The Porto Bello blockade collapses

Hosier appears limited to blockade rather than explicitly empowered to seize the port, despite the aggressive possibilities implied by his force. One interpretation is that Robert Walpole expected Royal Navy initiative to achieve more than the wording of the orders required. Spanish ships unload their valuables while the squadron waits offshore for six months. Yellow fever destroys the crews and forces Hosier to Jamaica for replacements. During the weakened blockade, a treasure fleet carrying 31 million pesos sails and reaches Spain. Capturing that bullion could have shifted the economics of the Anglo-Spanish War of 1727-1729, in which Spain was again pressing Gibraltar while Britain sought to impose costs elsewhere. More than four thousand British personnel die, including Hosier. The strong force and detailed intelligence achieve no strategic result.