Battle of Quiberon Bay

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Battle of Quiberon Bay
Part of the Seven Years' War
The Battle of Quiberon Bay, 20 November 1759, Richard Paton
Date 20 November 1759 Location Quiberon Bay, Bay of Biscay 47°31′N 3°0′W / 47.517°N 3.000°W / 47.517; -3.000 Result British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	France
Commanders and leaders
Sir Edward Hawke	Hubert de Brienne
Strength
24 ships of the line 5 frigates[1]	21 ships of the line 6 frigates[1]
Casualties and losses
300 killed or wounded 2 ships of the line wrecked[1]	1,700 killed or wounded 1,300 captured 1 ship of the line captured 2 ships of the line sunk 4 ships of the line wrecked[1]
class=notpageimage| Quiberion Bay Show map of France Battle of Quiberon Bay (Europe) Show map of Europe

The Battle of Quiberon Bay (known as the Bataille des Cardinaux by the French) was a decisive naval engagement during the Seven Years' War. It was fought on 20 November 1759 between the Royal Navy and the French Navy in Quiberon Bay, off the coast of France near Saint-Nazaire. The battle was the culmination of British efforts to eliminate French naval superiority, which could have given the French the ability to carry out their planned invasion of Great Britain.

In the battle, a British fleet of 24 ships of the line under Sir Edward Hawke tracked down and engaged a French fleet of 21 ships of the line under Hubert de Brienne. After hard fighting, the British fleet sank or ran aground six French ships of the line, captured one and scattered the rest, giving the Royal Navy one of its greatest victories, and ending the threat of French invasion for good. The battle signalled the rise of the Royal Navy in becoming the world's foremost naval power, and, for the British, was part of the Annus Mirabilis of 1759.