first battle of cape finisterre (1747)

The first battle of Cape Finisterre was a naval battle of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought on 14 May 1747 between fleets of France and Great Britain in the Bay of Biscay off Cape Finisterre in northwest Spain. (14 May 1747 in the Gregorian calendar corresponds to 3 May 1747 in the Julian calendar then in use in Britain.) A British fleet of 16 ships of the line, commanded by Admiral George Anson in Centurion, intercepted a French convoy escorted by a squadron commanded by Admiral de la Jonquire. In a five-hour battle the British captured seven merchantmen, four ships of the line, and two frigates. The rest of the supply ships escaped. Following his victory, Anson was promoted to Vice Admiral and raised to the peeage. Another convoy action followed in October of the same year, the second battle of Cape Finisterre.

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