Québec Expedition, 1711

The Quebec expedition (also known as the Walker expedition to Quebec) was a British attempt to attack French-held Quebec City in mid-1711 during Queen Anne's War, the North American theatre of the War of the Spanish Succession. It failed when seven troopships and one storeship were wrecked and 890 soldiers, sailors and women drowned in one of the worst naval disasters in British history. Planned by the Harley ministry, the expedition was based on plans originally proposed in 1708. Lord Harley decided to mount the expedition as part of a major shift in British military policy, emphasizing strength at sea. The expedition's leaders, Rear-Admiral of the White Sir Hovenden Walker and Brigadier-general John Hill, were chosen for their politics and connections to the Crown, and its plans were kept secret even from the British Admiralty. French agents were able to discover British intentions and warn authorities in Quebec. The expedition expected to be fully provisioned in Boston, the capital of the British Province of Massachusetts Bay, but the city was unprepared when it arrived, and Massachusetts authorities had to scramble to provide even three months' supplies. Walker also had difficulty acquiring experienced maritime pilots and accurate nautical charts for navigating the waters of the lower Saint Lawrence River. Departing on 30 July, the expedition reached the Gulf of Saint Lawrence without incident, but foggy conditions, tricky currents, and strong winds combined to drive the fleet towards the north shore of the river near a place now called Pointe-aux-Anglais, where eight ships were wrecked on 22 August. Following the disaster, Walker abandoned the expedition's objectives and returned to England. Although the expedition was a failure, Harley continued to implement his "blue water" policy.