The Battle of Minorca was a naval engagement between British and French squadrons, which took place off the Mediterranean island of Minorca on May 20, 1756. Its unsatisfactory result would lead to the later (controversial) court-martial and execution of the British commander, Admiral John Byng, for "failure to do his utmost" to relieve the siege of the British garrison there. The battle marked the opening of the Seven Years' War in the European theatre.

Background
The Battle of Minorca took place at the opening of the Seven Years' War in the European theatre, shortly after the Kingdom of Great Britain had declared war on the France of the House of Bourbon. The French had been menacing the British-held garrison on the Mediterranean island of Minorca, which had come under British control as a result of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1708. Britain and France had commenced hostilities in the New World colonies earlier in 1754 (the French and Indian War, and as at this point the conflict was not going well for Britain, the government was anxious to protect her presence closer to home, and was concerned that the French might even be planning to invade Great Britain itself.

The French move on Minorca gave the British government impetus to act, and a squadron of 10 ships of the line and some other smaller vessels was dispatched to her defence, under the command of John Byng (then a Vice-Admiral, but quickly promoted to Admiral for the purpose).

Prelude
When Byng and his small fleet arrived off Minorca on May 19, they found the island already overrun by French troops, with only the garrison of Fort St. Philip (Port Mahon) holding out. Byng's orders were to relieve the garrison, but a French squadron of 12 ships of the line and 5 frigates intervened as the afternoon was wearing on. The two fleets positioned themselves, and battle was drawn up on the morning of the following day.

The battle
During the battle Byng displayed considerable caution and an over-reliance on standard fighting procedures, and his fleet was seriously damaged although no ships were lost on either side. Maintaining that his fleet stood no chance of further damaging the French ships nor of relieving the garrison, Byng gave orders to return to Gibraltar.

Aftermath
The battle could be considered a draw, but Byng's actions in failing to press on to relieve the garrison or further pursue the French fleet resulted in severe criticism. The Admiralty, perhaps concerned to cover for its own ill-preparedness for this disastrous venture, charged Byng for breaching the Articles of War by failing to do all he could to fulfil his orders and support the garrison. Byng was court-martialled, found guilty and sentenced to be shot; the sentence was carried out on March 14, 1757.

One of the participating British ships, HMS Dolphin, was later to become the first ship to circumnavigate the world twice, firstly under the command of John Byron, and secondly under Samuel Wallis.

A notable participant in the battle on the British side was an eighteen-year-old Midshipman, Arthur Phillip, who would later lead the First Fleet which in 1787 sailed for Botany Bay, Australia where in 1788 he nearby established the continent's first European settlement and penal colony of Sydney.