Battle of Toulon (1744) 1744
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 21 February 1744 – 22 February 1744 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1744 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Nearest landmass | At sea (nearest continent: Europe) | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | War of the Austrian Succession | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Kingdom of France, Kingdom of Great Britain, Kingdom of Spain | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 42.7793, 5.6909 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Toulon took place on 21 and 22 February 1744 NS near the French Mediterranean port of Toulon. Although France was not yet at war with Britain, ships from their Levant Fleet supported an attempt by a Spanish force trapped in Toulon to break through the British Mediterranean Fleet.
The initial engagement on 21 February was indecisive, and the British continued their pursuit until midday on 22nd before their commander, Admiral of the Blue Thomas Mathews, called off the chase. With several of his ships in need of repair, he withdrew to Menorca, which meant the British Royal Navy temporarily lost control of the waters around Italy and allowed the Spanish to take the offensive against Savoy.
In his report, Mathews blamed his subordinate Vice-Admiral of the White Richard Lestock for the failure to secure victory, and the issue was hotly debated in Parliament. At the subsequent court-martial, Mathews was held responsible and dismissed from the navy in June 1747, while Lestock's political connections meant he was cleared of all charges. Another seven captains were removed from command for failing to engage the enemy and the investigation led to changes that required individual captains to be far more aggressive.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Toulon (1744) (revision 1378693778), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Action of 5 November 1813 1813 · 38 km
- Battle of Toulon (1944) 1944 · 43 km
- Siege of Toulon (1707) 1707 · 43 km
- Siege of Toulon (1793) 1793 · 43 km
- Action off La Ciotat 1944 · 45 km
- Battle of the Hyères Islands 1795 · 56 km
Other battles of the War of the Austrian Succession
- Battle of Chotusitz 1742
- Battle of Sahay 1742
- Siege of Prague (1742) 1742
- Battle of Campo Santo 1743
- Battle of Dettingen 1743
- Battle of Velletri 1744
- Battle of Anguilla 1745
- Battle of Fontenoy 1745
- Battle of Hennersdorf 1745
- Battle of Melle 1745
All 32 battles of the War of the Austrian Succession →
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