A True RELATION OF THE Engagement Of His Majesties Fleet, under the Command of His Royal Highness, with the Dutch Fleet, May 28. 1672.
THe frequent commands I have received from your Lordship for an Account of our late Engagement, exact enough to be made publick, do at last end in this following Narration, which had been sent you sooner, if the Weather, and many other Accidents that Seamen are liable to, had not hindred us from having such Accounts from every Flag, as were necessary to make up one fit for your Lordship, and those you intend to impart it to; whom I will suppose to be Landmen, for my own excuse: For, if I were to give such a Relation as would fully satisfie Seamen, the terms themselves concerning Tacking and Wind, &c. without any thing material relating to the Matter, would be too voluminous, to expect it should find a Reader out of Wapping or Rothorith. All that I pretend to, is Brevity and Truth; for the first, I must make it good as I can; for the other, I have such Witnesses as are unquestionable.
[Page 2]Our whole Fleet being at Anchor in Southwold-Bay, taking in Water, on Tuesday the 28 th of May, betwixt Two and three a Clock in the Morning, the Wind E. by N. a small Gale, one of our Scouts came in, giving the usual Signals of seeing the Enemy; upon which, His Royal Highness immediately gave those of weighing Anchor, and getting under Sail, which was performed with all the speed possible, considering the short warning; for before Seven the whole Blew Squadron were a Head of the Red, and the White a Stern; in which order, and at which time, the Battle began, the Enemy having the Wind of us. The Squadron under Bankaert being the Van of their Fleet, attacked the French, which made the Rear of ours, they both separated themselves from both their Fleets, and so continued engaged out of our sight almost the whole day, Sailing to the Southward: At first Bankaert came briskly down upon Monsieur d' Estrees, but afterwards finding it too hot, kept at a greater distance.
The Earl of Sandwich with the Blew Squadron in the Van of our Fleet, was attacked by Van Ghent, in the Rear of theirs, and endeavoring to get the Wind of the Enemy, found so great opposition, that after having sunk a Man of War which laid him on Board, having above half his men killed, his Ship wholly disabled, and having put off two Fireships, was no longer in a condition to put off the third, which burnt her; the onely Ship we lost the whole day: His Lordship, and all the Officers, except Capt. Haddock, being lost with her; of which some few ordinary Men that were saved by Swimming to our Ships and Boats, give us no farther Account.
The Henry, that was one of her Seconds, commanded by Capt. Digby, Son to the Earl of Bristol, having put off several Fireships; most of her Men, her Captain, and almost all her Inferior Officers slain, fell into the [Page 3] hands of the [...] little time retaken, and sent safe into [...] Capt. Strickland in the Plimouth.
Sir Joseph Jordan, Vice Admiral of the Blew, pursued the design his Admiral did not live to finish, and succeeded in it, getting the Wind of the Enemy, which he and his Division kept the rest of the day.
The Body of their Fleet commanded by Monsieur de Ruyter, attacked the Body of ours, commanded by His Royal Highness; De Ruyter was accompanied by Van Esse, another Admirall, and their Seconds, which all at a convenient distance fired upon the Prince, who being to Windward of her own Division, could receive little or no assistance from them; the Capt. Sir John Cox killed, the Main-Top-Mast, Flagstaff, and Standard, being shot down, and the Ship intirely disabled in three hours time, His Royal Highness thought it convenient to change his Ship; so that about Ten a Clock being attended by Monsieur Blanckfort, my self, Mr. Ashton, Monsieur du Puys, and John Thompson his best Pilot, he went on Board the St. Michael, Sir Robert Holmes Commander, and there put up a new Standard, which because of the great smoak, could not be seen well enough to be attended by his Division. About this time, the Royal Katherine newly come from the River with fresh Men, and wanting many of the Conveniencies necessary for her defence, was boarded and taken by the Enemy, her Capt. Sir John Chichely being carried prisoner on Board their Ships; but the Enemy leaving no great number of Men in her, they were afterwards overpowred by ours, who carried the Dutch that had taken her, prisoners, and the Ship safe into Harbor. His Royal Highness continued on his way, attended by the Phenix, Capt. Le Ne [...] Commander, on Head of him, and the Fairfax Capt. Leg Commander, and the Victory the Earl of Ossory Commander close a Stern, till afterwards [Page 4] Capt. Berry in the Resolution, and Sir Fretchevile Holles in the Cambridge, came also on Head of us, but were both very soon disabled, the latter having also lost her Commander; the Earl of Ossory in the Victory took their places; the Engagement being very hot all this time. Towards Five in the Evening His Royal Highness observing his Ship to Sail heavily, the London, and many of the Vice-Admirals Division having overtaken the St. Michael, found upon enquiry that she had six foot Water in the Hold; so that with the same Company he brought thither, except his Pilot, who was killed there, he carried his Standard on Board the London, Sir Edward Spragg Commander; where after fighting an hour or two with the Ships to Windward, they were forced to bear down, and gave opportunity to the Duke and Sir Joseph Jordan to joyn; at which time de Ruyter put out a Signal, upon which all his Fleet bore down to joyn the Zealanders, who with others had engaged the French all day; who being to Leeward, did as well as it was possible for them to do with the distance, the Dutch being to Windward, kept from them. Thus ended the Battle, and the Day; The Duke with about Thirty Sail kept to Windward of the Dutch all night, standing to the S. E. and found himself still so the next morning, and so continued till about Six a Clock; when seeing some Ships a Stern, upon supposition, they were the Remainders of our Fleet, His Royal Highness tacked and stood with them, and found them to be as he guest, and the whole French Squadron with them; about Seven he returned to his own Ship, as well refitted as was possible by the care of Captain Narbrough.
About Ten the whole Fleet were together, and about Twelve we saw the Dutch standing after us, upon which we Tacked, having the Weather-Gage, and stood to them, in hopes of Engaging them presently: [Page 5] But, when the Van of our Fleet was come up to the Body of theirs, they Tacked, and stood back towards their own Coasts; Notwithstanding which we had certainly engaged them, had we not been prevented about Three a Clock by a sudden Fogg, which lasted till Six; and though it then cleared up, it blew so fresh, and was so late, and so near their Bancks, that we did not think it safe to Attacke them, but continued Sailing by them almost within Canon shot till Nine at Night; when, being within a League of the Oyster-Banck, off the Coast of Zealand, we Tacked, and stood till Three in the Morning to the North-west, at which time we stood back till Six, to see if we could perceive the Enemy, which not discovering, we Anchored till the Afternoon, that we got under Saile, and stood back to our own Coast, being very stormy weather.
As for our Losses, Besides the Royal Iames, there is not one Ship lost, though several Commanders slain; The Earl of Sandwich, Mr. Digby Captain of the Henry, Sir Fretcheville Holles Captain of the Cambridge, Sir Io. Cox Captain of the Prince, Captain Pearce of the St. George, Captain Waterworth of the Anne, Captain Hannam of the Triumph, Captain Yennes of the Alice and Francis Fireship, and Monsieur de la Rabiniere Rear-Admiral of the French, Captain Elliot of the York, Captain Ludman of the Monck; and two of the French Captains, Monsieur des Ardans, and Monsieur du Mesnou are wounded; several Lieutenants and inferior Officers are killed, whose Names it were too tedious a business to set down. Of the Volonteers of Note, My Lord Maidstone, Mr. Montague, Mr. Richard Nicholls, and Mr. Roger Vaughan, both of his Royal Highnesses Bedchamber, Mr. Trevanian His Gentleman-Usher, Sir Philip Cartwright, Sir Charles Harbord[?], Captain Bromley, Captain Bennett, Mr. Cotterel, Captain [Page 6] Burgh, Captain Barry, Mr. Napier, Brother to a Scotch Lord of that Name, Mr. Bowles, le Chevalier de Serand, and le Chevalier de Bezy are killed; and, if there are any others, their Names are not yet come to our Knowledge: Mr. Tufton, Monsieur le Comte de Canaples, le Chevalier de Chasteaumourant, Monsieur Escorbiac, Mr. Wren, Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Howard, Mr. Skelton, and Mr. Hall are all Wounded, Mr. May hath lost his Arme.
The Advantage we have over the Enemy consists in a Man of Warr taken of 48 Guns, called the Steveren, Commanded by one Elzevir; Another taken, but afterwards sunck (being Leaky) of 52 Guns, called the Iosua, Commanded by Iohn Dyche; A Third Sunck by the Earl of Sandwich; A Fourth by Sir Edward Spragg, both betwixt 60 and 70 Guns; a Fireship taken, and we forced them to Spend most of the rest, without doing us any dammage: We have very good grounds to believe we have sunck more, and amongst the rest a Flagship; but, thinking it better to erre on the modest side, I onely write Matter of Fact; and, least I should break my Word in the other Article, (I mean of Brevity) I Humbly kiss your Hands, and am,
[Page 7]THe Writer of this Letter could not think fit to mingle in his Relation, any Expressions of His Royal Highness's Personal Behavior, because it was prepared for his own sight: But it is most certain, That never any Prince, or it may be as truly said, any Private person, was in an Action of War, exposed to more danger from the beginning to the end of it; His Conduct and Presence of Mind, equalling his Fearless Courage, and carrying him to change his Ship three times, setting up the Royal Standard in each of them, to animate his own Men, and to brave the Enemy.
SInce the writing of this Letter, is brought in an Account of the Killed and Wounded.
The number Killed, amounting at the most to, between Seven and eight hundred;
And the Wounded to about as many: Besides those that were lost in the Royal James.
The Losses on the part of the Enemy, are in this particular, as in all others, kept very secret; onely they do own from all hands, That they have had as many Men Killed and Wounded in this Engagement, as in any two Battles before.