Battle at The Lizard

Not to be confused with Battle off Lizard Point.

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
Date 21 October 1707 Location Off Lizard Point, Atlantic Ocean near 49.9535°N 5.2096°W / 49.9535; -5.2096 Result French victory
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

On 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

Britain (Edwards)

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)

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)

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 [fr]
Gloire	38	Captain the Chevalier de La Jaille	Lost bowsprit in collision with Lys

Notes

1. Bodart 1908, p. 157.
2. Grant 2017, p. 398.
3. Allen p. 103
4. "Devonshire". Pastscape. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

References

• 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.

External links

• Jean et Michèle Polak: "Bibliographie maritime française"
• Commission Française d'Histoire Militaire (in English)
• HMS Chester
• HMS Devonshire