I can see clearly now

On 21 February 1812, a thick fog descended upon Venice. Commodore Jean-Baptiste Barre was delighted; he had been praying for such an opportunity and he put to sea at once in the brand new , a 74-gun ship of the line. While this may seem foolhardy, it was in fact his most sensible option – the Royal Navy was blockading the harbour entrance and he hoped to slip out undetected. However, much to Barre’s frustration, the fog cleared and the British spotted him leaving. A fierce battle ensued, half his crew were killed and the became HMS . Since then, few sailors have been so thrilled by the prospect of fog – most fear