The war ended the following year and under the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle France recovered those colonial possessions which had been captured in return for withdrawing from her territorial gains in the Austrian Netherlands (approximately modern Belgium and Luxembourg).

The War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748) involved France, Spain and Prussia fighting Britain, Austria and the Dutch Republic.

[2] French military strategy focused on potential threats on its eastern and northern borders;[3] its colonies were left to fend for themselves, or given minimal resources, anticipating they would probably be lost anyway.

[9] Early in 1747 a French fleet of six ships of the line, a category of warship that included the largest and most powerful warships of the time, and five Indiamen, which were large, well-armed merchant ships, commanded by Squadron Commander Jacques-Pierre de la Jonquière, were escorting a convoy of 40 merchantmen bound for the Caribbean and North America.

[10][11] In the ensuing five-hour first battle of Cape Finisterre the French lost all six ships of the line captured, as well as two frigates, two Indiamen and seven merchantmen.

On 20 June, 8 British ships under Commodore Thomas Fox intercepted a large French convoy inbound from the West Indies.

[11] By summer Anson was based ashore, in London, and his subordinate, Admiral Peter Warren,[14] commander of the Western Squadron,[11] was ill with scurvy.

[15] As a result, recently promoted Rear-Admiral Edward Hawke[16] was given command of a squadron of fourteen ships of the line which sailed from Plymouth on 9 August.

[17] Hawke introduced a new system of signalling between ships, which had the potential to enable an admiral to handle his fleet more aggressively,[18][19] and instilled into his captains something of his own desire to give getting to grips with the enemy priority over rigid adherence to Admiralty sailing orders.

[14] A large French convoy with a strong escort was assembling in Basque Roads, intending to sail for the West Indies.

Eight days later they were sighted by the British early on the morning of the 14th, approximately 300 miles (480 km) west of Finistère, the westernmost department of France.

[35] The balance of the convoy continued to the West Indies, but Hawke sent the sloop Weazel to warn the British Leeward Islands Squadron under Commodore George Pocock of their approach.

[38] A further consequence of the battle, along with Anson's earlier victory, was to give the British almost total control in the English Channel during the final months of the war.

France recovered those colonial possessions that had been captured by the British in return for withdrawing from her territorial gains in the Austrian Netherlands (approximately modern Belgium and Luxembourg).