On 21 October, Ajax was sixth in Nelson's line, and was heavily engaged with the Intrépide and Argonauta, fighting them both to a standstill and remarkably only suffering two dead and nine wounded during the whole engagement.
Belleisle was engaged continuously during the action, often fighting alone against numerous enemy ships, before finally attaching herself to the Argonauta, which she boarded and captured, but not before she was herself dismasted.