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line". Having thus gained the weather gauge the Dutch at once exploited this by turning and attacking from the north. They would describe this as a second breaking of the line but probably the battle soon degenerated into a confusing mêlée. With their best ships now surrounded by the mass of Dutch vessels and bearing the brunt of the fight, the slower remainder of the
English fleet, largely consisting of poorly trained hired merchantmen, was, reaching the scene of the battle, not overly zealous to get involved. Their numerical superiority thus also gained the English little.
502:, threatened to blow her up first. Faced with this alternative the crew rallied, drove off the English boarding team and put up such a fight that the English vessels, much damaged and two even in a sinking condition, broke off the attack. The Dutch employed their tactic of disabling enemy vessels by firing at their masts and rigging with chain shot. At the end of the afternoon Ayscue, feeling rather unsupported, decided to break off the unsuccessful engagement and to retreat to Plymouth to repair his ships before any became so damaged they would be captured. The
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larger public, as a naval hero. The
English accused some merchantmen captains of cowardice. Ayscue was blamed for poor leadership and organisation: his attempt to present the encounter as a victory failed to convince. He lost command after this battle, though probably for political reasons: he had known royalist sympathies. Less important was his emphasis on capturing prizes while avoiding battle. In the first year of the war this was a very common attitude, the English mainly seeing the conflict as one large
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However, Ayscue, fearing for his reputation, on 17 August convinced the
English council of war to again give battle if necessary and brought his entire force safely back to Plymouth on 18 August. De Ruyter then sent two warships to escort the merchant fleet through the Channel to the Atlantic. For a while he considered trying to attack the enemy fleet at anchorage in
482:, had broken formation in the hope of catching, during a running battle, straggling Dutch merchantmen. They were now unable to form a line of battle and fully exploit their advantage in firepower over the Dutch. The Dutch squadron however, sailing to the northwest, was in a rough defensive leeward line formation, with the Frisian acting Rear-Admiral
470:. He hoped it would scatter, allowing him to capture some very profitable prizes, but De Ruyter unexpectedly separated his naval squadron and changed course to meet Ayscue's attack, shielding the merchantmen. Ayscue's ships were on average more heavily armed, but extremely disorganised because the fastest vessels, among them Ayscue's flagship the
565:
The
English ships had expected to easily defeat the Dutch in a set battle because of their superiority in armament and numbers. While the failure came as an unpleasant surprise to the English, the Dutch populace rejoiced in the tactical draw, hailing De Ruyter, who had not been well known among the
603:
No full list exists, and especially that the
English order of battle is poorly known; the following are lists of known participants, with the Dutch list being the one still extant and containing the names of the original 23 warships and six fireships, with which De Ruyter sailed from the Wielingen
486:
commanding the van, De Ruyter himself commanding the centre and Dutch Rear-Admiral Jan
Aertsen Verhoeff commanding the rear. Around 16:00 the Dutch fleet and seven forward English vessels met and almost immediately passed through each other. Both sides afterwards claiming to have "broken the enemy
531:
De Ruyter pursued the
English fleet after its retreat. On the morning of the next day both forces transpired to be still close to each other and he hoped by aggressively pursuing to capture some stragglers. Several English ships were in tow and might well be abandoned if he pressed hard enough.
519:
Neither side lost a warship, but both sides suffered heavy casualties among their crews. The Dutch had about sixty dead and fifty wounded. The reports on the
English losses differ: one set the number as high as seven hundred casualties including the wounded (most from the failed attack on the
577:
This victory was very important to the naval career of De Ruyter: it was the first time he commanded an independent force as a fleet commander. Before, he only had had subcommand of a flotilla aiding
Portugal in 1641. As a result of the battle he acquired the nickname
81:
544:
was sailing to the west with a superior force of 72, he chose to withdraw to the west and kept assembling incoming West Indies ships throughout
September. On 15 September Blake had reached Portland and sent out a squadron of eighteen sail commanded by
498:, by Dutch standards heavily armed with a lower tier of 18-pounders, got separated from the rest of the Dutch fleet and was attacked by three English ships at once and boarded. Her crew was close to surrendering when her captain, the Frisian
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and rewarded with a golden honorary chain of a hundred Flemish pounds for both battles because he in the first had shown "masculine courage" and in the second "courageous prudence" – having convinced Witte de With to a timely retreat.
553:. De Ruyter escorted twelve merchantmen safely to Calais on 22 September (2 October Gregorian calendar) when his supplies had nearly run out. Shortly afterwards nine or ten of the Dutch ships, among them De Ruyter's flagship the
419:, causing an uproar with the local population, but Ayscue, despite his fleet having grown to 42 ships, did not react. Meanwhile, De Ruyter had lost two ships, sent out to escort a single incoming merchantman to the mouth of the
379:. The two commanders had been personal friends before the war. The Dutch were able to force Ayscue to break off the engagement, and the Dutch convoy sailed safely to the Atlantic while Ayscue sailed to Plymouth for repairs.
514:
If our fireships had been with us – they remained leeward – we would with the help of God have routed the enemy; but praised be God who has blessed us in that our enemy fled by himself, though 45 sails strong and of great
387:
On 19 July De Ruyter was appointed Vice-Commodore, an originally Dutch creation between Captain and Rear-Admiral, with the confederate Dutch fleet and shortly after took over command, in the absence of Vice-Admiral
415:, he soon discovered that Ayscue was not interested in fighting the Dutch squadron, but avoided it in the hope of intercepting the convoy. To lure Ayscue out De Ruyter started to cruise off the coast of
408:, most crews were badly trained, many ships poorly maintained and he had just two months of supplies. Nevertheless, he preferred to give battle early without the burden of having to protect the convoy.
400:, to escort a large convoy. Around 10 August, De Ruyter took sea before the merchantmen had arrived, to seek out an English fleet of forty ships, commanded by Ayscue, which he knew had left
404:
on 19 July. De Ruyter's squadron at that moment consisted of 23 warships and six fireships, with a total of about 600 cannon and 1,700 men. As De Ruyter reported to the
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in the southern North Sea. He was pleased to notice that it brought ten warships with it, bringing his total to 31. On 13 August De Ruyter re-entered the Channel near
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and transporting silver. Ayscue's fleet had then grown to 47 vessels: 38 men-of-war, among which armed merchantmen; five fireships, and four smaller vessels.
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commanded by Captain Simon Orton, set itself alight and frightened off the attacking Dutch vessels. De Ruyter in his journal concluded:
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to intercept De Ruyter, but the latter escaped east along the French coast while Blake had been forced by a storm to seek shelter in
528:. Rear-Admiral Michael Pack had a leg amputated and shortly afterwards died of the complications. The English spent one fireship.
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together with their ten escorts, while the original squadron would have to wait to pick up merchantmen coming from the
1094:
Capt. Thomas Varvell is the son-in-law of Capt. John Flower who is owner of Increase and father of Katherine Flower.
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557:, then had to return to port for repairs, probably because of insufficiently repaired damage from the battle.
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1198:. In this article dates are in the Julian calendar with the start of the year adjusted to 1 January (see
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363:) and was a short battle, but had the unexpected outcome of a Dutch victory over England. General-at-Sea
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This article is about the naval battle in the First Anglo-Dutch War. For the engagement during the
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On 11 August De Ruyter at last did rendezvous with the convoy of sixty merchantmen off
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General-at-Sea: Robert Blake and the Seventeenth-Century Revolution in Naval Warfa==re
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During this period in English history dates of events are usually recorded in the
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campaign, allowing them to gain riches at the expense of the Dutch; only with the
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Loss of prestige for the English and the beginning of fame for De Ruyter
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582:. Before he could return home, De Ruyter was first involved in the
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On 15 August, the English spotted the Dutch fleet off the coast of
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524:), another mentioned 91 dead, among them Ayscue's flag captain
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536:, but in the end decided against it as he did not have the
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could only disengage after an English fireship, the
574:would they really try to establish naval dominion.
359:. It took place on 16 August 1652 (26 August 1652 (
1194:, while those the Netherlands are recorded in the
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466:around 13:30, against the convoy, having the
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423:river, when they collided, sinking one, the
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371:attacked an outward bound convoy of the
16:1652 naval battle of the Anglo-Dutch War
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1348:Reyne, Ronald Prud'homme van (1996),
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540:. Then hearing that General-at-Sea
427:, and severely damaging the other,
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1167:(fireship, Simon Orton) – Expended
755:Joris Pieterszoon van den Broecke
685:; sunk in earlier Somme collision
392:, of a squadron assembling in the
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1416:
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1101:46 (Vice-Admiral William Haddock)
848:Admiralty of the Northern Quarter
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406:States-General of the Netherlands
1090:36 (merchantman, Thomas Varvell)
484:Joris Pieterszoon van den Broeck
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1131:* 20 (merchantman, John Crampe)
717:Z; flagcaptain Jan Pauwelszoon
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1060:36 (Rear-Admiral Michael Pack)
805:M; damaged in Somme collision
490:The largest Dutch vessel, the
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1262:Naval sailing warfare history
1200:Old Style and New Style dates
1008:Leendert Arendszoon de Jager
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1370:(in Dutch). Martinus Nijhof.
375:commanded by Vice-Commodore
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913:Albert Pieterszoon Quaboer
739:Jan Janszoon van der Valck
676:Andries van den Boeckhorst
584:Battle of the Kentish Knock
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1421:
1405:History of Plymouth, Devon
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1350:Rechterhand van Nederland
1345:, London: John Murray Ltd
1341:Baumber, Michael (1989),
813:Jan Renderszoon Wagenaer
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838:Kasteel van Medemblick
668:Zealand directory ship
590:he was received by the
369:Commonwealth of England
159:Commonwealth of England
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955:Jan Arentsen Verhaeff
927:Hans Karelszoon Becke
857:Cleas Janszoon Sanger
776:Admiralty of Amsterdam
725:Rombout van der Parre
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237:~650 killed or wounded
234:~100 killed or wounded
165:Commanders and leaders
1119:* 24 (Roger Cuttance)
841:Gabriel Antheunissen
761:F; second in command
746:Admiralty of the Maze
572:Battle of the Gabbard
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229:Casualties and losses
74:First Anglo-Dutch War
1329:Baumber 1989, p. 143
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1234:Baumber 1989, p. 136
1225:Baumber 1989, p. 135
1107:36 (William Kendall)
1021:Jan Cleaszoon Corff
995:Jacob Herman Visser
961:M; third in command
799:Cornelis van Velsen
648:Pieter Salomonszoon
478:of his vice-admiral
1361:Blok, P.J. (1928).
1135:Anthony Bonaventure
885:Simon van der Aeck
396:, off the coast of
44: /
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1129:George Bonaventure
1125:* 26 (merchantman)
1123:John and Elizabeth
1113:42 (Joseph Jordan)
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785:Lucas Albertszoon
769:Emmanuel Zalingen
662:Leendert den Haen
361:Gregorian calendar
349:Battle of Plymouth
67:Battle of Plymouth
21:American Civil War
1395:Conflicts in 1652
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1216:Reyne 1996, p. 64
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123:Dutch victory
122:
119:
118:
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110:
105:
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97:
94:
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89:
83:
78:
75:
70:
65:
60:
57:
26:
22:
1363:
1355:
1352:, Amsterdam
1349:
1342:
1325:
1316:
1308:
1304:
1295:
1286:
1277:
1268:
1257:
1248:
1239:
1230:
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1170:
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1128:
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1116:
1110:
1104:
1098:
1093:
1087:
1081:
1075:
1069:
1063:
1057:
1051:
1039:A; fireship
1031:Goude Saele
1026:A; fireship
1018:Sinte Maria
1013:A; fireship
1005:Orangieboom
1000:Z; fireship
974:A; fireship
854:Westcapelle
736:Sint Pieter
629:Vogelstruys
602:
580:The Sea Lion
579:
576:
568:privateering
564:
554:
547:William Penn
542:Robert Blake
530:
521:
518:
513:
507:
503:
495:
489:
475:
471:
457:
433:
428:
424:
410:
386:
353:naval battle
348:
346:
329:Scheveningen
293:
220:4 fire ships
132:Belligerents
29:
796:Gelderland
633:Douwe Aukes
522:Vogelstruys
504:Bonaventure
500:Douwe Aukes
496:Vogelstruys
448:West Indies
429:Gelderlandt
213:38 warships
201:22 warships
51: /
1384:Categories
1356:Sources==
1336:References
1147:Maidenhead
979:Amsterdam
952:Rotterdam
882:Amsterdam
868:Eendraght
722:Albertina
618:Commander
615:Ship name
588:Middelburg
436:Gravelines
383:Background
222:1,100 guns
205:fire ships
36:49°57′50″N
1054:52 (flag)
987:fireship
752:Westergo
654:VOC-ship
640:VOC-ship
402:The Downs
394:Wielingen
309:Dungeness
224:4,300 men
210:3,300 men
39:4°12′36″W
1159:Bachelor
1099:Vanguard
1088:Increase
494:warship
476:Vanguard
474:and the
464:Brittany
460:Plymouth
314:Portland
294:Plymouth
217:frigates
208:900 guns
196:Strength
109:Plymouth
103:Location
72:Part of
1165:Charity
1161:(ketch)
1155:(ketch)
1111:Pelican
1105:Success
1064:Success
690:Liefde
508:Charity
398:Zealand
367:of the
355:in the
324:Gabbard
319:Leghorn
1052:George
924:Sarah
896:Faeme
645:Vrede
624:Notes
551:Torbay
515:force.
472:George
454:Battle
440:Calais
417:Sussex
351:was a
156:
143:
120:Result
23:, see
1368:(PDF)
1175:Notes
1141:Unity
1117:Pearl
1058:Amity
966:Hoop
621:Guns
421:Somme
289:Dover
1070:Ruth
347:The
299:Elba
107:Off
95:Date
958:26
944:24
930:24
916:28
902:36
888:36
874:24
860:26
844:26
830:28
816:30
802:28
788:38
772:40
758:28
742:28
728:24
714:28
696:26
679:23
665:30
651:40
637:40
1386::
1202:).
1183:^
947:F
933:F
919:F
905:Z
891:A
877:M
863:Z
833:Z
819:F
791:A
731:F
431:.
215:4
203:6
111:,
266:e
259:t
252:v
27:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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