Battle of Camaret
| Attack on Brest | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Nine Years' War | |||||||
English plan of the Battle of Camaret | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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England Dutch Republic | France | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Thomas Tollemache (DOW) Marquess of Carmarthen | Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
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10,000–12,000 men 36 ships of the line 12 bomb ships 40 or 80 troop transports |
1,300 men 265 guns 17 mortars | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
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1,100 killed or 1,200 killed or wounded 466 captured (including 16 officers) 2,000 killed or wounded and 1,000 captured 1 ship of the line sunk and another captured 5 ships of the line badly damaged Many longboats lost, including 48 captured | 45 wounded (including 3 officers) | ||||||
The Battle of Camaret, also referred to as the Brest expedition, was a notable engagement of the Nine Years' War. Expecting Brest to be unguarded as the French fleet stationed there sailed south to face the Spanish, an amphibious operation at Camaret Bay was launched on 18 June 1694 by an approximately 10,000 Anglo-Dutch force in an attempt to take and occupy the city, which was one of the most important French naval bases. The French, however, were aware of the Anglo-Dutch plan, through espionage. There is a controversial theory that John Churchill leaked the plan to the French via a letter to the deposed James II of England, but the evidence as to this is inconclusive.
The expedition was opposed by a much smaller force French troops led by the noted military architect Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, in his only ever field command. The battle involved fierce exchanges of fire between English and Dutch ships and French shore batteries and a land engagement which saw an allied landing party repulsed by a French counter-attack. The battle resulted in defeat for the Allies and their retreat.