The approach of the "Gibraltar", firing her guns to indicate that the enemy had been sighted, took the British by surprise. There was a scramble to get under way. Most captains and many crew were ashore; some, including Boscawen, were dining several miles away. Most ships sailed without their captains, some under the command of junior officers. Their seniors followed on as best they couldthe flagship, HMS "Namur", sailed with three captains and the admiral on boardand sorted themselves out as circumstances allowed. Many officers and men were left ashore. Several ships were barely seaworthy. The process of fitting, or "bending", sails to the masts of the large warships of the time was a complicated one, and most British ships were forced to do this as they got under way, in the dark, undermanned and with few officers. Some were also fitting spars or even in their topmasts. Ships were cluttered with material for their refits and with unstowed stores. HMS "Prince" had so many casks on one of her gun decks as to be unable to operate that deck's guns; the crew of HMS "America" threw large amounts of loose material overboard. Despite these difficulties, by 11:00 pm, within three hours of "Gibraltar" appearing, eight British ships of the line had out of the harbour and were heading for the Atlantic. Several ships were left behind, under Vice-Admiral Thomas Brodrick, with orders to sail as soon as they could be made fit for sea.