Britain captures Havana in War of Jenkins Ear/ No Cartagena disaster. Effects?

So, reading about forgotten/unappreciated people in another thread, I came across the utter disaster/crushing victory that was the Battle of Cartagena de Indias.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cartagena_de_Indias

I mean, the Spanish under Admiral Blas de Lezo crushed the British assault force, and the severe loss apparently had some knock on effects in Europe.

Taken from Wikipedia

Following the news of the disaster Robert Walpole's government soon collapsed. Spain retained control over its most strategically important colonies, including the vitally crucial port in the Caribbean that helped secure the defense of the Spanish Main and its trans-Atlantic trade with Spain.

News of Britain's defeat reached Europe at the end of June, 1741 and had immense repercussions. It caused George II of Great Britain, who had been acting as mediator between Frederick the Great of Prussia and Maria Theresa supporting Austria over Prussian seizure of Silesia in December 1740, to withdraw Britain's guarantees of armed support for the Pragmatic Sanction. That encouraged France and Spain, the Bourbon allies, revealed to also be allied with Prussia, to move militarily against a now isolated Austria. A greater and wider war, the War of the Austrian Succession, now began.

The staggering losses suffered by the British compromised all the subsequent actions by Vernon and Wentworth in the Caribbean and most ended in acrimonious failure despite reinforcements of 1,000 troops from Jamaica and 3,000 regular infantry from Britain.

But the assault on Cartagena was not the original plan. Originally, the plan was for the British to try and capture Havana instead for its ability to resupply and maintain the British fleet and its central point as the main Spanish Caribbean port.

However, there was some problems with the British chain of command.

Taken from same article in Wikipedia

Vernon was given command of the very large naval force, which was one quarter of the British Royal Navy, of a major land and sea amphibious expedition under the overall command of Lord Cathcart. The first goal of the expedition was to capture Havana, the most important of the Spanish ports because it had facilities where ships could be refitted and, by 1740, it had become Spain's largest and most active shipyard. Lord Cathcart died en route and it remained unclear who was in command overall. Cathcart's untimely demise resulted in dissension in the British command, preventing the coordination needed for this complex operation.
Eventually, Vernon would convince everyone to attack Cartagena instead.

So, for a POD, lets say that Lord Cathcart survives the trip from Britain and the British launch an assault on Havana.

The British managed to capture the city twenty years later, so for the sake of argument, lets say they do so here.

With Havana in British hands, how does the rest of their Caribbean campaign fair?
How is the War of Austrian succession. With a firm success, would Britain withdraw her support for the Pragmatic sanction? Would the war start anyway even if Britain did not withdraw assured military aid to Austria?
 
Bumped to get a response.

If Havana fell into British hands, they`d be much more capable of sustaining their fleet, though their troops would probably still get decimate from disease.

How able would they be to seize other Spanish ports. Portobello fell to the British already in the war, though they gave it up. Could they take it again and hold it?
 
Presumably the British face pressure to trade this back at the peace table, as they did Louisburg in OTL?
 
With what?

Britain would trade Havana for territory elsewhere. Cuba was the jewel of Spain's crown and they'd make major concessions to get it back. The British meanwhile don't really need Cuba for resupply as they have plenty of other half-decent ports in the region. A permanent British Cuba is a recipe for revolts, unrest, and major point of contention with Spain, all things they don't really want.
 
Britain would trade Havana for territory elsewhere. Cuba was the jewel of Spain's crown and they'd make major concessions to get it back. The British meanwhile don't really need Cuba for resupply as they have plenty of other half-decent ports in the region. A permanent British Cuba is a recipe for revolts, unrest, and major point of contention with Spain, all things they don't really want.
Like Florida as in OTL?
 
Britain would trade Havana for territory elsewhere. Cuba was the jewel of Spain's crown and they'd make major concessions to get it back. The British meanwhile don't really need Cuba for resupply as they have plenty of other half-decent ports in the region. A permanent British Cuba is a recipe for revolts, unrest, and major point of contention with Spain, all things they don't really want.


True, Britain did have other ports in the Carib (much of which was still undeveloped at the time. Arguably only Cuba, P.R., San Dominique, Guad/Mart, Jamaica and Barbados had significant populations and real importance at this time) but the best British bases were Jamaica, on the wrong side of the Caribor Barbados, way to the south and poorly positioned due to tides. Cuba would be a magnificant asset.

Note also that Cuba/Puerto Rico were often used as bases by the Spanish to raid British shipping in later wars.

I can't tell you about the native Cuban populance at the time. I believe the population in 1740's was relatively small, as Spanish weren't exactly known for crossing the ocean en masse and the spanish slave trade was incompentantly managed. most of the Spanish empire was moribound.

Spain would give alot to have it back but Britain would demand alot. I'm not sure of the tradeoff but the price would be high, and justifyably so.

Cuba was the stopping point of the Spanish treasure fleet, the lifeblood of the Spanish government. Losing Cuba would place them at the Royal Navy's mercy.

Maybe getting Puerto Rico, full title to Georgia (still in dispute) as well as East or West Florida?

I don't think Spain had any British assets in this war that they could trade back.
 
most of the Spanish empire was moribound.


Hrm. And yet Britain didn't make off with a lot of the Spanish Empire during the 18th century. It grabbed Florida, but failed to take Argentina or Uruguay during the Napoleonic Wars; it failed to take Cartagena; it seized Cuba (but gave it back). It seized, but lost, the Balearic Islands...
 
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