Battle of the Gabbard

Battle of the Gabbard
Part of First Anglo-Dutch War
The Battle of the Gabbard, 2 June 1653 by Heerman Witmont
Date 2 to 3 June 1653 Location Gabbard Bank, offshore Suffolk, England 51.95°N 1.75°E / 51.95; 1.75 Result English victory
Belligerents
Commonwealth of England and Scotland	Dutch Republic
Commanders and leaders
George Monck Richard Deane † John Lawson William Penn	Maarten Tromp Witte de With
Strength
100 ships 3,800 guns 16,000 men	98 ships 3,100 guns 11,500 men
Casualties and losses
400 dead or wounded	9 ships sunk, 11 captured 800 killed or wounded, 1,000 prisoners

The Battle of the Gabbard, was a naval battle fought from 2 to 3 June 1653 during the First Anglo-Dutch War. It took place near the Gabbard shoal off the coast of Suffolk, England, between fleets of the Commonwealth of England and the Dutch Republic. It resulted in a significant English victory.

Battle

The English fleet had 100 ships commanded by Generals at Sea George Monck and Richard Deane and Admirals John Lawson and William Penn. The Dutch had 98 ships under Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp and Vice-admiral Witte de With, divided in five squadrons. On 2 June 1653 the Dutch attacked but were beaten back because the English employed line-of-battle tactics, making the Dutch pay a high price for attempting to board. The Dutch fleet, consisting of lighter ships, was severely damaged and lost two ships.

Tromp's fleet was organized mostly for mélée fighting. His ships were crewed with a much greater proportion of soldiers for that purpose than the English, whose methods employed the use of superior heavy guns and with musketry fire. That could overwhelm the enemy’s upper decks, with attention aimed at officers, followed up with grappling and boarding, with the objective of leaving relatively few crewmen below deck who would be committed to manning the cannons. Tromp also relied far more on the use of fireships to finish off damaged or inoperable ships, relying on his superior seamanship and experience to out- maneuver the English so as to concentrate his whole strength against a single division.

On 3 June the English were joined by Admiral Robert Blake, but Tromp decided to try again a direct attack though his ships were practically out of ammunition. A sudden lull however made his ships sitting ducks for the superior English guns. The Dutch were routed, the English chasing them until well in the evening, capturing many Dutch ships. The battle ended with the Dutch losing a total of twenty ships, of which nine were sunk and eleven captured. The English lost no ships, but Deane was killed. Tactically this was the worst defeat in Dutch naval history with the exception of the Battle of Lowestoft. Strategically the defeat threatened to be disastrous.

Battle of the Gabbard (1653)

The victory meant that the English control over the English Channel, regained by the Battle of Portland in March after it had been lost in the Battle of Dungeness, was now extended to the North Sea. After the battle, the English imposed a blockade on the Dutch coast, capturing many merchant ships and crippling the Dutch economy . The fleets met again on 29–31 July 1653 (8–10 August 1653 Gregorian calendar) at the Battle of Scheveningen.

Reports of the battle were read in London with great exclamation. The victorious battle was the first great naval action which England had fought since the reign of Elizabeth I.

Ships involved

Squadrons

England Red Squadron Ship Guns Men Commander Notes Ref. Resolution 88 550 General-at-Sea George Monck General-at-Sea Richard Deane † Captain John Bourne Worcester 50 220 Captain George Dakins Advice 42 180 Captain Jeremy Smyth Diamond 42 180 Captain William Hill Sapphire 38 140 Captain Nicholas Heaton Marmaduke 42 160 Captain Edward Blagg Pelican 40 180 Captain Peter Mootham Mermaid 26 100 Captain John King Golden Fleece 44 180 Captain Nicholas Forster Hired armed merchantman Loyalty 34 150 Captain John Limbry Hired armed merchantman Society 44 140 Captain Nicholas Lucas Hired armed merchantman Malaga Merchant 36 140 Captain Henry Collins Hired armed merchantman Martin 14 90 Captain John Vessy Fortune 10 30 Fireship Fox 10 30 Fireship Renown 10 30 Fireship Triumph 62 350 Vice-Admiral James Peacock Captain Proud Laurel 48 200 Captain John Stoakes Adventure 40 160 Captain Robert Nixon Providence 33 140 Captain John Peirce Bear 46 200 Captain Francis Kirby Heartsease 36 150 Captain Thomas Wright Hound 36 120 Captain Jonah Hide Anne and Joyce 34 119 Captain William Pile Hired armed merchantman London 40 200 Captain Arthur Browne Hannibal 44 180 Captain William Haddock Hired armed merchantman Mary 37 120 Captain Henry Maddison Thomas and William 36 140 Captain John Jefferson Hired armed merchantman Speaker 56 300 Rear-Admiral Samuel Howett Captain John Gibson Sussex 46 180 Captain Roger Cuttance Guinea 34 150 Captain Edmund Curtis Tiger 40 170 Captain Gabriel Sanders Violet 40 180 Captain Henry Southwood Sophia 38 160 Captain Robert Kirby Falmouth 26 100 Captain John Jeffreys Four Sisters 30 120 Captain Robert Becke Hired armed merchantman Hamburg Merchant 34 110 Captain William Jessel Hired armed merchantman Phoenix 34 120 Captain Henry Eaden White Squadron Ship Guns Men Commander Notes Ref. James 66 360 Admiral William Penn Captain John Gilson Lion 50 220 Captain John Lambert Ruby 42 180 Captain Robert Sanders Assistance 40 180 Captain William Crispin Foresight 42 180 Captain Richard Stayner Portsmouth 38 170 Captain Robert Danford Anne Piercy 33 120 Captain Thomas Ware Hired armed merchantman Peter 32 100 Captain John Littleton Exchange 30 100 Captain Henry Tedman Hired armed merchantman Merlin 12 90 Captain George Crapnell Richard and Martha 46 180 Captain Eustace Smith Hired armed merchantman Sarah 34 140 Captain Francis Steward Hired armed merchantman Lissa Merchant 38 160 Captain Simon Baily Hired armed merchantman Fireship 10 30 Victory 60 300 Vice-Admiral Lionel Lane Centurion 42 200 Captain Walter Wood Expedition 32 140 Captain Thomas Foules Gillyflower 32 120 Captain John Hayward Middelburg 32 120 Captain Thomas Withing Raven 38 140 Captain Robert Taylor Exchange 32 120 Captain Jeffery Dare Hired armed merchantman Globe 30 110 Captain Robert Coleman Prudent Mary 28 100 Captain John Taylor Hired armed merchantman Thomas and Lucy 34 125 Captain Andrew Rand Hired armed merchantman Andrew 56 360 Rear-Admiral Thomas Graves Captain George Dakins Assurance 36 160 Captain Phillip Holland Crown 36 140 Captain Thompson Duchess 24 90 Captain Richard Seafield Princess Maria 38 170 Captain Seth Hawly Waterhound 30 120 Captain Giles Shelly Pearl 26 100 Captain James Cadman Reformation 40 160 Captain Anthony Earning Industry 30 100 Captain Ben Salmon Hired armed merchantman Blue Squadron Ship Guns Men Commander Notes Ref. George 58 350 Admiral John Lawson Captain Peter Strong Kentish 50 180 Captain Jacob Reynolds Great President 40 180 Captain Francis Park Nonsuch 40 170 Captain Thomas Penrose Success 38 150 Captain William Kendall Welcome 40 200 Captain John Harman Oak 32 120 Captain John Edwin Brazil 30 120 Captain Thomas Heath Hired armed merchantman Eastland Merchant 32 110 Captain John Walters Hired armed merchantman Adventure 38 160 Captain Edward Greene Hired armed merchantman Samaritan 30 120 Captain Shadrach Blake Hired armed merchantman Fireship 10 30 Vanguard 56 390 Vice-Admiral Joseph Jordan Happy Entrance 43 200 Captain Richard Newbery Dragon 38 260 Captain John Seaman Convert 32 120 Captain Philip Gethings Paul 38 120 Captain Anthony Spatchurt Gift 34 130 Captain Thomas Salmon Crescent 30 115 Captain Thomas Thorowgood Samuel Taboat 30 110 Captain Joseph Ames Hired armed merchantman Benjamin 32 120 Hired armed merchantman King Ferdinando 36 140 Captain Richard Paine Hired armed merchantman Roebuck 30 100 Captain Henry Fenn Rainbow 58 300 Rear-Admiral William Goodsonn Convertine 44 210 Captain Anthony Joyn Amity 36 150 Captain Henry Pack Dolphin 30 120 Captain Robert Davis Arms of Holland 34 120 Captain Francis Mardrig Tulip 32 120 Captain Joseph Cubitt Jonathan 30 110 Captain Robert Graves Hired armed merchantman Dragoneare 32 110 Captain Edward Smith Hired armed merchantman William and John 36 120 Captain Nathaniel Jesson Hired armed merchantman Nicodemus 12 40 Captain William Ledgart Blossom 30 110 Captain Nathaniel Cock Hired armed merchantman Netherlands 98 ships – of which 6 sunk and 11 captured Brederode, 54 (flagship of Admiral Tromp)

See also

• HMS Gabbard of the British Royal Navy was named in honour of the battle.

Sources

• Clowes, William Laird, Sir (1898). The Royal Navy, a history from the earliest times to the present. Vol. II. London: S. Low, Marston.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Dixon, William Hepworth (1852). Robert Blake, admiral and general at sea. London: Chapman and Hall.
• Jones, James Rees (1996). The Anglo-Dutch wars of the seventeenth century. London; New York: Longman. ISBN 978-0-58205-6312.
• Mets, James Andrew (1902). Naval heroes of Holland. New York; London: The Abbey Press.
• Palmer, M. A.J. (April 1997). "The 'Military Revolution' Afloat: The Era of the Anglo-Dutch Wars and the Transition to Modern Warfare at Sea". War in History. 4 (2): 123–149. doi:10.1177/096834459700400201. JSTOR 26004420. S2CID 159657621.
• Blok, P.J. (1928). Michiel de Ruyter (PDF) (in Dutch). Martinus Nijhof.