three o'clock in the morning
On the 16th , when the fleet was in latitude 42 degrees 15 minutes north and longitude 48 degrees 15 minutes west , the weather gave signs of changing , and a violent gale from the east-south-east sprung up and increased towards night . The crews of the ships did all that seamen could do under such circumstances ; sails were furled or closely reefed , topmasts were struck , and everything secured to meet the rising tempest . Still it blew harder and harder , and the sea increased and ran mountains high , so that all knew , should one ship be driven against another , most probably both would go down together . With unabated fury it continued all night till three o'clock in the morning , when for a moment there was a lull , and many thought that the tempest was over ; but sadly were they deceived . With a roar of thunder , down came the wind upon them in a terrific hurricane ; and on board the ill-fated squadron the crashing of masts and spars told of the sad havoc it was committing , while numbers of the merchantmen were thrown on their beam-ends at the same instant , never to rise again . The _ Ramillies _ had been carrying her mainsail , when , the squall striking her , she was taken aback , and before the clew-garnets could be manned and the sail clewed up , the mainmast went overboard , carrying with it in its fall the mizen-mast , the fore-topmast and foreyard ; the tiller broke off at the head , and then in an instant the noble ship lay a helpless wreck on the tossing ocean . The carpenter sounded the well , and it was found that a leak had been sprung , and that there were six feet of water in the hold .