Battle of Toulon
1744 CE.
Shown on the map at 42.779°, 5.691°.
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.
Text from the Wikipedia article Battle of Toulon (1744), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.