Scilly naval disaster of 1707

	An 18th-century engraving of the disaster, with HMS Association in the centre
Occurrence
Date	22 October 1707
Summary	Navigation accident
Site	Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom ; 49°51′56″N 6°23′50″W / 49.86556°N 6.39722°W
Operator	Royal Navy
Destination	Portsmouth, England
Fatalities	1,400–2,000
Injuries	13
Survivors	13

The Scilly naval disaster of 1707 was the loss of four warships of a Royal Navy fleet off the Isles of Scilly in severe weather on 22 October 1707.^[a] Between 1,400 and 2,000 sailors lost their lives aboard the wrecked vessels, making the incident one of the worst maritime disasters in British naval history.^[2] The disaster has been attributed to a combination of factors, including the navigators' inability to accurately calculate their positions, errors in the available charts and pilot books, and inadequate compasses.^[3]

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

^ Cite error: The named reference submerged was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ The earliest reports of the disaster appeared in the Daily Courant, and were rather brief. The account for 1 November 1707 read: "an Account, that Sir Cloudsly Shovel with about 20 Sail of Men of War coming from the Streights, having made an Observation the 21st, lay the 22d from 12 to about 6 in the Afternoon; but the Weather being very hazy and rainy and Night coming on dark, the Wind being S.S.W, they Stearing E by N, supposing they had the Channel open, were some of them upon the Rocks to the Westward of Scilly before they were aware, about 8 a Clock at Night. Of the Association not a Man was sav’d ... The Captain and 24 Men of the Firebrand Fire-Shop were saved, as were also all the Crew of the Phoenix. 'Tis said the Rumney and Eagle, with their Crews, were lost with the Association." Cited in: Dunn, Richard. "Isles of Scilly Disaster – Part 2". Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
^ May, W.E. (1960). "The last voyage of Sir Clowdisley Shovell". Journal of Navigation. 13 (3): 324–332. doi:10.1017/S0373463300033646.

[submerged-2] Cite error: The named reference submerged was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[EarlySources-3] The earliest reports of the disaster appeared in the Daily Courant, and were rather brief. The account for 1 November 1707 read: "an Account, that Sir Cloudsly Shovel with about 20 Sail of Men of War coming from the Streights, having made an Observation the 21st, lay the 22d from 12 to about 6 in the Afternoon; but the Weather being very hazy and rainy and Night coming on dark, the Wind being S.S.W, they Stearing E by N, supposing they had the Channel open, were some of them upon the Rocks to the Westward of Scilly before they were aware, about 8 a Clock at Night. Of the Association not a Man was sav’d ... The Captain and 24 Men of the Firebrand Fire-Shop were saved, as were also all the Crew of the Phoenix. 'Tis said the Rumney and Eagle, with their Crews, were lost with the Association." Cited in: Dunn, Richard. "Isles of Scilly Disaster – Part 2". Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.

[May1960-4] May, W.E. (1960). "The last voyage of Sir Clowdisley Shovell". Journal of Navigation. 13 (3): 324–332. doi:10.1017/S0373463300033646.

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Occurrence
An 18th-century engraving of the disaster, with HMS Association in the centre
Date	22 October 1707^[a]
Summary	Navigation accident
Site	Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom 49°51′56″N 6°23′50″W / 49.86556°N 6.39722°W / 49.86556; -6.39722
Operator	Royal Navy
Destination	Portsmouth, England
Fatalities	1,400–2,000^[1]
Injuries	13
Survivors	13