Shovell left for England immediately after the siege was raised , though he would perish '' en route '' in the Scilly naval disaster . Dilkes was left in command of the Mediterranean fleet and went to Barcelona to confer with Archduke Charles , the Habsburg claimant to the Spanish throne . Charles wanted him to invade Sardinia and concentrate on defending the coast of Catalonia , but as these projects did not fit with his orders from London , Dilkes declined
Scilly naval disaster
Scilly naval disaster of 1707
Thomas Dilkes