Hawke's 1759 system separated observation from the station occupied by the main battle force. Augustus Hervey took a small inshore squadron close enough to see movement through the Goulet, while another detachment watched Rochefort and the transports in the Morbihan. The main squadron remained west of Ushant, where it had more room to respond to Atlantic weather. By August, thirty-two ships of the line allowed vessels to rotate through port while about twenty remained on station. Supply transports brought live cattle, vegetables, and beer. Beating to windward from Plymouth and transferring cargo in exposed waters demanded considerable effort and expense, but kept the blockade supplied through the summer and autumn.
Notable Point · 5:37-6:42
Hawke's layered watch kept Brest under observation
Hawke kept the main squadron in safer water while Augustus Hervey's inshore ships watched Brest and another detachment observed the invasion transports.