93-661: Solebay may refer to: Battle of Solebay , a naval battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War in 1672 HMS Solebay , any of seven ships of the Royal Navy Adnams Brewery , in Southwold, Suffolk, England, known as Sole Bay Brewery before it was purchased in 1872 by George and Ernest Adnams Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
186-519: A direct assault on the fort by 1500 marines was beaten off by the garrison. On 3 July an attack on Osley Bay failed. On 21 July Julian calendar peace was signed. But still, Samuel Pepys notes in his diary on 19 July 1667: "The Dutch fleete are in great squadrons everywhere still about Harwich, and were lately at Portsmouth; and the last letters say at Plymouth, and now gone to Dartmouth to destroy our Streights' fleete lately got in thither; but God knows whether they can do it any hurt, or no, but it
279-566: A Parliament!'; and I do believe it will cost blood to answer for these miscarriages." As he expected a stiffening English resistance, Cornelis de Witt on 14 June decided to forego a further penetration and withdraw, towing Royal Charles along as a war trophy; Unity also was removed with a prize crew. This decision saved the scuttled capital ships Royal Katherine , Unicorn , Victory and St George . However, Dutch sailors rowed to any English ship they could reach to set her on fire, thus ensuring their reward money. One boat even re-entered
372-558: A brief skirmish. Around 9 p.m., with the onset of darkness, the battle ended, remaining largely undecided, although the Allied fleet had suffered far more damage. The Battle of Solebay, according to De Ruyter himself, "was sharper and more prolonged" than any naval battle he had ever witnessed. Losses had also been heavy on the Dutch side: one Dutch ship, the Jozua , was destroyed and another,
465-513: A few guns were present, too few to halt a possible Dutch advance upon the Thames. To prevent such a disaster, he ordered all available artillery from the capital to be positioned at Gravesend. On 11 June ( Old Style ) he went to Chatham, expecting the place to be well prepared for an attack. Two members of the Navy Board, Sir John Mennes and Lord Henry Brouncker , had already travelled there on
558-592: A fight, a notable exception being army Captain Archibald Douglas, of the Scots Foot, who personally refused to abandon Royal Oak and perished in the flames. Monmouth again escaped. The raid thus cost the English four of their remaining eight ships with more than 75 cannon. Three of the four largest "big ships" of the navy were lost. The remaining "big ship", Royal Sovereign (the former Sovereign of
651-468: A just war in self-defence" tried to repeat its success by attacking several other ports on the English east coast but was repelled each time. On 27 June an attempt to enter the Thames beyond Gravesend was called off when it became known that the river was blocked by blockships and five fireships awaited the Dutch attack. On 2 July a Dutch marine force landed near Woodbridge north of Harwich and successfully prevented Landguard Fort from being reinforced but
744-806: A lack of crew, finally managed to free himself from Van Brakel at low tide. But the Royal James now drifted away, sinking, and was attacked by several fire ships . She sank two, but a third commanded by Van den Ryn, the same captain who had cut through the chain at the Medway, set the Royal James on fire. Its approach shielded by Vice-Admiral Isaac Sweers 's Oliphant . After nine-tenths of its thousand crew members had been killed or wounded Sandwich, abandoned by part of his own squadron under Joseph Jordan , who had engaged vice admiral Volckert Schram's division, remained on his burning ship until he met his death in
837-539: A second set of commanders; this was done to use these as flag officers of a special frigate landing force, to be formed on arrival and to be headed by Colonel and Lieutenant-Admiral Van Ghent, on the frigate Agatha . Baron Van Ghent was in fact the real commander of the expedition and had done all the operational planning, as he had been the former commander of the Dutch Marine Corps (the first corps in history to be specialised in amphibious operations) that now
930-598: A sharp address to the Dutch ambassador, Pieter de Groot , at the New Year's reception at his court. As French troops advanced towards the Rhine and the armies of Münster and Cologne penetrated the eastern provinces, the combined English and French fleets were poised to strike the Republic from the sea. The joint Anglo-French fleet consisted of 93 warships (sources vary), 35,000-40,000 men and 6,158 cannon. The Allies under
1023-415: A token attack at some medium-sized and exposed target like Harwich, which place therefore had been strongly fortified in the spring. There was no clear line of command with most responsible authorities giving hasty orders without bothering to co-ordinate them first. As a result, there was much confusion. Charles did not take matters into his own hands, deferring mostly to the opinion of others. English morale
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#17327980340571116-538: Is a Papist; that Upnor, the old good castle built by Queen Elizabeth, should be lately slighted; that the ships at Chatham should not be carried up higher. They look upon us as lost, and remove their families and rich goods in the City; and do think verily that the French, being come down with his army to Dunkirke, it is to invade us, and that we shall be invaded. Then even worse news is brought: "Late at night comes Mr. Hudson,
1209-572: Is come up into the Hope. Upon which newes the King and Duke of York have been below [London Bridge] since four o'clock in the morning, to command the sinking of ships at Barking-Creeke , and other places, to stop their coming up higher: which put me into such a fear, that I presently resolved of my father's and wife's going into the country; and, at two hours' warning, they did go by the coach this day, with about £1300 in gold in their night-bag. The entire city
1302-530: Is in a state of panic: (...)never were people so dejected as they are in the City all over at this day; and do talk most loudly, even treason; as, that we are bought and sold – that we are betrayed by the Papists, and others, about the King; cry out that the office of the Ordnance hath been so backward as no powder to have been at Chatham nor Upnor Castle till such a time, and the carriages all broken; that Legg
1395-507: Is shattered: "(...)his clerk, Powell, do tell me that ill newes is come to Court of the Dutch breaking the Chaine at Chatham; which struck me to the heart. And to White Hall to hear the truth of it; and there, going up the back-stairs, I did hear some lacquies speaking of sad newes come to Court, saying, that hardly anybody in the Court but do look as if he cried(...)." Pepys immediately draws
1488-420: Is the best news we have had a good while. At that moment De Ruyter had already been on De Zeven Provinciën for a week. Nevertheless, he is aware of the preparations at Chatham, writing on 23 March: At the office all the morning, where Sir W. Pen [ sic ] come, being returned from Chatham, from considering the means of fortifying the river Medway, by a chain at the stakes, and ships laid there with guns to keep
1581-510: Is very sad, and puts us into great fears of Chatham. In the morning of the 12th he is reassured by the measures taken by Monck: "(...) met Sir W. Coventry's boy; and there in his letter find that the Dutch had made no motion since their taking Sheernesse; and the Duke of Albemarle writes that all is safe as to the great ships against any assault, the boom and chaine being so fortified; which put my heart into great joy." Soon, however, this confidence
1674-542: The Battle of Schooneveld in 1673. Not all fireships are listed; there were about 24 of them on the Allied, 36 on the Dutch side. In his novel, “The Black Tulip”, Alexandre Dumas refers to the historical role of Cornelius de Witt in the battle. (Chapter 2, “The Two Brothers”) 52°24′N 1°48′E / 52.4°N 1.8°E / 52.4; 1.8 Raid on the Medway Dutch victory The Raid on
1767-520: The Duke of York and Vice-Admirals Earl of Sandwich and Comte Jean II d'Estrées planned to blockade the Dutch in their home ports and deny the North Sea to Dutch shipping. The Dutch had at their disposal a fleet of 75 warships, 20,738 men and 4,484 cannon, commanded by Lieutenant-Admirals Michiel de Ruyter , Adriaen Banckert and Willem Joseph van Ghent . The Dutch had hoped to repeat the success of
1860-626: The Earl of Oxford on 8 June to mobilise the militia of all counties around London; also all available barges should be used to lay a ship's bridge across the Lower Thames, so that the English cavalry could quickly switch positions from one bank to the other. Sir Edward Spragge , the Vice-Admiral, learned on 9 June that a Dutch raiding party had come ashore on the Isle of Grain (a peninsula where
1953-715: The Northern Quarter . Hearing that the squadron of Frisia was not yet ready because of recruiting problems ( impressment being forbidden in the Republic), he left for the Schooneveld off the Dutch coast to join the squadron of Zealand that, however, suffered from similar problems. De Ruyter then departed for the Thames on 4 June ( Old Style used by the English, the Dutch at the time were officially using New Style dates) with 62 frigates or ships-of-the-line, about fifteen lighter ships and twelve fireships , when
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#17327980340572046-605: The Raid on the Medway and a frigate squadron under Van Ghent sailed up the Thames in May but discovered that Sheerness Fort was now too well prepared to pass. The Dutch main fleet came too late, mainly due to coordination problems between the five Dutch admiralties , to prevent a joining of the English and French fleets. It followed the Allied fleet to the north, which, unaware of this, put in at Solebay to refit. On 7 June at dawn, around 5 a.m., off Orfordness , De Ruyter suddenly appeared in
2139-585: The Stavoren , captured, a third Dutch ship had an accident during repairs immediately after the battle and blew up. In a strategic sense, it was however a clear Dutch victory as it deterred Anglo-French plans to blockade Dutch ports and land troops on the Dutch coast. Tactically both sides sustained heavy damages; two English ships were sunk, including the fleet's flagship the ‘’Royal James’’, as well as two French ships sunk. The Dutch also lost two large ships, in addition to many fire ships. The fleets met again at
2232-494: The Third Anglo-Dutch War , near Southwold , Suffolk , in eastern England . A Dutch fleet under Michiel de Ruyter attacked a combined Anglo - French force in one of the largest naval battles of the age of sail . Fighting continued much of the day, but ended at sunset without a clear victory. However, the scattered Allied fleet had suffered far more damage and was forced to abandon any plans to land troops on
2325-733: The coat of arms with the Lion and Unicorn and the Royal inscription Dieu et mon droit , was preserved because Charles earlier had demanded its removal and it has since 1883 been put on display in the cellar of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. On 14 March 2012 the transom was transported to England on board the Royal Netherlands Navy patrol ship Holland , accompanied by the then Dutch crown prince Willem-Alexander , where it
2418-670: The Admiralty, sending a pessimistic message to the Navy Board , lamenting the absence of Navy senior officials whose help and advice he believed he needed. The thirty ships were those of Van Ghent's squadron of frigates. The Dutch fleet carried about a thousand marines and landing parties were dispatched to Canvey Island in Essex and opposite on the Kent side at Sheerness . These men had strict orders by Cornelis de Witt not to plunder, as
2511-528: The City of London refused to share in it, Charles had the name of the latter ship changed to a simple London . For a few years the English fleet was handicapped by its losses during the raid, but by around 1670 a new building programme had restored the English Navy to its former strength. The Raid on the Medway was a serious blow to the reputation of the English crown . Charles felt personally offended by
2604-500: The Dutch are out in force: the Dutch are known to be abroad with eighty sail of ships of war, and twenty fire-ships; and the French come into the Channell with twenty sail of men-of-war, and five fireships , while we have not a ship at sea to do them any hurt with; but are calling in all we can, while our Embassadors are treating at Bredah; and the Dutch look upon them as come to beg peace, and use them accordingly; and all this through
2697-581: The Dutch coast. In 1672, both France and England declared war on the Dutch Republic, on the 6th and 7th of April respectively. Johan de Witt , the Dutch Grand Pensionary , still harbored some hope for successful negotiations, especially with the support of influential anti-Catholic English figures such as Sir William Temple and the Earl of Sandwich . However, Louis XIV of France had already revealed his true intentions during
2790-471: The Dutch in 1665, from the privateer Cornelis Evertsen the Youngest ) was raised from forty to sixty; also the number of fireships was increased from one to three. Additionally thirty large sloops were to be prepared to row any ship to safety in case of an emergency. Sir William Coventry declared that a Dutch landing near London was very unlikely; at most the Dutch, to bolster their morale, would launch
2883-479: The Dutch prize crew however got drunk on the brandy found and allowed the ship to be later recaptured by the English. Van Ghent's death presented a formidable challenge for De Ruyter, who was now also under attack from some of the ships from Sandwich's squadron commanded by Jordan. Meanwhile, York had to transfer from the damaged St Michael to the London, Spragge's flagship, due to severe leaks. The battle centered on
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2976-522: The Dutch wanted to shame the English whose troops had sacked Terschelling during Holmes's Bonfire in August 1666. Nevertheless, the crew of Captain Jan van Brakel could not control themselves. They were driven off by English militia, and found themselves under threat of severe punishment upon returning to the Dutch fleet. Van Brakel offered to lead the attack the next day to avoid the penalty. Charles ordered
3069-474: The English fire, themselves suffering about forty casualties in dead and wounded. Three of the finest and heaviest vessels in the navy, already sunk to prevent capture, now perished by fire: first Loyal London , set alight by Rotterdam under commander Cornelis Jacobsz van der Hoeven; then Royal James and finally Royal Oak , that withstood attempts by two fireships but was burnt by a third. The English crews abandoned their half-flooded ships, mostly without
3162-463: The English had they nevertheless been able to gain a victory; an example of this is When London burned , written by the novelist G. A. Henty in 1895. In the short term, the Lord Chancellor , Edward Hyde was made the scapegoat, impeached and forced into exile. Total losses for the Dutch were eight spent fireships and about fifty casualties. In the Republic the populace was jubilant after
3255-502: The French squadron under d'Estrées, which flew the white flag. The French, quite far away from the English squadrons, steered south followed by Banckert. They fiercely exchanged fire throughout the day, inflicting severe damage on each other without significantly influencing the battle's outcome. This later led to various speculations about the actual separation of the two squadrons, with many wrongly attributing it to secret mutual agreements or D'Estrees' reluctance to participate more fully in
3348-430: The London area to be protected by only a small number of active ships, most of them prizes taken earlier in the war from the Dutch. As a further measure of economy, on 24 March the Duke of York had ordered the discharge of most of the crews of the prize vessels, leaving only three guard ships at the Medway; in compensation the crew of one of them, the frigate Unity (former Eendracht , the first ship to be captured from
3441-701: The Medway , during the Second Anglo-Dutch War in June 1667, was a successful attack conducted by the Dutch navy on English warships laid up in the fleet anchorages off Chatham Dockyard and Gillingham in the county of Kent . At the time, the fortress of Upnor Castle and a barrier chain called the "Gillingham Line" were supposed to protect the English ships. The Dutch, under nominal command of Willem Joseph van Ghent and Lieutenant-Admiral Michiel de Ruyter , over several days bombarded and captured
3534-545: The Medway had not yet been protected by batteries . This chain system had been built during the English Civil War to repel a possible attack by the Royalist fleet, replacing earlier versions, the first dating back to 1585. Albemarle immediately ordered the artillery to be moved from Gravesend to Chatham, which would take a day. The Dutch fleet arrived at the Isle of Sheppey on 10 June, and launched an attack on
3627-684: The Ordnance directions in this matter, he did move that we might do it as privately as we could, that it might not come into the Dutch Gazette presently, as the King's and Duke of York's going down the other day to Sheerenesse was, the week after, in the Harlem Gazette. The King and Duke of York both laughed at it, and made no matter, but said, "Let us be safe, and let them talk, for there is nothing will trouble them more, nor will prevent their coming more, than to hear that we are fortifying ourselves". Only on 3 June does Pepys become aware that
3720-512: The Scottish garrison now deserted. Seven remained, but their position became untenable when some 800 Dutch marines landed about a mile away. With Sheerness thus lost, its guns being captured by the Dutch and the building blown up, Spragge sailed up river for Chatham on his yacht Henrietta . Many officers were now assembled there: Spragge himself, the next day also Monck and several men of the admiralty board. All gave orders countermanding those of
3813-475: The Seas rebuilt as a two-decker), was preserved due to her being at Portsmouth at the time. De Ruyter now joined Van Ghent's squadron in person. The diary of Samuel Pepys , as secretary of the Navy Board , is often cited in descriptions of the raid, as it gives direct information about the attitude of the policy makers in this period and of the psychological impact of the attack. Pepys at first seems to accept
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3906-461: The battle had to be fought between the main squadrons. Having the weather gauge , De Ruyter attacked the enemy around 8 a.m. at full speed. He himself directing his attack against the middle squadron as usual. The Duke of York, who commanded the Allied middle squadron, and De Ruyter fiercely bombarded each other. York would have to move his flag twice, finally to London , as his flagships Prince and St Michael were taken out of action. The Prince
3999-465: The battle, possibly related to a supposed mission to weaken the two great maritime powers against each other. Nevertheless, the Superbe was heavily damaged and des Rabesnières killed by fire from Enno Doedes Star 's Groningen ; total French casualties were about 450. The battle between squadrons of Sandwich and Van Ghent was no less bloody than that between those of York and De Ruyter. Here, too,
4092-411: The chain were adjusted to enable them to bring their broadsides to bear upon it. Monmouth was also moored above the chain, positioned so that she could bring her guns to bear on the space between Charles V and Matthias . The frigate Marmaduke and Norway Merchant were sunk above the chain; the large Sancta Maria (former VOC ship Slot van Honingen of 70 cannon) foundered while being moved for
4185-526: The chain. According to Dutch eyewitness Otto de Vooght and 17th century historian Gerard Brandt the chain was broken by a landing party of Dutch engineers commanded by Rear-Admiral David Vlugh using hammers. The more spectacular traditional version of events can be traced to a play by Joost van den Vondel . Next the Matthias was destroyed by fire. The fireships Catharina and Schiedam attacked Charles V ; Catharina under commander Hendrik Hendriksz
4278-473: The chain. This way the large Golden Phoenix and House of Sweden (the former VOC ships Gulden Phenix and Huis van Swieten ) and Welcome and Leicester were lost and the smaller Constant John , Unicorn and John and Sarah ; when this was shown by Spragge to be insufficient, personally sounding the depth of a second channel despite the assurances by Pett, they were joined by Barbados Merchant , Dolphin , Edward and Eve , Hind and Fortune . To do this
4371-451: The conclusion that this will mean the end of Charles's regime and that a revolution is inevitable: "All our hearts do now ake; for the newes is true, that the Dutch have broke the chaine and burned our ships, and particularly "The Royal Charles", other particulars I know not, but most sad to be sure. And, the truth is, I do fear so much that the whole kingdom is undone, that I do this night resolve to study with my father and wife what to do with
4464-490: The consensus that the Dutch would not dare to launch an expedition against the London area; still on 18 April he writes: (...)then to the office, where the news is strong that not only the Dutch cannot set out a fleete this year, but that the French will not, and that he [ Louis XIV ] hath given the answer to the Dutch Embassador, saying that he is for the King of England's having an honourable peace, which, if true,
4557-409: The cooper, my neighbour, and tells me that he come from Chatham this evening at five o'clock, and saw this afternoon "The Royal James," "Oake," and "London," burnt by the enemy with their fire-ships: that two or three men-of-war come up with them, and made no more of Upnor Castle's shooting, than of a fly(...)." On the 14th more details become known of the events the previous day, showing the morale of
4650-497: The damage caused by the raid at about £20,000, apart from the replacement costs of the four lost capital ships; the total loss of the Royal Navy must have been close to £200,000. Pett was made a scapegoat, bailed at £5,000 and deprived of his office while those who had ignored his earlier warnings quietly escaped any blame. Royal James , Royal Oak and Loyal London were in the end salvaged and rebuilt, but at great cost and when
4743-525: The death of the lieutenant admiral soon became known, causing significant disruption in his squadron. In the centre Lieutenant-Admiral Aert Jansse van Nes on the Eendracht first duelled Vice-Admiral Edward Spragge on HMS London and then was attacked by HMS Royal Katherine . The latter ship was then so heavily damaged that Captain John Chichely struck her flag and was taken prisoner;
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#17327980340574836-578: The docks to make sure nothing was left above the waterline of the English vessels Royal Oak , Royal James and Loyal London ; another burned the merchantman Slot van Honingen, though it had been intended to salvage this precious ship. By chance, the shore facilities of Chatham Dockyard escaped destruction as no Dutch vessels reached her docks; the survival of these docks ensured the Royal Navy could repair her sunken ships. English villages were plundered—by their own troops. The Dutch fleet, after celebrating by collectively thanking God for "a great victory in
4929-400: The enemy from coming up to burn our ships; all our care now being to fortify ourselves against their invading us. Also he is the next day present at the meeting where the details are given: All their care they now take is to fortify themselves, and are not ashamed of it: for when by and by my Lord Arlington come in with letters, and seeing the King and Duke of York give us and the officers of
5022-482: The events. Cornelis de Witt had a large "Sea Triumph" painted, with himself as the main subject, which was displayed in the townhall of Dordt . This triumphalism by De Witt's States faction caused resentment with the rivalling Orangist faction; when the States regime lost its power during the rampjaar of 1672, Cornelis's head was to be ceremoniously carved out from the painting, after Charles had for some years insisted
5115-523: The fact the Dutch had attacked while he had laid up his fleet and peace negotiations were in progress. His resentment was one of the causes of the Third Anglo-Dutch War as it made him enter into the secret Treaty of Dover with King Louis XIV of France. In the 19th century, several British writers expanded on this theme by suggesting it had been the Dutch who had sued for peace after their defeats in 1666—although in fact these had made them, if anything, more belligerent—and that only by treacherously attacking
5208-529: The feasibility of such a daring attack, fearing the treacherous shoals in the Thames Estuary , but they obeyed orders nevertheless. The Dutch made use of two English pilots who had defected, one a dissenter named Robert Holland, the other a smuggler who had fled English justice. On 17 May the squadron of the Admiralty of Rotterdam with De Ruyter sailed to Texel to join those of Amsterdam and
5301-583: The fiercest fighting took place between the admiral's ships and their "seconds." The flagship of Sandwich, the HMS Royal James , was first fiercely engaged by Lieutenant-Admiral Van Ghent, who in 1667 had executed the Raid on the Medway , on the Dolfijn . Van Brakel, who actually belonged to De Ruyter's squadron, took it upon himself to engage Sandwich's ship with the Groot Hollandia to aid
5394-436: The fleet to supervise. Peace negotiations had been in progress at Breda since March, but Charles had been procrastinating over the signing of peace, hoping to improve his position through secret French assistance. Based on these assumptions De Witt thought it best to end the war quickly with a clear victory, thereby ensuring a more advantageous settlement for the Dutch Republic. Most Dutch flag officers had strong doubts about
5487-484: The heavier vessels behind as a covering force. They could only advance in jumps when the tide was favourable. After raising the alarm on 6 June at Chatham Dockyard , Commissioner Peter Pett seems not to have taken any further action until 9 June when, late in the afternoon, a fleet of about thirty Dutch ships was sighted in the Thames off Sheerness. At this point the Commissioner immediately sought assistance from
5580-425: The heavily attacked Van Ghent. He incessantly pounded the hull of the Royal James for over an hour and bringing her into such a condition that Lord Sandwich considered to strike his flag but decided against it because it was beneath his honour to surrender to a mere captain of low birth. Van Ghent was killed around 10 a.m. in this ship battle, and the desperate Sandwich, who couldn't board the Groot Hollandia due to
5673-505: The incomplete Garrison Point Fort . Captain Jan van Brakel in Vrede , ("peace") followed by two other men-of-war , sailed as close to the fort as possible to engage it with cannon fire. Sir Edward Spragge was in command of the ships at anchor in the Medway and those off Sheerness, but the only ship able to defend against the Dutch was the frigate Unity , which was stationed off the fort. Unity
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#17327980340575766-528: The little that I have in money by me(...)." On the 13th, the countermeasures proposed only increase his fears and make him decide to take his family and capital to safety: No sooner up but hear the sad newes confirmed of the Royall Charles being taken by them, and now in fitting by them—which Pett should have carried up higher by our several orders, and deserves, therefore, to be hanged for not doing it—and turning several others; and that another fleete
5859-514: The men first intended for the warships to be protected were used, so the most valuable ships were basically without crews. These blockships were placed in a rather easterly position, on the line Upchurch – Stoke , and could not be covered by fire. Monck then decided also to sink blockships in Upnor Reach near Upnor Castle, presenting another barrier to the Dutch should they break through the chain at Gillingham . The defensive chain placed across
5952-574: The negligence of our Prince, who hath power, if he would, to master all these with the money and men that he hath had the command of, and may now have, if he would mind his business. Not until 10 June does Pepys understand that the Thames is the target: "News brought us that, the Dutch are come up as high as the Nore; and more pressing orders for fireships." The next day a growing sense of panic becomes apparent: Up, and more letters still from Sir W. Coventry about more fire-ships, and so Sir W. Batten and I to
6045-442: The office, where Bruncker come to us, who is just now going to Chatham upon a desire of Commissioner Pett's, who is in a very fearful stink for fear of the Dutch, and desires help for God and the King and kingdom's sake. So Bruncker goes down, and Sir J. Minnes also, from Gravesend. This morning Pett writes us word that Sheernesse is lost last night, after two or three hours' dispute. The enemy hath possessed himself of that place; which
6138-478: The others so that utter confusion reigned. As his artillery would not arrive soon, Monck on the 11th ordered a squadron of cavalry and a company of soldiers to reinforce Upnor Castle . River defences were hastily improvised with blockships sunk, and the chain across the river was guarded by light batteries. Pett proposed that several big and smaller ships be sunk to block the Musselbank channel in front of
6231-457: The picture would be removed. Royal Charles , her draft too deep to be of use in the shallow Dutch waters, was permanently drydocked near Hellevoetsluis as a tourist attraction, with day trips being organised for large parties, often of foreign state guests. After vehement protests by Charles that this insulted his honour, the official visits were ended and Royal Charles was eventually scrapped in 1672; however, part of her transom , bearing
6324-422: The rear and considerably south of the English, whose vanguard under Sandwich and middle squadron under York lay close to the coast. De Ruyter had employed a new formation, creating from the various squadrons under Jan van Brakel a " forlorn hope " squadron of 18 ships and 18 fireships, which was to attack the enemy ahead of the main force and attempt to cause confusion with its fireships. However, this failed, and
6417-520: The remaining "big ships" laid up. The Dutch seized this opportunity to attack the English. They had made earlier plans for such an attack in 1666 after the Four Days' Battle but were prevented from carrying them out by their defeat in the St James's Day Battle . The mastermind behind the plan was the leading Dutch politician Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt . His brother Cornelis de Witt accompanied
6510-630: The river Medway in Kent, meets the River Thames). Musketeers from the Sheerness garrison opposite were sent to investigate. Only in the afternoon of 10 June did Charles instruct Admiral George Monck, Duke of Albemarle to go to Chatham to take charge of matters, a full three days later ordering Admiral Prince Rupert to organise the defences at Woolwich . Albemarle went first to Gravesend where he noted to his dismay that there and at Tilbury only
6603-407: The river had at its lowest point been lying practically nine feet (about three metres) under the water between its stages, owing to its weight, so it was still possible for light ships to pass it. Attempts were made to raise it by placing stages under it closer to the shore. The positions of Charles V and Matthias (former Dutch merchantmen Carolus Quintus and Geldersche Ruyter ), just above
6696-425: The sailors: "[he] did hear many Englishmen aboard the Dutch ships speaking to one another in English, and that they did cry and say: 'We did heretofore fight for tickets; now we fight for dollars !' and did ask how such and such a one did, and would commend themselves to them: which is a sad consideration", and the mood of the people towards Charles "they did in open streets yesterday at Westminster, cry, 'A Parliament!
6789-419: The same day. When Albemarle arrived, however, he found only twelve of the eight hundred dockyard men expected and these in a state of panic; of the thirty sloops only ten were present, the other twenty having been used to evacuate the personal possessions of several officials, such as Pett's ship models. No munitions or powder were available and the six-inch-thick iron chain built as a navigational barrier across
6882-404: The same purpose. Pett also informed Monck that Royal Charles had to be moved upriver. He had been ordered by the Duke of York on 27 March to do this, but as yet had not complied. Monck at first refused to make available some of his small number of sloops, as they were needed to move supplies; when he at last found the captain of Matthias willing to assist, Pett answered that it was too late as he
6975-499: The sight of the Allied fleet. Although a lack of wind prevented De Ruyter from launching an attack with his fireships, the confusion among the suddenly alarmed English and French was still significant. Officers and sailors, still on shore, were quickly signaled to return to their ships, and the Anglo-French fleet immediately set sail, though in less than ideal order. The French, whether through accident or design, found themselves in
7068-643: The title Solebay . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Solebay&oldid=702177004 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Battle of Solebay Upper Rhine France Southern Italy North Germany and Scandinavia Pyrenees Americas Naval battles The Battle of Solebay took place on 6 June 1672 New Style , during
7161-459: The town of Sheerness , sailed up the Thames Estuary to Gravesend , then sailed into the River Medway to Chatham and Gillingham, where they engaged fortifications with cannon fire, burned or captured three capital ships and ten more ships of the line , and captured and towed away the flagship of the English fleet, HMS Royal Charles . Politically, the raid was disastrous for
7254-586: The two middle squadrons. The two fleets, under light winds, drifted southward along the banks of Lowestoft and as far as Aldbrough , engaged in intense and chaotic combat. By late evening, De Ruyter managed to maneuver behind the English centre. He now headed toward Banckert, while York maneuvered towards D'Estrees. During this maneuver, De Ruyter encountered a smaller vessel, the Rainbow , commanded by Captain James Storey, which he left severely damaged after
7347-591: The victory; many festivities were held, repeated when the fleet returned in October, the various admirals being hailed as heroes. They were rewarded by a flood of eulogies and given honorary golden chains and pensions by the States General and the lesser States of the Provinces; De Ruyter, Cornelis de Witt and Van Ghent were honoured by precious enamelled golden chalices made by Nicolaes Lockeman , depicting
7440-545: The war plans of Charles II of England . It led to a quick end to the war, and a favourable peace for the Dutch. It was one of the worst defeats in the Royal Navy 's history, and one of the worst suffered by the British military. Horace George Franks called it the "most serious defeat it has ever had in its home waters." In 1667 Charles II 's active fleet was in a reduced state due to recent expenditure restrictions, with
7533-523: The waves. He and his son-in-law Philip Carteret drowned trying to escape when his sloop collapsed under the weight of panicked sailors jumping in; his body washed ashore, only recognisable by the scorched clothing still showing the shield of the Order of the Garter . The battle continued for hours, with Van Panhuys, Van Ghent's captain, flying his flag on De Witt's express orders to prevent panic. Despite this,
7626-601: The whole of the Thames side as far up as London was in a panic—some spread the rumour that the Dutch were in the process of transporting a French army from Dunkirk for a full-scale invasion—and many wealthy citizens fled the city, taking their most valuable possessions with them. The Dutch continued their advance into the Chatham docks with the fireships Delft , Rotterdam , Draak , Wapen van Londen , Gouden Appel and Princess , under English fire from Upnor Castle and from three shore batteries. A number of Dutch frigates suppressed
7719-643: The wind turned to the east. The fleet was reorganised into three squadrons: the first was commanded by De Ruyter himself, with as Vice-Admiral Johan de Liefde and Rear-Admiral Jan Jansse van Nes ; the second was commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Aert Jansse van Nes with as Vice-Admiral Enno Doedes Star and Rear-Admiral Willem van der Zaan ; the third was commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Baron Willem Joseph van Ghent with Lieutenant-Admiral Jan van Meppel in subcommand and as Vice-Admirals Isaac Sweers and Volckert Schram and as Rear-Admirals David Vlugh and Jan Gideonsz Verburgh. The third squadron thus effectively had
7812-441: Was " bevelen zijn bevelen " ("orders are orders"), that Cornelis, after retiring to his cabin late in the night, wrote in his daily report he did not feel at all sure that he would be obeyed. The next day it transpired however that most officers were in for a bit of adventure; they had just given their professional opinion for the record so they could blame the politicians should the whole enterprise end in disaster. That day an attempt
7905-525: Was busy sinking the blockships and there was no pilot to be found daring to take such a risk anyway. Meanwhile, the first Dutch frigates to arrive had already begun to move the Edward and Eve away, clearing a channel by nightfall. Van Ghent's squadron now advanced up the Medway on 12 June, attacking the English defences at the chain. First Unity was taken by Van Brakel by assault. Then the fireship Pro Patria under commander Jan Daniëlsz van Rijn broke through
7998-533: Was crippled by De Ruyter's flagship De Zeven Provinciën in a two hours' duel. De Ruyter was accompanied by the representative of the States-General of the Netherlands , Cornelis de Witt (the brother of Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt ) who bravely remained seated on the main deck, although half of his guard of honour standing next to him was killed or wounded. In the meantime Banckert had taken on
8091-551: Was headed by the Englishman Colonel Thomas Dolman. On 6 June a fog bank was blown away and revealed the Dutch task force, sailing into the mouth of the Thames. On 7 June Cornelis de Witt revealed his secret instructions from the States General , written on 20 May, in the presence of all commanders. There were so many objections, while De Ruyter's only substantial contribution to the discussion
8184-401: Was low. Not having been paid for months or even years, most sailors and soldiers were less than enthusiastic to risk their lives. England had only a small army and the few available units were dispersed as Dutch intentions were unclear. This explains why no effective countermeasures were taken though it took the Dutch about five days to reach Chatham, slowly maneuvering through the shoals, leaving
8277-430: Was made possible by lowering her draft by bringing her into a slight tilt. The jack was struck while a trumpeter played "Joan's placket is torn". Only Monmouth escaped. Seeing the disaster Monck ordered all sixteen remaining warships further up to be sunk to prevent them from being captured, making for a total of about thirty ships deliberately sunk by the English themselves. As Andrew Marvell satirised: On 13 June,
8370-492: Was made to capture a fleet of twenty English merchantmen seen higher up the Thames in the direction of London, but this failed as these fled to the west, beyond Gravesend . The attack caught the English unaware. No serious preparations had been made for such an eventuality, although there had been ample warning from the extensive English spy network. Most frigates were assembled in squadrons at Harwich and in Scotland, leaving
8463-466: Was pretty news come the other day so fast, of the Dutch fleets being in so many places, that Sir W. Batten at table cried, By God, says he, I think the Devil shits Dutchmen. " And on 29 July 1667: "Thus in all things, in wisdom, courage, force, knowledge of our own streams, and success, the Dutch have the best of us, and do end the war with victory on their side". Wharf official John Norman estimated
8556-506: Was sunk by the shore batteries but Schiedam under commander Gerrit Andriesz Mak set Charles V alight; the crew was captured by Van Brakel. Royal Charles , with only thirty cannon aboard and abandoned by her skeleton crew when they saw Matthias burn, was then captured by the Irishman Thomas Tobiasz, the flag captain of Vice-Admiral Johan de Liefde , and carried off to the Netherlands despite an unfavourable tide. This
8649-405: Was supported by a number of ketches and fireships at Garrison Point, and by the fort, where sixteen guns had been hastily placed. Unity fired one broadside, but then, when attacked by a Dutch fireship, she withdrew up the Medway, followed by the English fireships and ketches. The Dutch fired on the fort; two men were hit. It then transpired that no surgeon was available and most of the soldiers of
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