Restoration= 70 | =Montague= 60 | | _Riddershap_ 72 | =Eagle= 70 | =Warspight= 70 | | _De 7 Provintzen_ 76 | =Rupert= 60 | =Monmouth= 70 | | _Zurick Zee_ 60 | =Elizabeth= 70 | =Edgar= 70 | | _Gelderland, R._ 64 | =Burford= 70 | =Stirling Castle= 70 |