Battle of Lagos
Encyclopedia
The naval Battle of Lagos between Britain and France took place on August 19, 1759 during the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...

 off the coasts of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

, and is named after Lagos, Portugal
Lagos, Portugal
Lagos is a municipality at the mouth of Bensafrim River and along the Atlantic Ocean, in the Barlavento region of the Algarve, in southern Portugal....

. For the British, it was part of the Annus Mirabilis of 1759
Annus Mirabilis of 1759
The Annus Mirabilis of 1759 took place in the context of the Seven Years' War and Great Britain's military success against French-led opponents on several continents...

.

Origins

The ministers of King Louis XV of France drew up plans to invade Britain in 1759, during the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...

. An army had been collected at Vannes, in the south-east of Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...

, and transports had been brought together in the landlocked waters of the Morbihan which are connected with Quiberon Bay
Quiberon Bay
The Baie de Quiberon is an area of sheltered water on the south coast of Brittany. The bay is in the Morbihan département.-Geography:The bay is roughly triangular in shape, open to the south with the Gulf of Morbihan to the north-east and the narrow peninsular of Presqu'île de Quiberon providing...

. The scheme of the French ministers was to combine twenty-one ships of the line lying at Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...

 under the command of de Conflans, with twelve which were to be brought round from Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....

 by de la Clue. The army was then to be carried to some point on the coast of England or Scotland by the united squadrons.

The task of blockading de la Clue at Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....

 was given to Admiral Edward Boscawen
Edward Boscawen
Admiral Edward Boscawen, PC was an Admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament for the borough of Truro, Cornwall. He is known principally for his various naval commands throughout the 18th Century and the engagements that he won, including the Siege of Louisburg in 1758 and Battle of Lagos...

, who had with him fourteen sail of the line. Boscawen reached his station on May 16, 1759. At the beginning of July want of stores and water, together with the injury inflicted on some of his vessels by a French battery, compelled him to go to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...

 to provision and refit. He reached the port on August 4. On August 5 de la Clue left Toulon, and on August 17 passed the straits of Gibraltar, where he was sighted by the look-out ships of Boscawen.

Battle

The British fleet hurried out to sea, and pursued in two divisions, separated by a distance of some miles owing to the haste with which they left port. During the night of 17/August 18 five of de la Clue's ships lost sight of his flagship, and steered for Cadiz. The other seven, which had been delayed for a time in the hope of rejoining their consorts, were overtaken by Boscawen and attacked in the afternoon of August 18. One, Centaure 74, was captured after a very gallant resistance, in which the British flagship was severely damaged. Boscawen transferred to Newark.

During the night of 18/August 19, two of the French ships (Souverain and Guerrier) altered course to the west, and escaped. The remaining four fled to the north, and into Portuguese waters near Lagos
Lagos, Portugal
Lagos is a municipality at the mouth of Bensafrim River and along the Atlantic Ocean, in the Barlavento region of the Algarve, in southern Portugal....

, where Océan, de la Clue's flagship, and Redoutable were driven ashore and destroyed, while Téméraire and Modeste were captured.

Aftermath

De la Clue was seriously wounded, and carried ashore in Portugal. The five ships in Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....

 were blockaded by Boscawen's second-in-command, Admiral Broderick.

Although the defeat of the French squadron ruined an integral part of their scheme to invade the British Isles, the French decided to persevere with their attack. The scheme was finally put to rest in November after the French naval defeat at the Battle of Quiberon Bay
Battle of Quiberon Bay
The naval Battle of Quiberon Bay took place on 20 November 1759 during the Seven Years' War in Quiberon Bay, off the coast of France near St. Nazaire...

.

After refitting, several of Boscawen's victorious Mediterranean ships were sent to join Admiral Hawke's fleet off Ushant, and five were with Hawke when he destroyed the Brest fleet at the Battle of Quiberon Bay
Battle of Quiberon Bay
The naval Battle of Quiberon Bay took place on 20 November 1759 during the Seven Years' War in Quiberon Bay, off the coast of France near St. Nazaire...

.

A young slave named Olaudah Equiano
Olaudah Equiano
Olaudah Equiano also known as Gustavus Vassa, was a prominent African involved in the British movement towards the abolition of the slave trade. His autobiography depicted the horrors of slavery and helped influence British lawmakers to abolish the slave trade through the Slave Trade Act of 1807...

, who would eventually become a prominent abolitionist in England, participated in the engagement on the English side. He included an account of the battle in his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African, first published in 1789, is the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano.-Plot introduction:...

.

Ships involved:

Britain

90 (flag)

Prince
HMS Triumph (1698)
HMS Triumph was a 90-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Chatham Dockyard in 1698. She was renamed HMS Prince in 1714....

 90

Newark
HMS Newark (1695)
HMS Newark was an 80-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Hull on 3 June 1695.She was rebuilt according to the 1706 Establishment at Chatham Dockyard, and relaunched on 29 July 1717. During this rebuild an extra gundeck was added to make her a three-decker, instead of the...

 80

Warspite
HMS Warspite (1758)
HMS Warspite was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 8 April 1758 at Deptford....

 74

Culloden
HMS Culloden (1747)
HMS Culloden was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built according to the dimensions laid out by the 1741 proposals of the 1719 Establishment at Deptford Dockyard, and launched on 9 September 1747...

 74

Conqueror
HMS Conqueror (1758)
HMS Conqueror was a 68-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 24 May 1758 at Harwich.She was wrecked in 1760....

 70

Swiftsure
HMS Swiftsure (1750)
HMS Swiftsure was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Deptford Dockyard to the draught specified by the 1745 Establishment, and launched on 25 May 1750....

 70

Edgar
HMS Edgar (1758)
HMS Edgar was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 16 November 1758 at Rotherhithe.The physician Thomas Denman served on Edgar until 1763.She was sunk as a breakwater in 1774....

 64

St Albans
HMS St Albans (1747)
HMS St Albans was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Deptford to the draught specified by the 1745 Establishment, and launched on 23 February 1747.St Albans served until 1765, when she was sold out of the navy....

 64

Intrepid 60

America
HMS America (1757)
HMS America was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Wells and Stanton at Rotherhithe and launched on 21 May 1757.From 1758 to 1760, America was under the command of a Captain James Kirk.She was broken up in 1771....

 60

Princess Louisa
HMS Princess Louisa (1744)
HMS Princess Louisa was a 58-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built to the dimensions prescribed in the 1741 proposals of the 1719 Establishment at Limehouse, and launched on 1 July 1744....

 60

Jersey
HMS Jersey (1736)
HMS Jersey was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built to the 1733 proposals of the 1719 Establishment of dimensions at Plymouth Dockyard, and launched on 14 June 1736. She is perhaps most noted for her service as a prison ship during the American Revolutionary War.-Early...

 60

Guernsey
HMS Guernsey (1696)
HMS Guernsey was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Blackwall Yard in 1696.She was rebuilt according to the 1706 Establishment at Woolwich Dockyard, and was relaunched on 24 October 1717. On 23 February 1737 orders were issued for Guernsey to be taken to pieces and...

 50

Portland
HMS Portland (1744)
HMS Portland was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Limehouse according to the dimensions laid down in the 1741 proposals of the 1719 Establishment, and launched on 11 October 1744....

 50

There were also 14 other smaller British ships present - the 40-gun Ambuscade and Rainbow, the 36-gun Shannon and Active, the 32-gun Thetis, five 24-gun Sixth Rates (Lyme, Gibraltar, Glasgow, Sheerness and Tartar's Prize), two 16-gun sloops (Favourite and Gramont) and two 8-gun fireships (Aetna and Salamander).

France

Océan 80 (flag) - Aground and burnt August 19

Téméraire
French ship Téméraire (1749)
Téméraire was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, launched in 1749. captured Téméraire at the Battle of Lagos on 18 August 1759. She was taken into the Royal Navy as the Third Rate HMS Temeraire....

74 - Captured August 19

Modeste
French ship Modeste (1759)
HMS Modeste was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was previously the Modeste, of the French Navy, launched in 1759 and captured later that year.-French career and capture:...

64 - Captured August 19

Redoutable 74 - Aground and burnt August 19

Souverain 74 - escaped

Guerrier
French ship Guerrier (1754)
The Guerrier was a Magnifique class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She took part in the Battle of Minorca and in the Battle of Lagos...

74 - escaped

Centaure
HMS Centaur (1759)
Centaure was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, launched at Toulon in 1757.The Royal Navy captured Centaure at the Battle of Lagos on 18 August 1759, and commissioned her as the Third Rate HMS Centaur.-Loss:...

74 - Captured August 18
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK