美国学生历史 第112期:第二次独立战争(4)

 　　264. Constitution and Guerrière, 1812. 264．"宪法"号与"格瑞尔"号（1812年）

　　For some time Hull¹ cruised about in the Gulf² of St. Lawrence. 哈尔船长指挥"宪法"号在圣劳伦斯湾巡航了一段时间。

　　One day he sighted a British frigate³-the Guerrière-one of the ships that had chased the Constitution. 一天他发现一艘英国护卫舰--"格瑞尔"号，这艘船曾经追击过"宪法"号，

　　But now that Hull found her alone, he steered⁴ straight for her. 但是，现在哈尔船长发现这条船只身一个，他直奔"格瑞尔号"而去。

　　In thirty minutes from the firing of the first gun the Guerrière was a ruinous wreck⁵. 从开第一炮开始不到三十分钟"格瑞尔"号就成了一片残骸，

　　All of her masts and spars were shot away and most of her crew were killed or wounded. 它的所有桅杆和帆樯都被大炮轰得无影无踪，船上的大部分船员都被杀死或负伤。

　　The Constitution was only slightly injured, and was soon ready to fight another British frigate, had there been one to fight. "宪法"号损失轻微，如果再有一艘英国护卫舰的话，"宪法"号很快可以准备好再战。

　　Indeed, the surgeons of the Constitution went on board of the Guerrière to help dress the wounds of the British seamen⁶. 实际上，"宪法"号上的外科医生去了"格瑞尔"号帮助护理受伤的英国海员。

　　The Guerrière was a little smaller than the Constitution and had smaller guns. "格瑞尔"号比"宪法"号要小一些，而且火炮配备也"宪法"号差，

　　But the real reason for this great victory was that the American ship and the American guns were very much better handled than were the British ship and the British guns. 但是，这次大获全胜的真正原因是"宪法"号在船只和炮火的操控方面远远胜过"格瑞尔"号。

1 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 frigate   

n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰

参考例句：

• An enemy frigate bore down on the sloop.一艘敌驱逐舰向这只护航舰逼过来。
• I declare we could fight frigate.我敢说我们简直可以和一艘战舰交战。

4 steered   

v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导

参考例句：

• He steered the boat into the harbour. 他把船开进港。
• The freighter steered out of Santiago Bay that evening. 那天晚上货轮驶出了圣地亚哥湾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

6 seamen   

n.海员

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather. 有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• In the storm, many seamen wished they were on shore. 在暴风雨中，许多海员想，要是他们在陆地上就好了。