A Famous Sea Fight

A Famous Sea Fight.

On the 23rd of June, 1340, was fought the battle off Sluys, on the coast of Flanders, the bloodiest of all the battles in the annals of the British navy. The British fleet consisted of 250 vessels and the French of about the same number. The latter was manned by 40,000 Normans. The action lasted ten hours. The French fleet was annihilated; 25,000 of its sailors and soldiers were killed and 2,000 were drowned. The English loss was 4,000.