The naval Battle of the Lizard (French: Combat du Cap Lézard) took place on 21 October 1707 during the War of the Spanish Succession near Lizard Point, Cornwall between two French squadrons under René Duguay-Trouin and Claude de Forbin and an English convoy protected by a squadron under Commodore Richard Edwards.[3]
| Battle at the Lizard | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War of the Spanish Succession | |||||||
 Battle at The Lizard, Jean Antoine Théodore de Gudin | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 France |
 Great Britain | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 René Duguay-Trouin Claude de Forbin |
 Richard Edwards | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 12 warships |
5 warships 130 merchant ships | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
300 killed and wounded[1] No ships lost[2] |
800 killed and wounded[1] 1,500 captured[1] 1 warship destroyed 3 warships captured 15 merchant ships captured | ||||||
Duguay-Trouin and Forbin were two of the most successful French naval commanders and they caused much damage to the allied merchant fleet.
Battle
editOn 20 October 1707 a large merchant fleet consisting of 80 to 130 English ships left Plymouth for Portugal with supplies for the war in Spain. There were five escorting English ships under command of Commodore Edwards.
The next day near Lizard Point they were spotted by 2 French squadrons of 6 ships each. Technically Forbin was the senior French officer, but Duguay-Trouin was the more aggressive, and his ships led the attack and suffered most of the damage, after Forbin had discovered the British convoy.
This battle was almost a complete victory for the French; the 80-gun Cumberland and the 50-gun ships Chester and Ruby were taken, but Royal Oak escaped into Kinsale with a few merchantmen. The 80-gun Devonshire defended herself for several hours against seven French ships until she caught fire and blew up, only three men escaping out of 500.[4]
There is no unanimity on the number of merchant ships captured. French sources speak of 60 ships out of 80, some British of none at all. The fact that René Duguay-Trouin and Claude de Forbin quarrelled for many years about which of the two squadrons had the biggest role in the victory, points to a considerable number of ships captured. Probably the truth is somewhere in between: Polak in "Bibliographie maritime française" speaks of 15 merchant ships captured.
Order of battle
editBritain (Edwards)
edit| Ship | Guns | Commander | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland | 80 | Commodore Richard Edwards | Surrendered to Lys |
| Devonshire | 80 | Captain John Watkins † | Exploded, three survivors |
| Royal Oak | 76 | Captain Baron Wylde | Escaped to Kinsale |
| Chester | 50 | Captain John Balchen | Surrendered to Jason |
| Ruby | 50 | Captain the Hon. Peregrine Bertie | Surrendered to Amazone |
France (Forbin)
edit| Ship | Guns | Commander | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mars | 54 | Rear-Admiral Claude de Forbin | |
| Blackwall | 54 | Captain Jean Alexandre de Tourouvre | Lost bowsprit in collision with Devonshire |
| Salisbury | 52 | Captain Kerlo de l'Isle | |
| Protée | 48 | Captain the Comte de Illiers | |
| Jersey | 46 | Captain François Cornil Bart | |
| Griffon | 44 | Captain the Comte de Nangis | |
| Dauphine | 44 | Captain the Comte de Roquefeuil | |
| Fidèle | 44 | Captain Hennequin | |
| Dryade | 32 | Captain Joris van Crombrugghe |
France (Duguay-Trouin)
edit| Ship | Guns | Commander | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lys | 72 | Captain René Duguay-Trouin | |
| Achille | 64 | Captain the Chevalier de Beauharnois | Lost bowsprit in collision with Royal Oak Poopdeck destroyed in cartridge explosion |
| Jason | 54 | Captain the Chevalier de Coursérac | |
| Maure | 50 | Captain Thomas Auguste Moinerie-Miniac | |
| Amazone | 40 | Lieutenant Joseph de Nesmond de Brie | |
| Gloire | 38 | Captain the Chevalier de La Jaille | Lost bowsprit in collision with Lys |
Notes
edit- ^ a b c Bodart 1908, p. 157.
- ^ Grant 2017, p. 398.
- ^ Allen p. 103
- ^ "Devonshire". Pastscape. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
References
edit- Allen, Joseph. Battles of the British Navy: from A.D. 1000 to 1840. Bell & Daldy publishing (1872) ASIN: B00087UD9S
- Bodart, Gaston (1908). Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618–1905). Retrieved 4 February 2023.
- Grant, R. G. (2017). 1001 Battles That Changed the Course of History. Chartwell Books. ISBN 978-0785835530.