Raid on Saint/Malo, 5th June 1758 - 12th June 1758

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Raid on Saint-Malo

5th June 1758 - 12th June 1758
Fought at : Brittany - France
Part of : Seven Years' War (1756/05/17 - 1763/02/10)
Previous action : Action of 26 May 1758 26.5.1758
Next action : The Siege of Louisbourg 6.6.1758 - 27.7.1758

A squadron of ships under Lord Anson and Admiral Hawke, totalling 24 ships of the line with support vessels and including an escort squadron under Commodore Howe escorted 130 transports carrying 13,000 troops. The target was Saint Malo and the expedition anchored in Cancale Bay and landed the troops. Saint Malo was not taken, although much other damage was inflicted. The fleet then spent the rest of June looking at other possible landing places including Le Havre, Caen and Cherbourg, but no landings were undertaken due to poor weather and French resistance and the whole enterprise abandoned in early July.

 

Great Britain

 
Channel Fleet,
Lord George Anson (1st Baron Anson)British
Naval Sailor
Ship Owner
Service 1711-1761
Ship NameCommanderNotes
Royal Anne (100) 1715-1767
British 100 Gun
1st Rate Ship of the Line
1756 Renamed "Royal Anne"
Sir William BurnabyBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1722-1770
Fleet Flagship
Ramillies (90) 1749-1760
British 90 Gun
2nd Rate Ship of the Line
Wittewronge TaylorBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1741-1760
Squadron Flagship
Duke (90) 1739-1769
British 90 Gun
2nd Rate Ship of the Line
Thomas HanwayBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1729-1759
Torbay (74) 1749-1784
British 74 Gun
2nd Rate Ship of the Line
1750 Renamed "Torbay"
Augustus KeppelBritish
Naval Sailor
Marine
Service 1743-1783
Barfleur (80) 1755-1783
British 80 Gun
3rd Rate Ship of the Line
1764 Renamed "Barfleur Hulk"
Samuel GravesBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1732-1783
Union (90) 1756-1816
British 90 Gun
2nd Rate Ship of the Line
1802 Renamed "Sussex"
Michael EverittBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1732-1776
Newark (80) 1747-1787
British 80 Gun
3rd Rate Ship of the Line
William HolburneBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1726-1734
Magnanime (74) 1748-1775
British 74 Gun
3rd Rate Ship of the Line
Jervis Henry PorterBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1732-1763
Norfolk (74) 1757-1774
British 74 Gun
3rd Rate Ship of the Line
Sir Piercy BrettBritish
Naval Sailor
Marine
Service 1723-1778
Shrewsbury (74) 1758-1783
British 74 Gun
3rd Rate Ship of the Line
Hugh PalliserBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1735-1779
Lennox (74) 1758-1789
British 74 Gun
3rd Rate Ship of the Line
Francis GearyBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1734-1780
Torbay (74) 1749-1784
British 74 Gun
2nd Rate Ship of the Line
1750 Renamed "Torbay"
Augustus KeppelBritish
Naval Sailor
Marine
Service 1743-1783
Chichester (68) 1753-1803
British 68 Gun
3rd Rate Ship of the Line
William Saltern WillettBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1741-1770
Alcide (64) 1755-1772
British 64 Gun
3rd Rate Ship of the Line
James DouglasBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1732-1782
Duc d'Aquitaine (64) 1757-1761
British 64 Gun
3rd Rate Ship of the Line
Washington ShirleyBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1735-1778
Dunkirk (60) 1754-1792
British 60 Gun
4th Rate Ship of the Line
Robert DigbyBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1752-1805
Southampton (32) 1757-1812
British 32 Gun
5th Rate Frigate
James GilchristBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1726-1759
Actaeon (28) 1757-1766
British 28 Gun
6th Rate Frigate
Michael ClementsBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1748-1790
Tartar (28) 1756-1797
British 28 Gun
6th Rate Frigate
John KnightBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1727-1766
Lowestoffe (28) 1756-1760
British 28 Gun
6th Rate Frigate
Robert HaldaneBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1741-1744
Coventry (28) 1757-1783
British 28 Gun
6th Rate Frigate
Carr ScropeBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1733-1762
 
Inshore Squadron,
Richard HoweBritish
Naval Sailor
Marine
Service 1736-1799
Ship NameCommanderNotes
Swallow (14) 1745-1769
British 14 Gun
Unrated Sloop
John LendrickBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1740-1764
 Escorting the 1st Division
Essex (64) 1741-1759
British 64 Gun
3rd Rate Ship of the Line
John CampbellBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1737-1790
Squadron Flagship Escorting the 1st Division
Diligence (10) 1756-1780
British 10 Gun
Unrated Sloop
1779 Renamed "Comet"
Joseph EastwoodBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1743-1760
 Escorting the 1st Division
Active (28) 1758-1778
British 28 Gun
6th Rate Frigate
Richard HughesBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1739-1805
Maidstone (28) 1758-1794
British 28 Gun
6th Rate Frigate
Dudley DiggesBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1739-1763
 Escorting the 1st Division
Deptford (50) 1732-1767
British 50 Gun
4th Rate Ship of the Line
John HollwallBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1737-1771
 Escorting the ordnance
Portland (50) 1744-1763
British 50 Gun
4th Rate Ship of the Line
Jervis MaplesdenBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1721-1748
 Escorting the ordnance
Flamborough (20) 1756-1772
British 20 Gun
6th Rate Ship
Archibald KennedyBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1744-1768
 Escorting the 2nd Division
Brilliant (36) 1757-1776
British 36 Gun
5th Rate Frigate
Hyde ParkerBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1736-1782
 Escorting the 2nd Division
Rose (20) 1757-1779
British 20 Gun
6th Rate Ship
Benjamin CliveBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1746-1762
 Escorting the 2nd Division
Success (20) 1740-1779
British 20 Gun
6th Rate Ship
Paul Henry OurryBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1742-1773
 Escorting the 2nd Division
Saltash (14) 1746-1763
British 14 Gun
Unrated Sloop
Walter StirlingBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1732-1785
Rochester (50) 1749-1770
British 50 Gun
4th Rate Ship of the Line
Robert DuffBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1739-1780
Speedwell (8) 1752-1780
British 8 Gun
Unrated Sloop
1779 Renamed "Spitfire"
Joseph FraineBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1743-1763
Grace (10) 1758-1759
British 10 Gun
Hired Cutter
 
Jason (30) 1747-1763
British 30 Gun
5th Rate Ship of the Line
William PastonBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1752-1764
 Lower deck guns removed
Pallas (36) 1757-1783
British 36 Gun
5th Rate Frigate
Archibald ClevelandBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1755-1756
Renown (30) 1747-1771
British 30 Gun
6th Rate Frigate
1748 Renamed "Renown"
George MackenzieBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1740-1779
Richmond (32) 1757-1781
British 32 Gun
5th Rate Frigate
Thomas HankersonBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1727-1763
Cormorant (8) 1757-1762
British 8 Gun
Unrated Sloop
Patrick MouatBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1734-1766
Pluto (8) 1756-1762
British 8 Gun
Unrated Fireship
James JohnstonBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1727-1783
 Fireship
Salamander (16) 1757-1762
British 16 Gun
Unrated Fireship
John ElphinstoneBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1739-1783
 Fireship
Granado (8) 1742-1763
British 8 Gun
Unrated Bomb Vessel
Samuel UvedaleBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1740-1790
 Bomb
Infernal (14) 1757-1774
British 14 Gun
Unrated Bomb Vessel
James MackenzieBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1734-1763
 Bomb
 

Royaume de France

 
Ship NameCommanderNotes
L'Orphelin de la Chine (Unknown) 1755
French Unknown Gun
Unrated Unknown
Charles de Brémond (Marquis D'Ars)French
Naval Sailor
Service 1754-1759
 

Notes on Action


DescriptionTRN3
At 8 A.M. on June 2nd, after a stormy but not unfavourable night, Howe sighted Cape La Hougue. The French were quickly alarmed, and, from his course, probably formed a shrewd guess as to his destination. The tides, and the frequent calms which supervened, compelled the British to anchor repeatedly, but on June 5th the entire force stood into Cancale Bay, six miles east of St. Malo. At 11 A.M. the Duke of Marlborough went in shore in a cutter to reconnoitre and was fired at. By 2 P.M. all the fleet was at anchor, and the signal was made for the flat-bottomed boats to be hoisted out. Howe shifted his broad pennant to the Success, 24, Captain Paul Henry Ourry, and stood in with the Rose, 24, Captain Benjamin Clive, Flamborough, 28, Captain Edward Jekyll, and Diligence, 16, Commander Joseph Eastwood, to silence the batteries, clear the beach, and cover the landing. This he did, and then signalled for part of the troops to disembark. The landing was effected in good order and without loss, in spite of some musketry fire from the enemy posted on a hill behind Cancale. These sharpshooters, however, soon fled as the troops advanced. More soldiers were afterwards landed, and before dark a large force was ashore. It lay on its arms for the night. The rest of the army, with the guns and stores, was landed on the 6th; and, at dawn on the 7th, the whole of it except one brigade, that of Major-General the Hon. George Boscawen, marched away in two columns. It is not intended here to follow the military movements on shore : it is only necessary to say that it was ultimately considered impracticable to attempt St. Malo, and that, after doing a great deal of damage, the army returned and re-embarked on the 11th and 12th. The loss up to that time had not been more than thirty killed and wounded.
Previous comments on this page

Posted by Jan Perry on Saturday 25th of April 2015 15:05

John Diston (or Dilton/Difton) was Master of one of the vessels involved in the landing and embarkation from Cancale. I have been unable to find reference to him. Where, please, might one find Marlborough's reports on the event or those of, perhaps, one of the other leaders such as Essington?

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