The Battle of Toulon took place on 21 and 22 February 1744 NS near the French Mediterranean port of Toulon. Although France was not yet at war with Britain, ships from their Levant Fleet supported an attempt by a Spanish force trapped in Toulon to break through the British Mediterranean Fleet.
The initial engagement on 21 February was indecisive, and the British continued their pursuit until midday on 22nd before their commander, Admiral Thomas Mathews, called off the chase. With several of his ships in need of repair, he withdrew to Menorca, which meant the British Royal Navy temporarily lost control of the waters around Italy and allowed the Spanish to take the offensive against Savoy.
In his report, Mathews blamed his subordinate Richard Lestock for the failure to secure victory, and the issue was hotly debated in Parliament. At the subsequent court-martial, Mathews was held responsible and dismissed from the navy in June 1747, while Lestock's political connections meant he was cleared of all charges. Another seven captains were removed from command for failing to engage the enemy and the investigation led to changes that required individual captains to be far more aggressive.
Background
thumb|left|upright|British Admiral [[Thomas Mathews, whose poor relationship with his subordinate Richard Lestock affected the battle]]
The immediate cause of the War of the Austrian Succession was the death in 1740 of Emperor Charles VI, the last male Habsburg. This left his eldest daughter, Maria Theresa, as heir to the Habsburg monarchy, whose laws excluded women from the succession. The 1713 Pragmatic Sanction waived this and allowed her to inherit, but this was challenged by Charles Albert of Bavaria, the closest male heir.
While the House of Habsburg was the largest single component of the Holy Roman Empire, its pre-eminent position was challenged by rivals like Bavaria, Saxony and Prussia. With the help of France, these states turned a dynastic dispute into a European conflict and in January 1742 Charles of Bavaria became the first non-Habsburg Emperor in nearly 300 years. He was opposed by Maria Theresa and the so-called Pragmatic Allies, which in addition to Austria included Britain, Hanover and the Dutch Republic.
Although French and British troops fought against each other at Dettingen in June 1743, the two kingdoms were not yet formally at war. In contrast, Spain and Britain had been fighting the War of Jenkins' Ear since 1739, primarily in Spanish America, but also in the Mediterranean, where in 1742 a Spanish squadron led by Juan José Navarro took refuge in the French naval base of Toulon and were prevented from leaving by the British Mediterranean Fleet under Admiral Thomas Mathews. In the 1743 Treaty of Fontainebleau, Louis XV of France and his uncle Philip V of Spain, agreed to a joint invasion of Britain and by late January 1744, more than 12,000 French troops and transports had been assembled at Dunkirk.
In an attempt to divert British naval resources from the invasion route, Navarro was ordered to force his way out of Toulon and make for the Atlantic, supported by the French Levant Fleet under Claude Bruyère.
Their opponent, Thomas Mathews, had entered the Royal Navy in 1690 and enjoyed a solid if unspectacular career before being appointed Commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean in 1742. He had a poor relationship with his deputy Richard Lestock, a fact recognised by both officers who had each separately requested that Lestock be reassigned, a request ignored by the Admiralty. The tension between the two men meant Mathews failed to properly discuss tactics with his subordinate prior to the battle, a factor which partially contributed to the later confusion over orders.
Battle
thumb|British fireship , aflame and sinking short of her intended target, the Spanish flagship Real Felipe
On 21 February 1744, the combined Franco-Spanish fleet of twenty-seven ships of the line and three frigates put to sea with Mathews in pursuit. The British ships were generally larger and more heavily armed than their opponents, carrying over 25% more cannons overall. Both fleets adopted the traditional formation of vanguard, centre and rear, with Navarro and the Spanish ships in front, followed by two French squadrons. On the British side, Mathews led the van, William Rowley the centre, and Lestock the rear.
Light winds made manoeuvring difficult and caused the two fleets to become spread out but around 11:30 early in the evening of 21 February, the fleets began to approach each other and prepare for battle, with Mathews signalling his ships to form line of battle. Since the line had not been properly formed as night fell, Mathews hoisted the signal to come to or halt by turning into the wind, intending his ships to first finish forming the line.
The main action was being fought around Real Felipe, Navarro's flagship. Marlborough purposefully crossed the Spanish line, but suffered such severe damage that she was deemed to be on the verge of sinking. The Hercules, astern of the Real Felipe, vigorously fought off three British ships. The Constante, immediately ahead of the flagship, repelled the attack of a British ship-of-the-line, which was promptly replaced by two more, with which she continued to fight for nearly three hours. a change that later resulted in the execution of Admiral Byng.
Order of battle
Franco-Spanish
{| class="wikitable" width=100%
|-valign="top"
!colspan="5" bgcolor="white"|Franco-Spanish fleet<br>
4 fire ships
|- valign="top"
! width=15%; align= center | <small> Ship </small>
! width=10%; align= center | <small> Rate </small>
! width=5%; align= center | <small> Guns </small>
! width=35%; align= center | <small> Commander </small>
! width=35%; align= center | <small>Notes</small>
|- valign="top"
!colspan=5 align=center |Van
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 70
| align= left | Captain James Lloyd
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 80
| align= left | Captain William Dilkes
| align= left | Dilkes court-martialled and dismissed, later restored
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 80
| align= left | Captain Rowland Frogmore
| align= left | Frogmore died before being court-martialled
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Second-rate
| align= center |90
| align= left | Rear-Admiral William Rowley<br/>Captain Meyrick de L'Angle
| align= left | Damaged; 25 killed, 20 wounded
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 80
| align= left | Captain Henry Osborn
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 70
| align= left | Captain Edward Hawke
| align= left | 17 members of the prize crew taken prisoner when the French recaptured the Poder
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 70
| align= left | Captain Thomas Cooper
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 70
| align= left | Captain Hon. George Townshend
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Fifth-rate
| align= center | 40
| align= left | Captain John Watkins
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Sixth-rate
| align= center | 20
| align= left | Captain William Marsh
| align= left |
|-
! colspan=5 align=center |Centre
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Fourth-rate
| align= center | 60
| align= left | Captain Charles Watson
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 70
| align= left | Captain Edmund Williams
| align= left | Williams court-martialled and dismissed
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 70
| align= left | Captain Robert Pett
| align= left | Damaged; 8 killed, 20 wounded
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 80
| align= left | Captain George Slater
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 80
| align= left | Captain Hon. John Forbes
| align= left | Damaged; 12 killed, 25 wounded
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Second-rate
| align= center | 90
| align= left | Captain James Cornewall
| align= left | Badly damaged; 53 killed, 138 wounded
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 80
| align= left | Captain George Burrish
| align= left | Burrish court-martialled and dismissed
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 70
| align= left | Captain Richard Norris
| align= left | Norris court-martialled and dismissed
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 60
| align= left | Captain John Ambrose
| align= left | Ambrose court-martialled and suspended for a year
|- valign="top"
| align= left | (Flagship)
| align= center | Second-rate
| align= center | 90
| align= left | Admiral Thomas Mathews<br/> Captain John Russell
| align= left | Damaged; 8 killed, 20 wounded
|- valign="top"
| align= left | HMS Dursley Galley
| align= center | Sixth-rate
| align= center | 20
| align= left | Captain Giles Vanbrugh
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left | HMS Anne Galley
| align= center | Fire ship
| align= center | 8
| align= left | Commander James Mackie
| align= left | Blew up, 25 killed
|- valign="top"
| align= left | HMS Sutherland
| align= center | Hospital ship
| align= center | 18
| align= left |Lieutenant Lord Colville
| align= left |
|-
! colspan=5 align=center |Rear
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Fourth-rate
| align= center | 50
| align= left | Captain Peter Osborne
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Fourth-rate
| align= center | 50
| align= left | Captain Henry Godsalve
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 60
| align= left | Captain Charles Wager Purvis
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 70
| align= left | Captain George Berkeley
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 80
| align= left | Captain Charles Drummond
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Second-rate
| align= center | 90
| align= left | Vice-Admiral Richard Lestock<br/>Captain George Stepney
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 80
| align= left | Captain John Gascoigne
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 80
| align= left | Captain Robert Long
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 70
| align= left | Captain John Towry
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 70
| align= left | Captain Joshua Lingen
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 60
| align= left | Captain John Lovatt
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Fourth-rate
| align= center | 50
| align= left | Captain Harry Powlett
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Third-rate
| align= center | 60
| align= left | Captain Temple West
| align= left |
|- valign="top"
| align= left |
| align= center | Fire ship
| align= center | 8
| align= left | Commander Moses Peadle
| align= left |
|}
Notes
References
Sources
- Hattendorf, John: Naval policy and strategy in the Mediterranean: past, present, and future. Taylor & Francis, 2000,
Further reading
- Browning, Reed. The War of the Austrian Succession. Alan Sutton, 1994.
- Rodger N. A. M. Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain, 1649–1815. Penguin Books, 2006.
- Roskill, Stephen Wentworth: H.M.S. Warspite: the story of a famous battleship. Collins, 1957.
- Waldegrave Head, Frederick: The fallen Stuarts. Issue 12 of Cambridge historical essays. Prince consort prize essays. Cambridge University Press, 1901.
- White, Henry: History of Great Britain and Ireland. Oxford University, 1868.
- Williams Damer Power, John: Bristol privateers and ships of war. J. W. Arrowsmith Ltd., 1930.
- Garner Thomas, Peter: Politics in eighteenth-century Wales. University of Wales Press, 1998.
- Crofts, Cecil H.: Britain on and Beyond the Sea – Being a Handbook to the Navy League Map of the World. Read Books, 2008.
- Willis, Sam: Fighting at sea in the eighteenth century: the art of sailing warfare. Boydell Press, 2008.
External links
- La campaña de don Juan José Navarro en el Mediterráneo y la batalla de Sicié (1742–1744)