 In contrast to their British counterparts , the French Navy was in a state of confusion . Although the quality of the fleet 's ships was high , the fleet hierarchy was <unk> by the same <unk> that had torn through France since the Revolution five years earlier . Consequently , the high standard of ships and ordnance was not matched by that of the available crews , which were largely untrained and inexperienced . With the Terror resulting in the death or dismissal of many senior French sailors and officers , political <unk> and conscripts – many of whom had never been to sea at all , let alone in a fighting vessel – filled the Atlantic fleet . 
