Battle of Goodwin Sands

The naval Battle of Goodwin Sands (also known as the Battle of Dover), fought on 29 May 1652 (19 May 1652 in the Julian Calendar then used in England), was the first engagement of the First Anglo-Dutch War between the navies of the Commonwealth of England and the United Provinces of the Netherlands.

Background

The English Parliament had passed the first of the Navigation Acts in October 1651, aimed at hampering the shipping of the highly trade-dependent Dutch. Agitation among the Dutch merchants had been further increased by George Ayscue's capture in early 1652 of 27 Dutch ships trading with the royalist colony of Barbados in contravention of an embargo. Both sides had begun to prepare for war, but conflict might have been delayed if not for an unfortunate encounter on 29 May 1652 (May 19 in the Julian calendar then in use in England) near the Straits of Dover between a Dutch convoy escorted by 40 ships under Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp and an English fleet of 25 ships under General-at-Sea Robert Blake.

Battle

An ordinance of Cromwell required all foreign fleets in the North Sea or the Channel to dip their flag in salute, but when Tromp was slow to comply, Blake fired three warning shots. When the third hit his ship, wounding some sailors, Tromp replied with a warning broadside from his flagship "Brederode". Blake then fired a broadside in anger and a five hour battle ensued.

Aftermath

Both fleets were damaged, but as darkness fell the Dutch fleet withdrew in a defensive line to protect the convoy, and the English captured two Dutch stragglers: "Sint Laurens", which was taken back by them but not used, and "Sint Maria", which was abandoned in a sinking condition and later made its way to the Netherlands. Tromp then offered his excuses to Blake and asked for the return of the prize, but this was refused by Blake.

War was declared by the Commonwealth on 10 July 1652.

Ships involved

England (Robert Blake)

Anthony Young's squadron:
"President" 36 (Anthony Young)
"Nightingale" 24 (Jacob Reynolds)
"Recovery" 24 (Edmund Chapman)
Robert Blake's squadron in Rye Bay:
"James" 60 (flag, Robert Blake, captain John Gilson)
"Victory" 52 (Lionel Lane)
"Garland" 44 (John Gibbs)
"Speaker" 52 (John Coppin)
"Ruby" 42 (Anthony Houlding)
"Sapphire" 38 (Robert Moulton, Jr)
"Worcester" 42 (Charles Thorowgood)
"Star" 24 (Robert Saunders)
"Portsmouth" 36 (William Brandley)
"Martin" 12
"Mermaid" 24 (Richard Stayner)
"Ruben" 26 (merchantman)
3 small
Nehemiah Bourne's squadron in the Downs:
"Andrew" 56 (Nehemiah Bourne)
"Triumph" 62 (William Penn) - Ashore during the battle
"Fairfax" 52 (John Lawson)
"Entrance" 44
"Centurion" 36
"Adventuree" 36 (Andrew Ball)
"Assurance" 40 (Benjamin Blake)
"Greyhound" 20 (Henry Southwood)
"Seven Brothers" 26 (hired merchantman, Robert Land)

The Netherlands (Maarten Tromp)

Convoyers:
"Groningen" 38 (Joris van der Zaan)
"Zeelandia" 34 (Jacob Huyrluyt)
The fleet in The Downs: AD - Amsterdam Admiralty and Directors' ships, MD - Middelburg Admiralty and Directors, NKA - Noorder-Kwartier Admiralty, RD - Rotterdam Admiralty, VD - Vlissingen Directors
Van:
"Brederode" 54 (Maarten Tromp, Admiral, RD)
"Alexander" 28 (Jan Maijkers, AD)
"Blauwen Arend" 28 (Dirck Pater, AD)
"Sint Salvador" 34 (Matheeus Corneliszoon, AD)
"Vliegende Faam" 28 (Jacob Corneliszoon Swart, AD)
"Arche Troijane" 28 (Abraham van Kampen, AD)
"Kroon Imperiaal" 34 (Cornelis Janszoon Poort, AD)
"Valck" 28 (Cornelis Janszoon Brouwer, AD)
"Prinses Roijaal" 28 (Maarten de Graeff, AD)
"Neptunis" 34 (Gerrit van Lummen, AD)
"Sint Matheeus" 34 (Cornelis Naeuoogh, AD)
"Prins Maurits" 34 (Nicolaes de With, AD)
"Rozeboom" 28 (Gerrit Schuyt, AD)
"Engel Gabriel" 28 (Bastiaan Bardoel, AD)
"Witte Lam" 28 (Cornelis van Houten, AD)
"Gideon van Sardam" 34 (Hector Bardesius, AD)
"Sint Francisco" 28 (Stoffel Juriaenszoon, AD)
"David en Goliad" 34 (Claes Bastiaenszoon Jaarsveld, AD)
"Elias" 34 (Jacob Sijvertsen Spanheijm, AD)
"Zwarte Leeuw" 28 (Hendrik de Raedt, AD)
"Sint Maria" 28 (Sipke Fockes, AD) - Captured but abandoned and recaptured
"Groote Liefde" 38 (Bruyn van Seelst, AD)
"Nassouw van den Burgh" 34 (Lambert Pieterszoon, AD)
"Groote Vergulde Fortuijn" 35 (Frederick de Coninck, AD)
"Engel Michiel" 28 (Fredrick Bogaart, AD)
"Vergulde Haan" 30 (Jan le Sage, MD)
"Goude Leeuw" 30 (Jacob Penssen, MD)
"Leeuwinne" 30 (Joannes van Regermorter, MD)
"Sint Laurens" 30 (Bastiaan Tuynemans, MD) - Captured
"Witte Lam" 32 (Jan Tijssen Matheeus, VD)
Rear:
"Monnikendam" 32 (Pieter Florissen, Rear Admiral, NKA)
"Wapen van Hoorn" 24 (Pieter Aldertszoon, NKA)
"Prins Maurits" 28 (Cornelis Pieterszoon Taenman, NKA)
"Monnikendam" 24 (Arent Dirckszoon, NKA)
"Wapen van Enkhuizen" 30 (Gerrit Femssen, NKA)
"Wapen van Alkmaar" 28 (Gerrit Nobel, NKA)
"Roode Leeuw" 24 (Reynst Corneliszoon Sevenhuysen, NKA)
"Peereboom" 24 (Tijs Sijmonszoon Peereboom, NKA)
"Huis van Nassau" 28 (Gerrit Munth, NKA)
"Alkmaar" 28 (Jan Warnaertszoon Capelman, NKA)
"Sampson" 26 (Willem Ham, NKA)
"Stad van Medemblik" 26 (Pieter Schellinger, NKA)