Battle of the Kentish Knock

The naval Battle of the Kentish Knock (or the Battle of the Zealand Approaches) was fought on 8 October 1652 during the First Anglo-Dutch War near the shoal called the Kentish Knock in the North Sea about 30 km from the mouth of the river Thames.

Related Topics:
8 October - 1652 - First Anglo-Dutch War - North Sea - River Thames

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Dutch Admiral Maarten Tromp had been suspended after his failure to bring the English to battle off the Shetland Islands in August, and replaced by Admiral Witte de With, who saw an opportunity to concentrate his forces and gain control of the seas. He set out to attack the English fleet at anchor at the Downs near Dover on 5 October 1652, but the wind was unfavourable.

Related Topics:
Maarten Tromp - Shetland Islands - Witte de With - 5 October - 1652

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When the fleets finally met on 8 October, the United Provinces had 57 ships; the Commonwealth of England 68 ships under General at Sea Robert Blake.Before the battle DeWith wanted to transfer his flag to the Brederode Tromp's flagship,but tromp's crew refused to let him onboard calling DeWith 'green cheese'.Zeeland Commodore Cornelis Evertsen was called in to negotiate but to no avail DeWith was forced to hoist his flag on the Prins Willem were he found the majority of its crew drunk. Action was joined at about 17:00 when Blake on the Sovereign engaged the Dutch. The English ships were larger and better armed than their 0pponents and by 19.00 one Dutch ship had been captured while another sank.The next day early in the morning about 15 dutch ships ,mostly commanded by captains from Zeeland who resented the domination of Holland —and severely disliked DeWith, had broken off the engagement and simply sailed home.The situation had become hopeless for the Dutch who now had 42 ships left in their fleet yet DeWith still wanted to continue ,DeRuyter and Evertsen however manage to convince DeWith otherwise and the Dutch fleet withdrew followed by Blake. DeWith and DeRuyter nicely covered the retreat with a dozen ships and the Dutch would not lose any more ships though there were many casualties.

Related Topics:
8 October - United Provinces - Commonwealth of England - Robert Blake - Sovereign

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The Dutch recognized after their defeat that they needed larger ships to take on the English, and instituted a major building program that never really came to pass until the Second Anglo-Dutch War.

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The English believed that the Dutch had been all but defeated, and sent twenty ships away to the Mediterranean, a mistake that led to defeats at the battles of Dungeness and Leghorn.

Related Topics:
Mediterranean - Dungeness - Leghorn

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