Action of 8 May 1744
| Action of 8 May 1744 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War of the Austrian Succession | |||||||
Illustration of the battle by Ambroise Louis Garneray | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| France | Great Britain | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Hubert de Brienne Étienne Perier | Thomas Watson † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
2 ships of the line 1 frigate | 1 ship of the line | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | 1 ship of the line captured | ||||||
The action of 8 May 1744 was a minor naval engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession in which two French ships of the line, the 60-gun Content, and the 64-gun Mars, captured the British 70-gun HMS Northumberland after a desperate action lasting four hours. Northumberland's captain, Thomas Watson, and her second lieutenant were among those killed.