Atlas of Battles

naval engagement, notable, early modern

First Battle of Cape Finisterre

First Battle of Cape Finisterre was a naval engagement fought in 1747 at Cape Finisterre, in what is now Spain. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Cape Finisterre. It was part of the War of the Austrian Succession, which ran from 1740 to 1748. The recorded result: British victory. Recorded strength: 14 ships of the line; 1 frigate; 1 sloop; 1 fireship against 4 ships of the line; 8 frigates; 4 corvettes; 30 merchantmen.

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First Battle of Cape Finisterre
Samuel Scott, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1747
WhereCape Finisterre, Spain42.883N, 9.272W, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeBritish victory
BelligerentsGreat BritainagainstFrance
Part ofWar of the Austrian Succession1740 to 1748

Where it sits in the War of the Austrian Succession

Battle of Mollwitz, 1741Siege of Brieg, 1741Siege of Prague, 1742Siege of Brno, 1742Battle of Chotusitz, 1742Battle of Sahay, 1742Action of 14 June 1742, 1742Siege of Mirandola, 1742Battle of Campo Santo, 1743Battle of Dettingen, 1743Battle of Toulon, 1744Battle of Villafranca, 1744Battle of Velletri, 1744Battle of Casteldelfino, 1744Siege of Prague, 1744Battle of Madonna dell'Olmo, 1744Battle of Pfaffenhofen, 1745Siege of Tournai, 1745Battle of Fontenoy, 1745Siege of Louisbourg, 1745Battle of Anguilla, 1745Fall of Ghent, 1745Battle of Melle, 1745Siege of Ath, 1745Battle of Bassignano, 1745Battle of Soor, 1745Battle of Hennersdorf, 1745Siege of Brussels, 1746Siege of Genoa, 1746Battle of Piacenza, 1746Action of 6 July 1746, 1746Siege of Namur, 1746Battle of Madras, 1746Raid on Lorient, 1746Battle of Rocoux, 1746Battle of Adyar, 1746Siege of Antibes, 1746Siege of Genoa, 1747First Battle of Cape Finisterre, 1747Siege of Bergen op Zoom, 1747Battle of Lauffeld, 1747Battle of Assietta, 1747Second Battle of Cape Finisterre, 1747Battle of Saint-Louis-du-Sud, 1748Siege of Maastricht, 1748Siege of Cuddalore, 174817411748First Battle of Cape Finisterre, 1747
46 placed engagements of the War of the Austrian Succession in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1747 (year precision)
PlaceCape Finisterre, Spain
42.883N, 9.272W
KindNaval engagement, early modern
Strength14 ships of the line; 1 frigate; 1 sloop; 1 fireship4 ships of the line; 8 frigates; 4 corvettes; 30 merchantmen
Casualties and losses520 killed or wounded800 killed or wounded; 3,000 captured; 4 ships of the line captured; 4 frigates captured; 4 corvettes captured; 6 merchantmen captured
Commanders
  • George Anson, 1st Baron Anson
  • Jacques-Pierre de Taffanel de la Jonquière, Marquis de la Jonquière
First Battle of Cape FinisterreFirst Battle of Cape FinisterreBattle of Cape FinisterreAction of 20 October 1778Action of 10 August 1805Second Battle of Cape FinisterreBattle of Muros BayVigoLa CoruñaOurenseViana Do Castelo100 km42.883N, 9.272W
Placed at Cape Finisterre; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1747

First Battle of Cape Finisterre is one of 2,009 engagements of the 18th century in the atlas and one of 1,070 in present-day Spain.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q695673, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article First Battle of Cape Finisterre (1747), revision 1370618508, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.