Key Facts
- Duration
- August–October 1702
- Ships captured
- More than 50
- Settlements destroyed
- 6 seasonal settlements
- Saint Pierre
- Settlement mostly destroyed
- Plaisance
- Not attacked (strongly fortified)
Strategic Narrative Overview
English Captain John Leake led a fleet to the southern shore of Newfoundland between August and October 1702, raiding French colonial settlements. His forces destroyed fishing stages and other infrastructure, burned most of the settlement at Saint Pierre, and seized fishing and trade vessels. Before withdrawing to England, Leake intercepted the French merchant convoy homeward bound for Europe, capturing additional ships and completing a sweep of the region's French maritime assets.
01 / The Origins
The expedition took place at the outset of Queen Anne's War, the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession, which pitted England against France and Spain from 1702. Control of the North Atlantic fisheries was strategically and economically vital, and French colonial settlements on Newfoundland and nearby islands represented both productive assets and vulnerable targets for English naval pressure early in the conflict.
03 / The Outcome
The expedition returned to England having captured more than 50 ships and razed six seasonal settlements, dealing a significant blow to French fishing operations in the area. The heavily fortified French base at Plaisance was left untouched. No territorial changes resulted from the raid, which functioned as a disruptive economic strike rather than a permanent occupation, leaving the broader contest for Newfoundland unresolved for years.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
John Leake.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.