Surveying and cutting-out open Louisbourg harbour

The Louisbourg expedition combined about 150 transports, 40 warships, and 14,000 mostly regular soldiers under Edward Boscawen's naval command. The army established a beachhead and pressed the siege decisively. James Cook's surveying and mapping helped the fleet navigate and support the campaign. Naval cutting-out parties then destroyed or captured French ships until the Royal Navy could enter the harbour. This success supplied Rodney with a stronger model of joint operations, though amphibious warfare remained difficult and Rochefort's failure could not be assigned wholly to the army.