from 1751. While the relationship between the two men was often strained, they had a mutual respect for each other. As it began to seem more likely that war would break out with France, Hawke was ordered to hoist his flag in the
first-rate HMS St George and to reactivate the Western Squadron in Spring 1755. This in turn further worsened relations between Britain and France, bringing them to the brink of declaring war. France would continue to demand the return of the captured merchant ships throughout the coming war. By early 1756, after
repeated clashes in North America, and deteriorating relations in Europe, the two sides were formally at war. Hawke then spent three months cruising off
Menorca and
Marseille before returning home where he gave evidence against Byng. Hawke was subsequently criticised by some supporters of Byng, for not having blockaded either Menorca or Toulon. He was promoted to full
admiral on 24 February 1757. Hawke then offered an ultimatum – either the Generals attacked immediately or he would sail for home. His fleet was needed to protect an inbound convoy from the West Indies, and could not afford to sit indefinitely off Rochefort. Mourdaunt hastily agreed, and the expedition returned to Britain without having made any serious attempt on the town. The failure of the expedition led to an
inquiry which recommended the
court-martial of Mordaunt, which commenced on 14 December 1757 and at which he was acquitted. In 1758 Hawke directed the blockade of
Brest for six months. In 1758 he was involved in a major altercation with his superiors at the Admiralty which saw him strike his flag and return to port over a misunderstanding at which he took offence. Although he later apologised, he was severely reprimanded. In Hawke's absence the Channel Fleet was placed under the direct command of Lord Anson.
Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759, where Hawke won his most famous victory. Hawke believed he would have taken the entire French fleet had he had two hours more daylight. In May 1759 Hawke was restored to the command of the
Western Squadron. He won a sufficient victory in the
Battle of Quiberon Bay, that when combined with Admiral
Edward Boscawen's victory at the
Battle of Lagos, the French invasion threat was eliminated. Although he had effectively put the French channel fleet out of action for the remainder of the war, Hawke was disappointed he had not secured a more comprehensive victory, asserting that had he had two more hours of daylight the whole enemy fleet would have been captured.
Blockade of Brest Although Hawke's victory at Quiberon Bay ended any immediate hope of a major invasion of
Great Britain, the French continued to entertain hopes of a future invasion for the remainder of the war, which drove the British to keep a tight blockade on the French coast. This continued to starve French ports of commerce, further weakening France's economy. After a spell in England, Hawke returned to take command of the blockading fleet off Brest. The British were now effectively mounting a blockade of the French coast from
Dunkirk to
Marseille. Hawke attempted to destroy some of the remaining French warships, which he had trapped in the
Vilaine Estuary. He sent in
fire ships, but these failed to accomplish the task. Hawke developed a plan for landing on the coast, seizing a peninsula, and attacking the ships from land. However, he was forced to abandon this when orders reached him from Pitt for a much larger expedition.
Capture of Belle Île In an effort to further undermine the French, Pitt had conceived the idea of seizing the island of
Belle Île, off the coast of
Brittany and asked the navy to prepare for an expedition to take it. Hawke made his opposition clear in a letter to Anson, which was subsequently widely circulated. Pitt was extremely annoyed by this, considering that Hawke had overstepped his authority. Nonetheless, Pitt pressed ahead with the expedition against Belle Île. An initial assault in April 1761 was repulsed with heavy loss but, reinforced, the British successfully captured the island in June. Although the capture of the island provided another victory for Pitt and lowered the morale of the French public by showing that the British could now occupy parts of
Metropolitan France, Hawke's criticisms of its strategic usefulness were borne out. It was not a useful staging point for further raids on the coast and the French were not especially concerned about its loss, telling Britain during subsequent peace negotiations that they would offer nothing in exchange for it and Britain could keep it if they wished. ==First Lord of the Admiralty==