Battle of Portland
Main battles of the war
| date | February 28, 1653 |
|---|---|
| place | Sea area off the Isle of Portland |
| output | Victory of the English |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 152 ships, of which 70–80 warships | 70–80 warships |
| losses | |
|
eight warships |
a warship |
Dover - Plymouth - Elba - Kentish Knock - Dungeness - Portland - Livorno - Gabbard - Scheveningen
In the naval battle of Portland (called in Dutch three-day naval battle ) in the First Anglo-Dutch War on February 28, 1653, the fleet of the United Provinces of the Netherlands under Admiral Maarten Tromp advanced the fleet of the Commonwealth of England under Robert Blake in the English Channel the island of Portland .
prehistory
Tromp had guided merchant ships safely through the English Channel into the Atlantic . Before returning home, he anchored off La Rochelle to repair and re-supply his ships , but also to wait for expected merchant ships from the Atlantic. On February 20, he wanted to set sail with 152 ships, but was held up by a three-day storm. He finally left on February 24 and reached the sea area off Portland four days later.
The battle
On February 28, Tromp spotted Blake's fleet trying to intercept him and immediately gave the order to attack, since he had the favorable wind on his side. Tromp's flagship , the Brederode , hit Blake's flagship, the Triumph , and fired a broadside from just a few yards away. He turned around and fired a second and third broadside without any resistance from the English. Blake turned and tried to fight at a great distance. The Dutch commander Michiel de Ruyter attacked the British rearguard and provided the largest English ship, the Prosperity . The English were able to repel a first attempt at boarding , but in the second attack they had to give up the ship. They tried to retake the ship, but De Ruyter managed to escape after a heavy fight.
The firefights continued, and later that day Blake sent a squadron of frigates to the Dutch merchant ships off the coast of La Rochelle. Tromp reacted quickly and in turn sent out ships to intercept the English.
On the second day the English had the more favorable wind and attacked: five times they tried - but in vain - to break through the Dutch line.
The English frigates were able to bring up twelve Dutch merchant ships that had tried to flee against Tromp's express orders. In the evening the Dutch had hardly any ammunition left and no way of getting new supplies.
On the third day, the English failed again to break the Dutch line. Several Dutch captains tried to flee because they ran out of ammunition, but Tromp was able to stop them with warning shots . That evening, when the Dutch were running out of ammunition, Blake turned away. The reason is believed to be a gunshot wound in Blake's thigh, which he received that day.
During the night, Tromp brought the rest of his fleet to safety along the coast, leaving eight warships and 50 merchant ships behind.
consequences
The battle restored English supremacy in the Canal. Dutch propaganda tried to portray the battle as a victory, but the Dutch officers were aware of the defeat. The adoption of line tactics by the British made it impossible for the Dutch to compensate for the lower firepower of their ships with greater seamanship. The officers called for the heavy warship construction program to begin at last, instead of making up for the loss of ships from armed merchant ships.
In a desperate attack on the English fleet, the Dutch tried to at least keep access to the North Sea open during the sea battle at Gabbard .