The heaviest action was at the center of the lines, where Suffren and Hughes again faced off against each other. "Héros" was assisted by "Illustre" and "Ajax", while Hughes, leading from "Superb", was assisted by "Burford", "Sultan", "Eagle", "Hero", and "Monarca". This lopsided conflict went on for about one hour before Suffren signalled for assistance. "Saint-Michel" and "Annibal", commanded by insubordinate captains, stayed away, while "Brillant" eventually neared the action and gave some assistance. Thirty minutes later, "Ajax" was forced to withdraw with heavy damage, and was replaced by "Artésien". An hour later, the situation became critical when "Héros"s mainmast came crashing down, and Suffren was forced to scramble to make sure the British did not think that he had struck his colours. He had also run out of ammunition, having fired 1,800 rounds at the British ships, and continued to fire powder alone in an attempt to fool the enemy.