Second Battle of Cape Finisterre

Second Battle of Cape Finisterre
Part of the War of the Austrian Succession
French battleship Intrépide fighting several British ships, by Pierre-Julien Gilbert
Date 14 October 1747 (O.S.) Location 300 miles (480 km) west of Finistère (which is in north-west France) 47°49′N 12°0′W / 47.817°N 12.000°W / 47.817; -12.000 Result British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	France
Commanders and leaders
Rear-Admiral Edward Hawke	Vice Admiral Henri-François des Herbiers
Strength
14 ships of the line	8 ships of the line 250 merchantmen 1 Indiaman 1 frigate
Casualties and losses
154 killed 558 wounded	6 ships of the line captured 800 sailors killed and wounded 4,000 captured 7 merchant ships captured
class=notpageimage| Battle location

The second battle of Cape Finisterre was a naval encounter fought during the War of the Austrian Succession on 25 October 1747 (N.S.).^[a] A British fleet of fourteen ships of the line commanded by Rear-Admiral Edward Hawke intercepted a French convoy of 250 merchant ships, sailing from the Basque Roads in western France to the West Indies and protected by eight ships of the line commanded by Vice Admiral Henri-François des Herbiers.

When the two forces sighted each other, Herbiers ordered the merchant ships to scatter, formed his warships into a line of battle and attempted to draw the British warships towards him. In this he was successful, the British advanced on the French warships, enveloped the rear of the French line and brought superior numbers to bear on the French vessels one at a time. Six French warships were captured, along with 4,000 of their seamen. Of the 250 merchant ships, only seven were captured. The British victory isolated the French colonies from supply and reinforcement. The war ended the following year and under the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle France recovered those colonial possessions which had been captured in return for withdrawing from her territorial gains in the Austrian Netherlands (approximately modern Belgium and Luxembourg).

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