french forces landed in corsica unopposed on 19 october, enthusiastically supported by corsican rebels, and jervis detached nelson to evacuate british personnel and sympathisers from bastia. threatening to destroy the town if opposed, nelson removed almost all british troops and stores by 21 october, when french troops appeared on the heights overlooking the town. the french, commanded by , then drove through corsican defences to san fiorenzo, already evacuated by the british, followed shortly afterwards by an advance on ajaccio. by 4 november the entire island was in french hands once more. the same day jervis readied his fleet, accompanied by a large convoy of transports and merchant ships, and sailed westwards, arriving at anchor in rosia bay at gibraltar on 11 december. the spanish fleet set out in pursuit, accompanied by a french squadron under pierre-charles villeneuve, but was delayed at cartagena and villeneuve continued alone, passing jervis and heading westwards into the atlantic on 10 december during a storm. the same storm wrecked the british ship hms "courageux" on the moroccan coast at monte hacho with the loss of 464 lives. on 16 december jervis took his fleet out of the straits of gibraltar to the mouth of the tagus near lisbon, where he could more easily procure supplies and receive reinforcements from britain; during this operation another ship, hms "bombay castle", was wrecked on a sandbar.