Prelude 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 on and Rear-Admiral
Sir Peter Warren on had sailed from
Plymouth 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.
Battle 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, including
Devonshire, 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 on
Gloire, which was captured.
Aftermath Following his victory, Anson was raised to the peerage. The French assembled another, much bigger, convoy which set sail in October. After
Edward Hawke's defeat of this fleet in the
Second 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 the
Acadians and
Indians". File:Chevalier de Saint-George.jpg|Chevalier de Saint-George of
Invincible surrenders his sword to Admiral Anson after the battle File:Invincible 74 canons capture en 1747 au cap Ortegal.jpg|Print of
Invincible captured after the battle ==Order of battle==