Raid on Rochefort

Raid on Rochefort
Part of Seven Years' War
British chart of the Basque Roads, 1757.
Date September 1757 Location Rochefort, France 45°56′32″N 0°57′32″W / 45.9421°N 0.9588°W / 45.9421; -0.9588 Result French victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	France
Commanders and leaders
John Mordaunt Edward Hawke James Wolfe	Joseph-Marie Budes de Guébriant Du Pin de Belugard Comte de Langeron
Strength
10,000 Troops Seventeen Ships of the Line Dozens of Auxiliary Ships	3,000 Two Gunboats

The Raid on Rochefort (or Descent on Rochefort) was a British amphibious attempt to capture the French Atlantic port of Rochefort in September 1757 during the Seven Years' War. The raid pioneered a new tactic of "descents" on the French coast, championed by William Pitt who had taken office a few months earlier.

After a number of delays the expedition reached the French coast, capturing the offshore island of Île d'Aix. With the army commander Sir John Mordaunt refusing to attempt a landing, the force sailed for home. The raid ended in failure, but it was followed by several similar operations in the subsequent years.