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Battle of Minorca (1756)

January 21, 2023

For other battles for control of Menorca, see Invasion of Minorca.

The Battle of Minorca (20 May 1756) was a naval battle between French and British fleets. It was the opening sea battle of the Seven Years' War in the European theatre. Shortly after the war began British and French squadrons met off the Mediterranean island of Minorca. The French won the battle. The subsequent decision by the British to withdraw to Gibraltar handed France a strategic victory and led directly to the Fall of Minorca.

Battle of Minorca
Part of the Seven Years' War

The departure of the French squadron on 10 April 1756 for the attack against Port Mahon, by Nicolas Ozanne
Date20 May 1756
Location
Mediterranean Sea, near Minorca, present-day Spain
Result French victory[1][2]
Belligerents
 France  Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Marquis de la Galissonnière John Byng
Strength
12 ships of the line
5 frigates		 12 ships of the line
7 frigates
Casualties and losses
38 killed
184 wounded		 Half the fleet damaged
45 killed
162 wounded

The British failure to save Minorca led to the controversial court-martial and execution of the British commander, Admiral John Byng, for "failure to do his utmost" to relieve the siege of the British garrison on Minorca.[3]

Background

Further information: Great Britain in the Seven Years War

The French had been menacing the British-held garrison on Minorca, which had come under British control during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1708. Great Britain and France had commenced hostilities in the New World colonies earlier in 1754 (the French and Indian War), and at this point the conflict was not going well for Great Britain. The government was anxious to protect her presence closer to home, and was concerned that the French might even be planning to invade Great Britain itself (as France had attempted in previous wars by supporting the Stuart claimants to the throne during the Jacobite Wars).

The long-expected French move on Minorca finally caused the British government to act, albeit belatedly, and a squadron of 10 ships of the line was dispatched from Gibraltar to its defence, under the command of John Byng (then a Vice-Admiral, but quickly promoted to Admiral for the purpose). Despite having considerable intelligence of the strength of the French fleet at Toulon that was designated for the invasion of Minorca, the ships allocated to Byng were all in a poor state of repair and undermanned.

Prelude

When Byng and his fleet, now numbering 13 ships of the line (having been reinforced by ships of the Minorca squadron that had escaped the island), arrived off Minorca on 19 May, they found the island already overrun by French troops, with only the garrison of St. Philip's Castle in Port Mahon holding out. Byng's orders were to relieve the garrison, but a French squadron of 12 ships of the line and 5 frigates intervened as the afternoon wore on. The two fleets positioned themselves, and battle was drawn up on the morning of the following day.

Battle

Facing 12 French ships of the line, Byng formed his 12 largest ships into a single line of battle and approached the head of the French line on a parallel course while maintaining the weather gage. He then ordered his ships to go about and come alongside their opposite numbers in the French fleet. However, the poor signalling capability of the times caused confusion and delay in closing. The British van took a considerable pounding from their more heavily armed French adversaries, while the rear of the line, including Byng's flagship, failed to come within effective cannon range. During the battle Byng displayed considerable caution and an over-reliance on standard fighting procedures, and several of his ships were seriously damaged, while no ships were lost by the French. Following a Council of War, at which all the senior officers present concurred, it was agreed the fleet stood no chance of further damaging the French ships or of relieving the garrison. Byng therefore gave orders to return to Gibraltar.

Aftermath

The battle could hardly be considered anything other than a French victory in the light of Byng failing to press on to relieve the garrison or pursue the French fleet which inaction resulted in severe criticism. The Admiralty, perhaps concerned to divert attention from its own lack of preparation for the disastrous venture, charged him for breaching the Articles of War by failing to do all he could to fulfill his orders and support the garrison; he was court-martialled, found guilty and sentenced to death, and – despite pleas for clemency – executed on 14 March 1757 aboard HMS Monarch in Portsmouth harbour.

Byng's execution is referred to in Voltaire's novel Candide with the line Dans ce pays-ci, il est bon de tuer de temps en temps un amiral pour encourager les autres – "In this country, it is thought wise to kill an admiral from time to time to encourage the others."[4]

Despite William Pitt's eagerness to regain the island, a British expedition was not sent to recapture it for the remainder of the war. It was eventually returned to Britain following the Treaty of Paris, in exchange for the French West Indies and Belle-Île.

  •  

    Attack and capture of Fort St. Philip on the island of Minorca, 29 June 1756, after the naval battle.

  •  

    English and French fleets

  •  

    The English Lion dismembered after the French conquer the island of Menorca.

  •  

    The Shooting of Admiral Byng, by unknown artist.

Order of battle

In order of their place in the line of battle:

British fleet

British fleet
Ship Rate Guns Commander Casualties Notes
Killed Wounded Total
Defiance Third rate 60 Captain Thomas Andrews 14 45 59
Portland Fourth rate 50 Captain Patrick Baird 6 20 26
Lancaster Third rate 66 Captain George Edgcumbe 1 14 15
Buckingham Third rate 68 Rear-Admiral Temple West
Captain Michael Everitt 		3 7 10
Captain Third rate 64 Captain Charles Catford 6 30 36
Intrepid Third rate 64 Captain James Young 9 39 48
Revenge Third rate 64 Captain Frederick Cornwall 0 0 0
Princess Louisa Third rate 60 Captain Thomas Noel 3 13 16
Trident Third rate 64 Captain Philip Durell 0 0 0
Ramillies Second rate 90 Admiral John Byng
Captain Arthur Gardiner 		0 0 0
Culloden Third rate 74 Captain Henry Ward 0 0 0
Kingston Third rate 60 Captain William Parry 0 0 0
Deptford Fourth rate 50 Captain John Amherst 0 0 0
Casualty summary 42 168 210

Attached frigates

Ship Guns Captain Rate
Chesterfield 40 Captain William Lloyd Fifth-rate frigate
Experiment 20 Captain James Gilchrist Sixth-rate frigate
Dolphin 20 Commander Benjamin Marlow Sixth-rate frigate
Phoenix 20 Captain Augustus Hervey Sixth-rate frigate
Fortune 14 Commander Jervis Maplesden Unrated brig-sloop

French fleet

French fleet
Ship Rate Guns Commander Casualties Notes
Killed Wounded Total
Orphée 64 Pierre-Antoine de Raymondis d'Éoux 10 9 19
Hippopotame 50 Henri de Rochemore 2 10 12
Redoutable 74 Chef d'Escadre Pierre-André de Glandevès du Castellet 12 39 51
Sage 64 Captain Duruen 0 8 8
Guerrier 74 René Villars de la Brosse-Raquin 0 43 43
Fier 50 Captain d'Erville 0 4 4
Foudroyant 84 Lieutenant général Roland-Michel Barrin de La Galissonière 2 10 12
Téméraire 74 Captain Beaumont 0 15 15
Content 64 Joseph de Sabran 5 19 24
Lion 64 Paul-Hippolyte de Beauvilliers-Saint-Aignan 2 7 9
Couronne 74 Chef d'Escadre Jean-François de La Clue-Sabran 0 3 3
Triton 64 Captain Mercier 5 14 19
Casualty summary 38 181 219

Attached frigates

Ship Guns Captain
Junon 46 Captain Beausfier
Rose 26 Captain Costebelle
Gracieuse 26 Captain Marquizan
Topaze 24 Captain Carne
Nymphe 26 Captain Callian
 
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Admiral John Byng's account of the Battle of Minorca (1756)

See also

References

  1. ^ Dull, pp. 52–54.
  2. ^ Lambert, p. 143.
  3. ^ McGuffie, 1951.
  4. ^ Hamley, p. 177.

Bibliography

  • Anderson, Fred. Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766. Faber and Faber, 2000.
  • Brown, Peter Douglas. William Pitt, Earl of Chatham: The Great Commoner. George Allen & Unwin, 1978.
  • Dull, Jonathan R. The French Navy and the Seven Years' War. University of Nebraska, 2005.
  • Hamley, Sir Edward Bruce (1877). Voltaire. Edinburgh; London: Wm. Blackwood & Sons. p. 177. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  • Lambert, Andrew. Admirals: The Naval Commanders Who Made Britain Great. Faber and Faber, 2009.
  • McGuffie, T. H. "The Defence of Minorca 1756" History Today (1951) 1#10 pp 49-55. online

Coordinates: 39°53′24″N 4°21′00″E / 39.8900°N 4.3500°E / 39.8900; 4.3500

January 21, 2023
battle, minorca, 1756, this, article, expanded, with, text, translated, from, corresponding, article, french, april, 2022, click, show, important, translation, instructions, view, machine, translated, version, french, article, machine, translation, like, deepl. This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in French April 2022 Click show for important translation instructions View a machine translated version of the French article Machine translation like DeepL or Google Translate is a useful starting point for translations but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate rather than simply copy pasting machine translated text into the English Wikipedia Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low quality If possible verify the text with references provided in the foreign language article You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing French Wikipedia article at fr Bataille de Minorque 1756 see its history for attribution You should also add the template Translated fr Bataille de Minorque 1756 to the talk page For more guidance see Wikipedia Translation For other battles for control of Menorca see Invasion of Minorca The Battle of Minorca 20 May 1756 was a naval battle between French and British fleets It was the opening sea battle of the Seven Years War in the European theatre Shortly after the war began British and French squadrons met off the Mediterranean island of Minorca The French won the battle The subsequent decision by the British to withdraw to Gibraltar handed France a strategic victory and led directly to the Fall of Minorca Battle of MinorcaPart of the Seven Years WarThe departure of the French squadron on 10 April 1756 for the attack against Port Mahon by Nicolas OzanneDate20 May 1756LocationMediterranean Sea near Minorca present day SpainResultFrench victory 1 2 Belligerents France Great BritainCommanders and leadersMarquis de la GalissonniereJohn ByngStrength12 ships of the line5 frigates12 ships of the line7 frigatesCasualties and losses38 killed184 woundedHalf the fleet damaged45 killed162 wounded The British failure to save Minorca led to the controversial court martial and execution of the British commander Admiral John Byng for failure to do his utmost to relieve the siege of the British garrison on Minorca 3 Contents 1 Background 2 Prelude 3 Battle 4 Aftermath 5 Order of battle 5 1 British fleet 5 2 Attached frigates 5 3 French fleet 5 4 Attached frigates 6 See also 7 References 8 BibliographyBackground EditFurther information Great Britain in the Seven Years War The French had been menacing the British held garrison on Minorca which had come under British control during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1708 Great Britain and France had commenced hostilities in the New World colonies earlier in 1754 the French and Indian War and at this point the conflict was not going well for Great Britain The government was anxious to protect her presence closer to home and was concerned that the French might even be planning to invade Great Britain itself as France had attempted in previous wars by supporting the Stuart claimants to the throne during the Jacobite Wars The long expected French move on Minorca finally caused the British government to act albeit belatedly and a squadron of 10 ships of the line was dispatched from Gibraltar to its defence under the command of John Byng then a Vice Admiral but quickly promoted to Admiral for the purpose Despite having considerable intelligence of the strength of the French fleet at Toulon that was designated for the invasion of Minorca the ships allocated to Byng were all in a poor state of repair and undermanned Prelude EditWhen Byng and his fleet now numbering 13 ships of the line having been reinforced by ships of the Minorca squadron that had escaped the island arrived off Minorca on 19 May they found the island already overrun by French troops with only the garrison of St Philip s Castle in Port Mahon holding out Byng s orders were to relieve the garrison but a French squadron of 12 ships of the line and 5 frigates intervened as the afternoon wore on The two fleets positioned themselves and battle was drawn up on the morning of the following day Battle EditFacing 12 French ships of the line Byng formed his 12 largest ships into a single line of battle and approached the head of the French line on a parallel course while maintaining the weather gage He then ordered his ships to go about and come alongside their opposite numbers in the French fleet However the poor signalling capability of the times caused confusion and delay in closing The British van took a considerable pounding from their more heavily armed French adversaries while the rear of the line including Byng s flagship failed to come within effective cannon range During the battle Byng displayed considerable caution and an over reliance on standard fighting procedures and several of his ships were seriously damaged while no ships were lost by the French Following a Council of War at which all the senior officers present concurred it was agreed the fleet stood no chance of further damaging the French ships or of relieving the garrison Byng therefore gave orders to return to Gibraltar Aftermath EditThe battle could hardly be considered anything other than a French victory in the light of Byng failing to press on to relieve the garrison or pursue the French fleet which inaction resulted in severe criticism The Admiralty perhaps concerned to divert attention from its own lack of preparation for the disastrous venture charged him for breaching the Articles of War by failing to do all he could to fulfill his orders and support the garrison he was court martialled found guilty and sentenced to death and despite pleas for clemency executed on 14 March 1757 aboard HMS Monarch in Portsmouth harbour Byng s execution is referred to in Voltaire s novel Candide with the line Dans ce pays ci il est bon de tuer de temps en temps un amiral pour encourager les autres In this country it is thought wise to kill an admiral from time to time to encourage the others 4 Despite William Pitt s eagerness to regain the island a British expedition was not sent to recapture it for the remainder of the war It was eventually returned to Britain following the Treaty of Paris in exchange for the French West Indies and Belle Ile Attack and capture of Fort St Philip on the island of Minorca 29 June 1756 after the naval battle English and French fleets The English Lion dismembered after the French conquer the island of Menorca The Shooting of Admiral Byng by unknown artist Order of battle EditIn order of their place in the line of battle British fleet Edit British fleetShip Rate Guns Commander Casualties NotesKilled Wounded TotalDefiance Third rate 60 Captain Thomas Andrews 14 45 59Portland Fourth rate 50 Captain Patrick Baird 6 20 26Lancaster Third rate 66 Captain George Edgcumbe 1 14 15Buckingham Third rate 68 Rear Admiral Temple WestCaptain Michael Everitt 3 7 10Captain Third rate 64 Captain Charles Catford 6 30 36Intrepid Third rate 64 Captain James Young 9 39 48Revenge Third rate 64 Captain Frederick Cornwall 0 0 0Princess Louisa Third rate 60 Captain Thomas Noel 3 13 16Trident Third rate 64 Captain Philip Durell 0 0 0Ramillies Second rate 90 Admiral John ByngCaptain Arthur Gardiner 0 0 0Culloden Third rate 74 Captain Henry Ward 0 0 0Kingston Third rate 60 Captain William Parry 0 0 0Deptford Fourth rate 50 Captain John Amherst 0 0 0Casualty summary 42 168 210Attached frigates Edit Ship Guns Captain RateChesterfield 40 Captain William Lloyd Fifth rate frigateExperiment 20 Captain James Gilchrist Sixth rate frigateDolphin 20 Commander Benjamin Marlow Sixth rate frigatePhoenix 20 Captain Augustus Hervey Sixth rate frigateFortune 14 Commander Jervis Maplesden Unrated brig sloopFrench fleet Edit French fleetShip Rate Guns Commander Casualties NotesKilled Wounded TotalOrphee 64 Pierre Antoine de Raymondis d Eoux 10 9 19Hippopotame 50 Henri de Rochemore 2 10 12Redoutable 74 Chef d Escadre Pierre Andre de Glandeves du Castellet 12 39 51Sage 64 Captain Duruen 0 8 8Guerrier 74 Rene Villars de la Brosse Raquin 0 43 43Fier 50 Captain d Erville 0 4 4Foudroyant 84 Lieutenant general Roland Michel Barrin de La Galissoniere 2 10 12Temeraire 74 Captain Beaumont 0 15 15Content 64 Joseph de Sabran 5 19 24Lion 64 Paul Hippolyte de Beauvilliers Saint Aignan 2 7 9Couronne 74 Chef d Escadre Jean Francois de La Clue Sabran 0 3 3Triton 64 Captain Mercier 5 14 19Casualty summary 38 181 219Attached frigates Edit Ship Guns CaptainJunon 46 Captain BeausfierRose 26 Captain CostebelleGracieuse 26 Captain MarquizanTopaze 24 Captain CarneNymphe 26 Captain Callian Wikisource has original text related to this article Admiral John Byng s account of the Battle of Minorca 1756 See also EditHMS Dolphin Arthur Phillip an otherwise notable midshipmanReferences Edit Dull pp 52 54 Lambert p 143 McGuffie 1951 Hamley p 177 Bibliography EditAnderson Fred Crucible of War The Seven Years War and the fate of Empire in British North America 1754 1766 Faber and Faber 2000 Brown Peter Douglas William Pitt Earl of Chatham The Great Commoner George Allen amp Unwin 1978 Dull Jonathan R The French Navy and the Seven Years War University of Nebraska 2005 Hamley Sir Edward Bruce 1877 Voltaire Edinburgh London Wm Blackwood amp Sons p 177 Retrieved 1 October 2011 Lambert Andrew Admirals The Naval Commanders Who Made Britain Great Faber and Faber 2009 McGuffie T H The Defence of Minorca 1756 History Today 1951 1 10 pp 49 55 onlineCoordinates 39 53 24 N 4 21 00 E 39 8900 N 4 3500 E 39 8900 4 3500 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Battle of Minorca 1756 amp oldid 1132566684, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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