First Battle of Cape Finisterre
Part of theWar of the Austrian Succession
Lord Anson's Victory off Cape Finisterre Samuel Scott, 1749
Date 14 May 1747 Location OffCape Finisterre,Atlantic Ocean Result British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	France
Commanders and leaders
George Anson	Pierre de la Jonquière
Strength
14 ships of the line 1 frigate 1 sloop 1 fireship	4 ships of the line 8 frigates 4 corvettes 30 merchantmen
Casualties and losses
520 killed or wounded[1]	800 killed or wounded 3,000 captured 4 ships of the line captured 4 frigates captured 4 corvettes captured 6 merchantmen captured[1]

TheFirst Battle of Cape Finisterre (14 May 1747^[2]) was waged during theWar of the Austrian Succession. It refers to the attack by 14Britishships of the line under AdmiralGeorge Anson against aFrench 30-shipconvoy commanded byAdmiral de la Jonquière. The French were attempting to protect their merchant ships by using warships with them. The British captured 4ships of the line, 2frigates, and 7 merchantmen, in a five-hour battle in theAtlantic Ocean offCape Finisterre in northwestSpain. One French frigate, oneFrench East India Company warship, and the other merchantmen escaped.

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France needed to keep shipping lanes open in order to maintain her overseas empire. To this end she assembled merchantmen into convoys protected by warships. Anson onPrince George and Rear-AdmiralSir Peter Warren onDevonshire had sailed fromPlymouth on 9 April to intercept French shipping. When a large convoy was sighted, Anson made the signal to form line of battle. Rear-Admiral Warren, suspecting the enemy to be manoeuvring to promote the escape of the convoy, bore down and communicated his opinion to the admiral; the latter threw out a signal for a general chase.

Centurion under a press of sail, was the first to come up to the rearmost French ship, which she attacked severely, and two other ships dropped astern to her support. The action became general when three more British ships, includingDevonshire, came up. The French, though much inferior in numbers, fought till seven in the evening, when all but two of their ships were taken, as well as nine East India merchantmen. The French lost 700 men killed and wounded, and the British 520. Over £300,000 was found on board the ships of war, which were turned into British ships.

François de Grasse, later the famous Comte, was wounded in this first battle. He was taken prisoner among the crew and officers onGloire, which was captured.

Following his victory, Anson was raised to the peerage. The French assembled another, much bigger, convoy which set sail in October. AfterEdward Hawke's defeat of this fleet in theSecond Battle of Cape Finisterre, the French naval operations were ended for the rest of the war.

According to American historian William Williamson's 1832 account, the battle was a

"most severe blow to the French interests in America. Besides immense property taken, there were found on board … numerous articles designed for theAcadians andIndians".^[3]

• 
  Chevalier de Saint-George ofInvincible surrenders his sword to Admiral Anson after the battle
• 
  Print ofInvincible captured after the battle

• Second Battle of Cape Finisterre
• Battle of Cape Finisterre (1805)

• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911)."Flag" .Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 454–463.
•  Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879)."Flag".The American Cyclopædia. Vol. 8. p. 250.
• "The Vinkhuijzen collection of military uniforms: France, 1750–1757". New York Public Library. 25 March 2011 [2004]. Archived fromthe original on 6 April 2015.

• Media related toFirst Battle of Cape Finisterre (1747) at Wikimedia Commons

• Conflicts in 1747
• Naval battles of the War of the Austrian Succession involving France
• Naval battles of the War of the Austrian Succession involving Great Britain
• 1747 in Spain

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