Anse de Sablettes is a fortified bay near

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

in France, immediately to the south of the port entrance. It was the site of the Battle of Sablettes, a 1759 battle of the Seven Years' War.

Course

In mid-May 1759, Edward Boscawen found Brodrick off Toulon and took over his command of the British forces, blockading Toulon and Marseille and ensuring the safety of

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

. Along with continuing the blockade with his 13 ships of the line and two 50-gun ships, Boscawen placed his 12

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

s at strategic points and on convoy escort duty. Three months later, the French forces had retired into the inner roadstead, covered by the guns of Toulon's fortress, but still thought that such a large British force could not be solely meant for a blockade and must mean a landing was imminent - aware of this by captured letters, Boscawen encouraged this impression by threatening attacks on various points. On 7 June, two French

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

s attempting to breach the blockade from outside were forced to anchor in the Anse de Sablettes. Despite the nine French batteries covering the bay, Boscawen sent in , and to sink the frigates. They failed to do so and, heavily damaged (the ''Culloden'' had to go to Gibraltar to refit), withdrew after an hour under the batteries' guns.

External links

Julian S. Corbett, ''England in the Seven Years' War: A Study in Combined Strategy'', 1907
{{Coord, 43, 4, 42, N, 5, 53, 30, E, type:waterbody_region:FR, display=title Sablettes Toulon Landforms of Var (department) Bays of Metropolitan France Landforms of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur