Battle of Dover (1652)

The naval Battle of Dover, fought on 19 May 1652 (29 May 1652 Gregorian calendar), 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. It proved to be an indecisive battle involving the flagships of Admirals Maarten Tromp and Robert Blake. Opinions about the outcome of that battle vary among historians of that period.

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 (19 May 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 lower their flag in salute. English ships were attacking Dutch merchant ships, seizing cargoes and taking ships as prizes. Tromp subsequently was given general orders to protect Holland's commerce, while keeping watch over the English fleet. On 19 May 1652, Tromp was cruising in the English Channel with a fleet of forty ships between Nieuport and the mouth of the Meuse River. British Admiral Robert Blake was lying in Dover Roads with fifteen ships, with eight others were anchored in Bourne in the Downs. While on patrol Tromp received orders from a dispatch ketch to engage Blake's fleet, and had not struck his flag in salute. Blake, aboard his flagship the James, assumed Tromp had received orders to commence battle and fired two warning shots. A defiant Tromp hoisted a red battle flag, which prompted Blake to fire a third gun, hitting Tromp's ship and wounding some crew members. This was followed with Tromp returning fire with a warning broadside from his flagship Brederode. Blake in turn fired a broadside and a battle that would last five hours ensued. Tromp immediately engaged Blake's flag ship where the two ships exchanged broadsides as they passed one another. While tacking to turn and fire another broadside the Brederode came into violent contact with British Admiral Rosekrantz's ship, the Bonaventure, which grappled with the Brederode where its crew began boarding. During the fierce melee that followed Tromp's crew held the attackers back. At this time another British ship, the Garland, came along to the other side of Tromp's ship, placing Tromp's ship between the two British ships. Vice-admiral, John Evertsen, now aware of Tromp's plight quickly came to assist, placing his ship directly alongside of the Bonaventure and fired a broadside severing all her masts, after which Evertsen's crew boarded and engaged the English in hand-to-hand fighting and overcoming the English crews. The fighting continued until nightfall, where both sides withdrew, the battle having no distinct victor. The crews of Tromp and Evertsen divided the prisoners between the ships and sailed back toward Texel, with Blake, with his flagship in tow making his way to Dover.

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 of England on 8 July 1652.

England (Robert Blake)
Totals: Ships: 24 Cannon: 908

• President 36 (Anthony Young)
 * Anthony Young's squadron:

• Nightingale 24 (Jacob Reynolds)

• Recovery 24 (Edmund Chapman)

• James 60 (flag, Robert Blake, captain John Gilson)
 * Robert Blake's squadron in Rye Bay:

• 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

• Andrew 56 (Nehemiah Bourne)
 * Nehemiah Bourne's squadron in the Downs:

• Triumph 62 (William Penn) – Ashore during the battle

• Fairfax 52 (John Lawson)

• Entrance 44

• Centurion 36

• Adventure 36 (Andrew Ball)

• Assurance 40 (Benjamin Blake)

• Greyhound 20 (Henry Southwood)

• Seven Brothers 26 (hired merchantman, Robert Land)

The Netherlands (Maarten Tromp)
Totals: Ships: 44 Cannon: 1274

• Groningen 38 (Joris van der Zaan)
 * Convoyers:

• Zeelandia 34 (Jacob Huyrluyt)

• Brederode 54 (Maarten Tromp, Admiral, )
 * The fleet in The Downs:
 * Van:

• Alexander 28 (Jan Maijkers, )

• 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, )

• 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, ) • Monnikendam 32 (Pieter Florissen, Rear Admiral, )
 * Rear:

• 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)