During the Battle of the Nile on 1 August 1798, the fire on board the French line-of-battle ship "l'Orient" put the "Bellerophon" (1786) in danger; all the other officers on the quarterdeck on the "Bellerophon" were killed or wounded, so 13-year-old Midshipman Hindmarsh gathered some of the crew, cut the anchor cables, and raised a spritsail to get the ship moving. Captain Darby then came on deck from having his wounds dressed. Nelson knew of this incident and referred to it five years later when he gave Hindmarsh his promotion to lieutenant on 1 August 1803 on board the "Victory". Hindmarsh suffered a contusion during the Battle of the Nile that resulted in him later losing an eye.