Battle of Quiberon Bay

20 November 1759, Quiberon Bay, Brittany

Decisive British victory; the Brest fleet destroyed and the invasion of Britain abandoned

All summer Hawke had blockaded Brest while an army and transports for the invasion of Britain gathered in Quiberon Bay. In November a gale drove him back to Torbay, and the Comte de Conflans took the Brest fleet out to collect the transports. Hawke was back at sea within days, and on the morning of 20 November, in a rising westerly gale, he sighted the French chasing Duff's small squadron off Belle Île. Conflans ran for the shelter of Quiberon Bay, behind its reefs and shoals, believing the British would not dare follow him in. Hawke signalled a general chase and led his fleet straight in after him, among the rocks of the Cardinals, without a pilot. The British fell on the French rear as it entered the bay: Formidable struck after her admiral was killed, Thésée sank when she heeled over with her lower gunports open, Superbe was sunk by Hawke's flagship, and Héros surrendered. Night ended the fighting. The next day Soleil Royal and Héros ran ashore and were burned, Juste and Inflexible were wrecked, and the rest of the French fleet escaped to Rochefort or into the Vilaine river, where some of the ships were trapped for over two years. Hawke lost Resolution and Essex on the Four shoal.

Royal Navy

33 ships, 2 lost

Ship	Type	Outcome
HMS Royal George Admiral Sir Edward Hawke; sank Superbe	Ship of the line First rate, 100 guns	Survived
HMS Union Sir Charles Hardy	Ship of the line Second rate, 90 guns	Survived
HMS Duke Samuel Graves	Ship of the line Second rate, 90 guns	Survived
HMS Namur Matthew Buckle	Ship of the line Second rate, 90 guns	Survived
HMS Mars James Young	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Survived
HMS Warspite Sir John Bentley	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Survived
HMS Hercules William Fortescue	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Survived
HMS Torbay Augustus Keppel; sank Thésée	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Survived
HMS Magnanime Viscount Howe; took the surrender of Héros	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Survived
HMS Resolution Henry Speke; took Formidable, then wrecked on the Four shoal	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Wrecked
HMS Hero George Edgcumbe	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Survived
HMS Swiftsure Sir Thomas Stanhope	Ship of the line Third rate, 70 guns	Survived
HMS Dorsetshire Peter Denis	Ship of the line Third rate, 70 guns	Survived
HMS Burford James Gambier	Ship of the line Third rate, 70 guns	Survived
HMS Chichester William Saltren Willett	Ship of the line Third rate, 70 guns	Survived
HMS Temple Washington Shirley	Ship of the line Third rate, 70 guns	Survived
HMS Essex Lucius O'Brien; wrecked on the Four shoal	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Wrecked
HMS Revenge John Storr	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Survived
HMS Montague Joshua Rowley	Ship of the line Fourth rate, 60 guns	Survived
HMS Kingston Thomas Shirley	Ship of the line Fourth rate, 60 guns	Survived
HMS Intrepid Jervis Maplesden	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Survived
HMS Dunkirk Robert Digby	Ship of the line Fourth rate, 60 guns	Survived
HMS Defiance Patrick Baird	Ship of the line Fourth rate, 60 guns	Survived
HMS Rochester Commodore Robert Duff	Ship of the line Fourth rate, 50 guns	Survived
HMS Portland Mariot Arbuthnot	Ship of the line Fourth rate, 50 guns	Survived
HMS Falkland Francis Samuel Drake	Ship of the line Fourth rate, 50 guns	Survived
HMS Chatham John Lockhart	Ship of the line Fourth rate, 50 guns	Survived

Flotillas and other craft	Number	Lost
Frigates Venus, Minerva, Sapphire, Vengeance, Coventry and Maidstone.	6	0

Flotillas and other craft

Number

Lost

Frigates

Venus, Minerva, Sapphire, Vengeance, Coventry and Maidstone.

French Navy

26 ships, 7 lost

Ship	Type	Outcome
Soleil Royal The Comte de Conflans; ran ashore and was burned	Ship of the line Third rate, 80 guns	Scuttled
Orient Escaped to Rochefort	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Escaped
Glorieux Escaped into the Vilaine	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Escaped
Robuste Escaped into the Vilaine	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Escaped
Dauphin Royal Escaped to Rochefort	Ship of the line Third rate, 70 guns	Escaped
Dragon Escaped into the Vilaine	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Escaped
Solitaire Escaped to Rochefort	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Escaped
Tonnant Escaped to Rochefort	Ship of the line Third rate, 80 guns	Escaped
Intrépide Escaped to Rochefort	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Escaped
Thésée Guy François de Kersaint; foundered with her gunports open	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Sunk
Superbe Sunk by Royal George	Ship of the line Third rate, 70 guns	Sunk
Northumberland Escaped to Rochefort	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Escaped
Éveillé Escaped into the Vilaine	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Escaped
Brillant Escaped into the Vilaine	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Escaped
Formidable Saint-André du Verger, killed; struck to Resolution	Ship of the line Third rate, 80 guns	Captured
Magnifique Bigot de Morogues; escaped to Rochefort	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Escaped
Héros Struck to Magnanime, then ran ashore and was burned	Ship of the line Third rate, 74 guns	Scuttled
Juste Wrecked in the Loire	Ship of the line Third rate, 70 guns	Wrecked
Inflexible Lost at the mouth of the Vilaine	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Wrecked
Sphinx Escaped into the Vilaine	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Escaped
Bizarre Prince de Montbazon; escaped to Rochefort	Ship of the line Third rate, 64 guns	Escaped

Flotillas and other craft	Number	Lost
Frigates and corvettes Hébé, Aigrette, Vestale, Calypso and Prince Noir.	5	0

Flotillas and other craft

Number

Lost

Frigates and corvettes

Hébé, Aigrette, Vestale, Calypso and Prince Noir.

Map

Conflans sails from Brest 14–20 November 1759
Hawke sails from Torbay 14–20 November 1759