Battle of the Kentish Knock facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of the Kentish Knock
Part of First Anglo-Dutch War
Action between ships in the First Dutch War, 1652–1654 by Abraham Willaerts, may depict the Battle of the Kentish Knock. It is a pastiche of popular subjects of naval painting of the time: on the right Brederode duels Resolution; on the left the enormous Sovereign
Date 28 September 1652 Location Off Kentish Knock 51°30′N 1°12′E / 51.5°N 1.2°E / 51.5; 1.2 Result English victory
Belligerents
Dutch Republic	Commonwealth of England
Commanders and leaders
Witte Corneliszoon de With	Robert Blake
Prince Rupert
Strength
62 ships 1,900 guns 7,000 sailors	68 ships 2,400 guns 10,000 sailors
Casualties and losses
2 ships	light

The Battle of the Kentish Knock was a big naval fight between the navies of the Dutch Republic and England. It happened on September 28, 1652, during the First Anglo-Dutch War. The battle took place near a sandbank called the Kentish Knock in the North Sea. This spot is about 30 kilometers east of the river Thames's mouth.

The Dutch fleet had some internal problems. They were divided by politics, regions, and personal disagreements. Because of this, they couldn't fight as a strong team. They were soon forced to retreat, losing two ships and many sailors.

Why Did the Battle of Kentish Knock Happen?

Changes in Dutch Leadership

Before this battle, a Dutch admiral named Maarten Tromp was removed from his command. This happened because he couldn't get the English fleet to fight him near the Shetland Islands. The Dutch government, called the States-General of the Netherlands, replaced him with Vice-Admiral Witte de With.

This change caused a big problem between the Dutch provinces of Holland and Zealand. De With was a personal enemy of the Zealandic fleet's commander, Vice-Admiral Johan Evertsen. Evertsen had already left the navy because of a disagreement with the States-General.

Earlier, tensions were lower because both Tromp and Evertsen supported the House of Orange, a powerful Dutch family. But De With was loyal to the government that had taken power after the death of William II of Orange.

De With's Plan to Attack

For months, De With had wanted the Dutch navy to be more aggressive. He believed they should try to destroy the English fleet, not just protect merchant ships. Now, he saw a chance to gather his ships and control the seas.

He planned to attack the English fleet anchored at The Downs near Dover. He left the Schooneveld on September 25, 1652. He was joined by a group of ships led by Vice-Commodore Michiel de Ruyter.

However, a storm immediately hit the fleet, damaging many ships. De With also had to protect trade routes. He found out that nine of De Ruyter's ships needed repairs after being at sea for two months. De Ruyter suggested avoiding a big fight and just luring the English away from merchant ships. But De With insisted on a decisive battle. He famously said, "I shall lustily lead the fleet to the enemy; the devil may bring it back again!"

What Happened During the Battle of Kentish Knock?

Fleets Prepare for Battle

When the fleets finally met on September 28, the United Provinces had 62 ships. They had about 1,900 cannons and 7,000 sailors. The Commonwealth of England had 68 ships, led by General at Sea Robert Blake. They had about 2,400 cannons and 10,000 sailors.

The Dutch fleet was organized into three main parts. Michiel de Ruyter was supposed to lead the front. De With himself led the center. Temporary Rear-Admiral Gideon de Wildt led the back.

The First Clash

On the morning of September 28, the Dutch fleet was still spread out because of a strong wind the night before. Around noon, they saw Blake's English fleet approaching from the south. The English had the "weather gauge," meaning the wind was behind them. This gave them a great advantage for a direct attack.

De With quickly gathered his ships around 2:30 PM. Five ships were too far north and couldn't join. De With wanted to move his flag to the Brederode. This was Tromp's old flagship and the strongest Dutch ship.

But the crew of the Brederode refused to let him on board. They called De With names and even threatened to shoot his boat. De With had a very bad reputation among common sailors. Hundreds had already left the navy when they heard he would be the commander. Cornelis Evertsen the Elder, a commander from Zealand, tried to help, but it didn't work.

The fighting started around 5:00 PM. Blake, who had moved his flag to the more agile Resolution, attacked the Dutch. Blake wanted to break through the Dutch line of ships. But as the English fleet came closer, the Dutch ships started to move away to the east. At the same time, the wind became much weaker.

Both fleets slowly passed each other in opposite directions. This was bad for the Dutch. Usually, being "leeward" (downwind) would give them a longer firing range. But with light winds, this advantage was gone. The English ships were larger and had better weapons, causing a lot of damage.

Some English ships did get into trouble. The Sovereign and James got stuck on the Kentish Knock sandbank. They managed to get free with great difficulty. The Resolution and Dolphin went too far forward and were surrounded. But other English ships came to their rescue. The Dutch ship Prins Willem was badly damaged. This made it hard for De With to lead his forces.

By 7:00 PM, the fighting stopped because it was getting dark. One Dutch ship, the Maria, was captured. Another captured ship, the Gorcum, was left by the English because it was sinking. But the Dutch managed to get it back. The Burgh van Alkmaar exploded. Many Dutch ships, their spirits shaken by the English fire, left their formation.

The Second Day

Early the next morning, about ten Dutch ships simply sailed home. Most of these were commanded by captains from Zealand. They didn't like being controlled by Holland and really disliked De With. This happened after De With had called the Zealandic captains cowards in a meeting. He warned them that there was enough wood in Holland to build gallows for them.

The situation became hopeless for the Dutch. They now had only 49 ships left. The English fleet, however, had been made stronger overnight and now had 84 ships. Still, De With wanted to try one last attack.

De With ordered the Dutch fleet to sail further south. He hoped to get the "weather gauge" again. But this plan failed. First, some ships struggled against the wind and were badly hit by English fire. Then, just as the Dutch fleet reached its planned position, the wind changed to the northeast. This gave the English the "weather gauge" once more.

Michiel de Ruyter and Cornelis Evertsen the Elder convinced De With to accept that they had lost. The Dutch fleet retreated to the east late in the afternoon, with Blake's English ships following. De With angrily described it as "like a herd of sheep fleeing the wolves." With the help of a westerly wind, De With and De Ruyter skillfully covered the retreat with about a dozen ships. The Dutch didn't lose any more vessels during this retreat.

The English fleet stopped chasing when they reached the Flemish sandbanks. De With then decided to quickly repair the fleet at sea and try another attack. His fellow commanders were shocked by this order. De Ruyter politely said, "Such courage is too perilous." Realizing he was alone in his opinion, De With finally agreed to take the fleet back to Hellevoetsluis. They arrived there on October 2 (October 12 on the modern calendar).

What Happened After the Battle?

After their defeat, the Dutch realized they needed bigger ships to fight the English. They started a huge program to build sixty new ships. These ships would only be ready years later and would first be used in the Second Anglo-Dutch War.

De With believed the main reasons for the Dutch loss were the lack of larger ships and not enough fireships. He pointed out that many small English frigates could outshoot the average Dutch warship. However, most people blamed De With himself for the defeat.

A week after the battle, a public paper said that the battle showed the difference between a popular leader and one who is disliked. It praised Admiral Tromp for being kind and inspiring his men. It said that De With, while brave, was not loved by his sailors. This lack of trust, it argued, led to the disaster.

On the same evening the States-General learned of the defeat, they asked both Tromp and Johan Evertsen to return to service.

The English thought they had almost completely defeated the Dutch. So, they sent twenty ships away to the Mediterranean Sea. This was a mistake. It led to an English defeat at the Battle of Dungeness. It also didn't stop the English Mediterranean fleet from being defeated at the Battle of Leghorn. In the Battle of Dungeness, the Dutch were again led by Tromp. De With had suffered a mental breakdown and was officially replaced as supreme commander in May 1653.

Ships Involved in the Battle

Complete lists of ships are hard to find. The English fleet's order of battle is not well known. The Dutch list below comes from different records, including Witte de With's own journal.

England (Robert Blake)

Dutch Republic (Witte de With)