Battle of Lagos

Battle of Lagos in 1759 off Portugal - painting by Thomas Luny

Date	18–19 August 1759
Location	Between Gibraltar and Lagos, Portugal
Result	British victory

Belligerents

Great Britain

France

Commanders and leaders

Sir Edward Boscawen

Jean-François de La Clue-Sabran

Strength

14 ships of the line
10 frigates
2 sloops
2 fireships

12 ships of the line
3 frigates

Casualties and losses

56 killed
193 wounded

2 ships of the line destroyed
3 ships of the line captured
500 killed or wounded
2,000 captured

The naval Battle of Lagos between Britain and France took place over two days, on 18 and 19 August 1759, during the Seven Years' War off the coasts of Spain and Portugal, and is named after Lagos, Portugal. For the British, it was part of the Annus Mirabilis of 1759.

The ministers of King Louis XV of France drew up plans to invade Britain in 1759, during the Seven Years' War. An army had been collected at Vannes, in the south-east of Brittany, and transports had been brought together in the landlocked waters of the Morbihan which are connected with Quiberon Bay. The scheme of the French ministers was to combine twenty-one ships of the line lying at Brest under the command of de Conflans, with twelve which were to be brought round from Toulon 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 was given to Admiral Edward Boscawen, who had with him fourteen sail of the line. Boscawen reached his station on 16 May 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 to provision and refit. He reached the port on 4 August. On 5 August de la Clue left Toulon, and on 17 August passed the straits of Gibraltar, where he was sighted by the look-out ships of Boscawen.

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. Knowing the British had spotted his fleet, during the night of 17/18 August de la Clue decided not to sail to the original rendezvous point, the nearby Spanish port of Cadiz where he feared his fleet would be blockaded, but instead to head for the open ocean. His flagship changed course, hoping the rest of the fleet would follow, but in fact only seven ships of the line did so. The remaining eight ships continued to steer for Cadiz, either because they did not see the leader's course change in the dark, or because their captains wanted to find safety in the nearest friendly port.

...
Wikipedia