Action of 18 September 1639

Action of 18 September 1639

This battle took place between 17 and 19 September 1639 when a Dutch squadron under Admiral Maarten Tromp and Admiral Witte Corneliszoon de With, met with a much larger but poorly led Spanish fleet under Antonio D'Oquendo, consisting of 40 to 45 men–of–war and 40 to 50 transport vessels filled with some 13,000 Spanish soldiers who were being transported to Dunkirk. Tromp with 12 ships spotted the Spanish fleet on the 16th, but waited for de With to arrive with five more ships before attacking. Despite his numerical inferiority Tromp got the upper hand in a running fight which lasted into the night. The next day, Zeeland Commodore Joost Banckert, arrived to reinforce the Dutch with 12 more ships. Fighting continued until the Dutch ran out of gunpowder when D'Oquendo retreated to the roadstead of the Downs hoping on English protection which would eventually lead to the Battle of the Downs, where D'Oquendo was decisively defeated and this marked the end of Spanish seapower.

This fight is notable because Tromp used the line of battle for the first time.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Action of 30 September 1639 — The Action of 30 September 1639 was a naval battle near Mormugão, just south of Goa, India, when a squadron of 9 Dutch ships captured and destroyed 3 Portuguese galleons.The Portuguese galleons Bom Jesus 74 and São Sebastião 50 were being… …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of the Downs — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Battle of the Downs partof=the Eighty Years War caption= Before the Battle of the Downs by Reinier Nooms, circa 1639, depicting the Dutch blockade off the English coast, the vessel shown is the Aemilia , Tromp s …   Wikipedia

  • Maritime history — The Clipper Ship Flying Cloud off the Needles, Isle of Wight, off the southern English coast. Painting by James E. Buttersworth Maritime history is the study of human activity at sea. It covers a broad thematic element of history that often uses… …   Wikipedia

  • Line of battle — In naval warfare, the line of battle [If the fleet is in front of the flagship it is a line ahead , if behind a line astern .] is a tactic in which the ships of the fleet form a line, end to end. Its origins are traditionally ascribed to the navy …   Wikipedia

  • Maarten Tromp — Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp, 1598–1653, after an engraving by Jan Lievens. Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp (23 April 1598 – 10 August 1653) was an officer and later admiral in the Dutch navy. His first name is also spelled as Maerten …   Wikipedia

  • Joost Banckert — Joost van Trappen Banckert (c. 1597, Vlissingen September 12 1647, at sea) was a Dutch Vice Admiral who worked most of his sailing life for the admiralty of Zeeland. He was born in 1597 or 1599. Early in his career he was active against the… …   Wikipedia

  • Naval tactics in the Age of Sail — A 17th century Spanish galleon Naval tactics in the Age of Sail were used from the early 17th century onward when sailing ships replaced oared galleys. These were used until the 1860s when steam powered ironclad warships rendered sailing line of… …   Wikipedia

  • United Kingdom — a kingdom in NW Europe, consisting of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: formerly comprising Great Britain and Ireland 1801 1922. 58,610,182; 94,242 sq. mi. (244,100 sq. km). Cap.: London. Abbr.: U.K. Official name, United Kingdom of Great… …   Universalium

  • Iraq — /i rak , i rahk /, n. a republic in SW Asia, N of Saudi Arabia and W of Iran, centering in the Tigris Euphrates basin of Mesopotamia. 22,219,289; 172,000 sq. mi. (445,480 sq. km). Cap.: Baghdad. Also, Irak. * * * Iraq Introduction Iraq Background …   Universalium

  • Cornelis Jol — Cornelius Jol 1597 – 1641 Nickname Pie de Palo Type Corsair Place of birth Scheveningen, Netherlands Place of …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”