Scilly naval disaster of 1707

An 18th-century engraving of the disaster, with HMS Association in the centre
Occurrence summary
Date	22 October 1707
Summary	Navigation accident
Site	Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom 49°51′56″N 6°23′50″W / 49.86556°N 6.39722°W / 49.86556; -6.39722Coordinates: 49°51′56″N 6°23′50″W / 49.86556°N 6.39722°W / 49.86556; -6.39722
Fatalities	1,550
Injuries (non-fatal)	13
Survivors	13
Operator	Royal Navy
Destination	Portsmouth, England

The Scilly naval disaster of 1707 was the loss of four warships of a Royal Navy fleet off the Isles of Scilly in severe weather on 22 October 1707. 1550 sailors aboard the wrecked vessels lost their lives, making the incident one of the worst maritime disasters in the history of the British Isles. The main cause of the disaster was the navigators' inability to accurately calculate their positions.

In the summer of 1707, during the War of the Spanish Succession, a combined British, Austrian and Dutch force under the command of Prince Eugene of Savoy besieged and attempted to take the French port of Toulon. During this campaign, which was fought from 29 July to 21 August, Great Britain dispatched a fleet to provide naval support. Led by the Commander-in-Chief of the British Fleets, Sir Cloudesley Shovell, the ships sailed to the Mediterranean, attacked Toulon and also managed to inflict damage on the French fleet caught in the siege. The overall campaign was nevertheless unsuccessful and the alliance was ultimately defeated by Franco-Spanish units. The British fleet was ordered to return home, and set sail from Gibraltar to Portsmouth in late September. The force under Shovell's command comprised fifteen ships of the line (Association, Royal Anne, Torbay, St George, Cruizer, Eagle, Lenox, Monmouth, Orford, Panther, Romney, Rye, Somerset, Swiftsure, Valeur) as well as four fireships (Firebrand, Griffin, Phoenix, Vulcan), the sloop Weazel and the yacht Isabella.