Battle of the Dogger Bank (1781)

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Battle of the Dogger Bank
Battle of the Dogger Bank
Battle of the Dogger Bank
date August 5, 1781
place Doggerbank ( North Sea )
output draw
Parties to the conflict

Great BritainKingdom of Great Britain (Sea War Flag) Great Britain

Republic of the Seven United ProvincesRepublic of the Seven United Provinces United Netherlands

Commander

Great BritainKingdom of Great Britain (Sea War Flag) Hyde Parker

Republic of the Seven United ProvincesRepublic of the Seven United Provinces Johan Zoutman

Troop strength
7 ships 7 ships
losses

108 dead,
339 wounded

140 dead,
400 wounded

The sea battle on the Dogger Bank
Doggersbank medal donated by the Netherlands for the participants in the battle

The Battle of the Dogger Bank (1781) took place on August 5, 1781 in the North Sea during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch Sea War . In turn, it had a cause in the American War of Independence , when the Netherlands supported the independence struggle of the English colonies in North America through lively trade relations.

Naval battle

The naval battle was a bloody clash between a British squadron under Vice Admiral Sir Hyde Parker and a Dutch squadron under Vice Admiral Johan Zoutman . Both squadrons accompanied convoys. The Dutch fleet escorted on the way to the Baltic Sea located merchant ships and was attacked by the British. For their part, they were interested in protecting their own North Sea trade and therefore pursued a policy of armed neutrality .

A losing battle developed, in which neither combatant gained any advantage, even after both sides withdrew. The Dutch led their convoy back home.

consequences

The Dutch celebrated the battle as a victory. Their navy remained in their ports for the rest of the war. As a result, the Battle of Dogger Bank went down in the annals as the final naval battle of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands . The Dutch maritime trade was now disrupted on all seas by British warships and tended to come to a standstill.

Sir Hyde Parker contested that he had not been properly equipped for the job and considered resigning. Johann Zoutman and his officers, however, received honors in the Netherlands, such as the newly created “Doggersbank Medal”, and the lower ranks received a sum of money.

The battle itself was - viewed in a larger context - an episode and had no effect on the progress of the war between the two sea nations.

Involved

Ships of Great Britain

(under Vice Admiral Sir Hyde Parker)

  • HMS Berwick
  • Dolphin
  • Buffalo
  • Fortitude ( flagship )
  • Princess Amelia
  • Preston
  • Bienfaisant

Ships of the Netherlands

(under Vice Admiral Johan Zoutman)

  • Erfprins (Commander Braak)
  • Admiraal Generaal (Commander van Kinsbergen)
  • Argo (Commander Staring)
  • Batavier (Commander Bentinck)
  • Admiraal de Ruijter (flagship, commander Zoutman)
  • Admiraal Piet Hein (Commander van Braam)
  • Holland (Commander Dedel)