Battle of Lowestoft facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Lowestoft |
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| Part of the Second Anglo-Dutch War | |||||||
 The Battle of Lowestoft, Adriaen Van Diest |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 England |
 Dutch Republic |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Prince Rupert Duke of York Earl of Sandwich |
Jacob Obdam † Johan Evertsen Cornelis Tromp |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 109 warships | 103 warships | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 500 killed and wounded 1 warship captured |
2,500 killed and wounded 2,000 captured 3 warships sunk 5 warships destroyed 9 warships captured |
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The Battle of Lowestoft was a major sea battle fought on 13 June 1665. It took place during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. A large fleet from the Netherlands, led by Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam, attacked an equally large English fleet. The English fleet was commanded by James, Duke of York, who later became King. The battle happened about 40 miles east of the port of Lowestoft in Suffolk, England.
Even though England won a big victory, many Dutch ships managed to escape. This meant England couldn't end the war quickly. The Dutch quickly built new, stronger ships and improved their navy's training. They also found a new, very skilled leader, Michiel de Ruyter. This made their navy much stronger for the rest of the war.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
The Second Anglo-Dutch War started because England and the Netherlands were rivals in trade. Both countries wanted to control important trade routes and markets. Even though they tried to talk things out, neither side would back down. They kept attacking each other's ships.
The English wanted to start a war to gain an advantage. They hoped to provoke the Dutch into declaring war first. After English ships attacked Dutch trading convoys, the Dutch Republic declared war on England on 4 March 1665.
Both sides wanted a quick, decisive battle. England's government didn't have enough money for a long war. The Dutch economy would suffer greatly if England blocked their ports and attacked their fishing fleets. After an early English blockade failed due to lack of supplies, the Dutch were desperate to prevent another one.
The main Dutch politician, Johan de Witt, gave Admiral Obdam very detailed orders. Obdam was told to attack the English fleet aggressively. However, these orders didn't explain how he should attack. Obdam felt his fleet was not ready for a big battle. He wanted to wait for the right wind conditions so his ships could retreat easily if needed. This cautious approach later contributed to his defeat.
The Dutch navy had many new warships, but not all were ready by 1665. To make their fleet larger, they used older warships and some very big ships from the Dutch East India Company. These company ships could carry cargo or fight, but they were not as strong as proper warships.
The Dutch fleet was divided into seven squadrons, each with many officers. This was done for political reasons, as different regions wanted their own leaders. This made the chain of command confusing. Both the English and Dutch fleets also used armed merchant ships alongside their warships.
On 11 June, the English spotted the Dutch fleet. The English tried to get closer, but the tide and calm winds stopped them. The Dutch also anchored, avoiding a fight that day. Obdam had orders to fight, but he waited for a westerly wind. This would allow his fleet to retreat if they were losing. On 12 June, the wind was still from the east, and Obdam again chose not to attack. By the morning of 13 June, the wind had shifted to the southwest, slightly favoring the English. Obdam decided to attack, perhaps fearing the wind would shift even more in England's favor.
The English fleet had 109 ships, 4,542 guns, and 22,055 men. It was divided into three main groups:
- Prince Rupert of the Rhine led the White Squadron at the front.
- James, Duke of York, led the Red Squadron in the middle.
- Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, led the Blue Squadron at the rear.
The Dutch fleet had 103 ships, 4,869 guns, and 21,613 men. It was divided into seven squadrons:
- First squadron, led by Admiral van Wassenaer himself.
- Second squadron, led by Lieutenant Admiral Johan Evertsen.
- Third squadron, led by Lieutenant Admiral Egbert Bartholomeusz Kortenaer.
- Fourth squadron, led by Lieutenant Admiral Auke Stellingwerf.
- Fifth squadron, led by Vice Admiral Cornelis Tromp.
- Sixth squadron, led by Vice Admiral Cornelis Evertsen the Elder.
- Seventh squadron, led by Vice Admiral Volckert Schram.
The Battle Begins
It's hard to know exactly what happened during the battle, especially Obdam's plans, since he didn't survive. Some people say he lacked leadership. Before the battle, Obdam sent his valuables home, which might show he expected the worst.
On the morning of 13 June, around 4 AM, both fleets were about 40 miles southeast of Lowestoft. The wind was strong but not too strong, blowing from the southwest. Obdam suddenly tried to move west to get the "weather gage." This meant getting upwind of the English fleet, which gave an advantage in sailing and firing. However, the English quickly moved to block him, keeping the weather gage. This move by Obdam also caused some confusion in his own fleet.
During this first pass, an English ship, the Great Charity, was captured by the Dutch. Another English merchant ship was isolated but managed to rejoin its fleet. After this, both fleets had to turn around to face each other again. The English tried a new maneuver to turn their ships, but it caused some gaps in their line. Luckily for the English, the Dutch were too far away to take advantage of this. For about an hour, from 6 AM to 7 AM, the fleets were not fighting.
Around 7 AM, the English commander, William Penn, made a bold move. He steered his ship, the Royal Charles, and many other ships to form a second battle line. This stopped the Dutch from getting the weather gage. The English Blue Squadron also closed the gaps in their line. The fighting became much closer. Some Dutch ships tried to break through the English line but were forced back.
The English then performed another turning maneuver. This was difficult to do under fire, but they managed it. Now, both fleets were moving in the same direction. Up to this point, not many people had been hurt. But in the heavy fighting that followed, two important Dutch commanders were killed: Lieutenant-Admiral Auke Stellingwerf and Lieutenant-Admiral Kortenaer. Kortenaer was considered the most skilled Dutch commander there.
By late morning, the English fleet was a bit messy from their turns, but the Dutch were even more disorganized. Many Dutch ships failed to stay in a straight line. The Dutch had an advantage in gun range, but their ships started blocking each other's fire. Also, some captains were eager to fight and left slower ships behind. The Dutch East India Company ships were not used to fighting in formation.
Around midday, an English flagship, the Royal Oak, was damaged, and its commander, Lawson, was wounded. But a new commander quickly took over and brought the ship back into the fight.
Fierce Fighting and Dutch Retreat
The intense gun battle continued until about 2 PM. The Dutch put a lot of pressure on the English Blue Squadron. However, the English commanders, James and Penn, started sending more ships to help. The fiercest fighting was between Obdam's Dutch squadron and Sandwich's English squadron. The English ships focused their fire and heavily damaged the Dutch.
Obdam's flagship, the Eendracht, and other large Dutch ships tried to break through Sandwich's line. One giant Dutch East Indies ship, the Oranje, even managed to board an English ship temporarily. But English reinforcements arrived, forcing the Dutch to retreat. This attempt and its failure caused a lot of confusion among the Dutch ships.
Both Sandwich and Rupert, seeing the Dutch confusion, launched attacks that would decide the battle. Sandwich tried to break through the Dutch center. Four Dutch ships trying to stop him crashed into each other. They refused to surrender and were later attacked by an English fireship (a ship filled with flammable materials and set on fire to destroy enemy ships). Only one escaped. Other Dutch ships began to retreat. In the north, Tromp and Cornelis Evertsen tried to take the weather gage from Rupert, but Rupert held his position and kept damaging his opponents.
While these attacks were happening, the Duke of York attacked the Eendracht. A Dutch cannonball from Obdam's ship narrowly missed James but killed several of his companions on the Royal Charles. On the Eendracht, casualties were even worse. Admiral Obdam was killed by a cannonball. A few minutes later, around 3 PM, the ship's gunpowder storage exploded, destroying the Eendracht and killing almost everyone on board.
The loss of their flagship and commander badly hurt Dutch morale. There was also confusion about who should take command. The next senior officer was Johan Evertsen, but another officer, Kortenaer, had been named Obdam's successor before the battle. Kortenaer was fatally wounded, but his ship kept his admiral's flag flying. Many ships from his squadron, thinking they should follow their leader, fled the battle. Seeing this, Johan Evertsen raised his own flag, claiming command. But Cornelis Tromp also raised a command flag, adding to the confusion.
At this point, the battle became a huge, disorganized fight. The English fleet pushed many Dutch ships to retreat. A complete Dutch defeat was prevented only by the ships that rallied around Evertsen or Tromp. The Oranje fought bravely for two hours against several English ships until it was too damaged to continue. It surrendered and was burned. These actions allowed most of the Dutch fleet to escape.
During this stage, two English commanders, the Earl of Marlborough and the Earl of Portland, were killed. More English ships joined the main fight, forcing more Dutch ships to retreat. Between 6 PM and 9 PM, the larger English ships focused on forcing Evertsen and Tromp to retreat. They also captured three damaged Dutch ships. Tromp later said his actions saved many fleeing Dutch ships.
The Dutch fleet broke apart and fled to different ports. Tromp led one group to Texel, followed by Rupert. Johan Evertsen retreated with another group to the Maas, pursued by the rest of the English fleet. Other ships headed for the Scheldt. However, the English commanders did not order their faster ships to chase down the fleeing Dutch. Instead, they stayed in their squadrons. Around 9 PM, the English fleet even slowed down, which allowed the Dutch to get away further.
A controversial decision was made to slow down the Royal Charles during the night. This meant the rest of the English fleet also slowed down. Some accounts suggest that a courtier, Lord Henry Brouncker, fearing for the Duke of York's safety, tricked the ship's captain into slowing down. This decision meant that when the fastest English ships were sent ahead the next morning, they only captured six more Dutch ships. This slowing down of the fleet prevented the English from achieving a more complete victory.
What Happened Next
The English lost only one ship, the Great Charity, which was captured early in the battle. Eight Dutch ships were sunk by the English. Six of these were burned by fireships after they became tangled while fleeing. The Oranje was set on fire after fighting bravely against several English ships. The English also captured nine more Dutch ships during the flight. Eight older Dutch ships were too damaged to repair and were scrapped.
The English fleet lost one admiral, Robert Samsun, during the battle. Vice-Admiral Lawson was badly wounded and died three weeks later.
The escape of most of the Dutch fleet was very important. England needed to destroy the Dutch navy to end the war quickly, but this didn't happen. Dutch leaders learned important lessons from their defeat:
- Lack of discipline: They punished captains who showed cowardice and rewarded those who fought well. Nine captains were put on trial; some were executed, others exiled or dismissed.
- Tactics: The Dutch had often fought in a disorganized way, with individual ships trying to board and capture enemies. This was not effective against the English, who fought in organized lines. After Lowestoft, the Dutch adopted new "Fighting Instructions" in August 1665, focusing on fighting in a line.
- Ship quality: Dutch ships were generally smaller and less armed than English ships. Although they had started building bigger ships after the First Anglo-Dutch War, most were not ready by 1665. After Lowestoft, they greatly expanded their shipbuilding program to create larger, stronger warships.
Even though some Dutch admirals were ordered to return to sea, there was a lot of disagreement and blame after the battle. The Dutch tried to improve their navy by dividing their fleet into three clear squadrons with better communication. They also focused on concentrating their forces against parts of the enemy fleet. These new instructions criticized the confusing organization and cautious tactics used at Lowestoft.
See also
- Flagmen of Lowestoft
- Glossary of nautical terms : (A–L), (M–Z)
