# Battle of the Gabbard

The Battle of the Gabbard, was a naval battle fought from 2 to 3 June 1653 during the First Anglo-Dutch War. It took place near the Gabbard shoal off the coast of Suffolk, England, between fleets of the Commonwealth of England and the Dutch Republic. It resulted in a significant English victory.

## Battle

The English fleet had 100 ships commanded by Generals at Sea George Monck and Richard Deane and Admirals John Lawson and William Penn. The Dutch had 98 ships under Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp and Vice-admiral Witte de With, divided in five squadrons. On 2 June 1653 the Dutch attacked but were beaten back because the English employed line-of-battle tactics, making the Dutch pay a high price for attempting to board. The Dutch fleet, consisting of lighter ships, was severely damaged and lost two ships.
Tromp's fleet was organized mostly for mélée fighting. His ships were crewed with a much greater proportion of soldiers for that purpose than the English, whose methods employed the use of superior heavy guns and with musketry fire. That could overwhelm the enemy’s upper decks, with attention aimed at officers, followed up with grappling and boarding, with the objective of leaving relatively few crewmen below deck who would be committed to manning the cannons. Tromp also relied far more on the use of fireships to finish off damaged or inoperable ships, relying on his superior seamanship and experience to out- maneuver the English so as to concentrate his whole strength against a single division.
On 3 June the English were joined by Admiral Robert Blake, but Tromp decided to try again a direct attack though his ships were practically out of ammunition. A sudden lull however made his ships sitting ducks for the superior English guns. The Dutch were routed, the English chasing them until well in the evening, capturing many Dutch ships. The battle ended with the Dutch losing a total of twenty ships, of which nine were sunk and eleven captured. The English lost no ships, but Deane was killed. Tactically this was the worst defeat in Dutch naval history with the exception of the Battle of Lowestoft. Strategically the defeat threatened to be disastrous.
The victory meant that the English control over the English Channel, regained by the Battle of Portland in March after it had been lost in the Battle of Dungeness, was now extended to the North Sea. After the battle, the English imposed a blockade on the Dutch coast, capturing many merchant ships and crippling the Dutch economy . The fleets met again on 29–31 July 1653 (8–10 August 1653 Gregorian calendar) at the Battle of Scheveningen.
Reports of the battle were read in London with great exclamation. The victorious battle was the first great naval action which England had fought since the reign of Elizabeth I.

## Ships involved

Squadrons :
England
Red Squadron
Ship
Guns
Men
Commander
Notes
Ref.
Resolution
88
550
General-at-Sea George Monck General-at-Sea Richard Deane † Captain John Bourne
Worcester
50
220
Captain George Dakins
Advice
42
180
Captain Jeremy Smyth
Diamond
42
180
Captain William Hill
Sapphire
38
140
Captain Nicholas Heaton
Marmaduke
42
160
Captain Edward Blagg
Pelican
40
180
Captain Peter Mootham
Mermaid
26
100
Captain John King
Golden Fleece
44
180
Captain Nicholas Forster
Hired armed merchantman
Loyalty
34
150
Captain John Limbry
Hired armed merchantman
Society
44
140
Captain Nicholas Lucas
Hired armed merchantman
Malaga Merchant
36
140
Captain Henry Collins
Hired armed merchantman
Martin
14
90
Captain John Vessy
Fortune
10
30
Fireship
Fox
10
30
Fireship
Renown
10
30
Fireship
Triumph
62
350
Vice-Admiral James Peacock Captain Proud
Laurel
48
200
Captain John Stoakes
Adventure
40
160
Captain Robert Nixon
Providence
33
140
Captain John Peirce
Bear
46
200
Captain Francis Kirby
Heartsease
36
150
Captain Thomas Wright
Hound
36
120
Captain Jonah Hide
Anne and Joyce
34
119
Captain William Pile
Hired armed merchantman
London
40
200
Captain Arthur Browne
Hannibal
44
180
Captain William Haddock
Hired armed merchantman
Mary
37
120
Captain Henry Maddison
Thomas and William
36
140
Captain John Jefferson
Hired armed merchantman
Speaker
56
300
Rear-Admiral Samuel Howett Captain John Gibson
Sussex
46
180
Captain Roger Cuttance
Guinea
34
150
Captain Edmund Curtis
Tiger
40
170
Captain Gabriel Sanders
Violet
40
180
Captain Henry Southwood
Sophia
38
160
Captain Robert Kirby
Falmouth
26
100
Captain John Jeffreys
Four Sisters
30
120
Captain Robert Becke
Hired armed merchantman
Hamburg Merchant
34
110
Captain William Jessel
Hired armed merchantman
Phoenix
34
120
Captain Henry Eaden
White Squadron
Ship
Guns
Men
Commander
Notes
Ref.
James
66
360
Admiral William Penn Captain John Gilson
Lion
50
220
Captain John Lambert
Ruby
42
180
Captain Robert Sanders
Assistance
40
180
Captain William Crispin
Foresight
42
180
Captain Richard Stayner
Portsmouth
38
170
Captain Robert Danford
Anne Piercy
33
120
Captain Thomas Ware
Hired armed merchantman
Peter
32
100
Captain John Littleton
Exchange
30
100
Captain Henry Tedman
Hired armed merchantman
Merlin
12
90
Captain George Crapnell
Richard and Martha
46
180
Captain Eustace Smith
Hired armed merchantman
Sarah
34
140
Captain Francis Steward
Hired armed merchantman
Lissa Merchant
38
160
Captain Simon Baily
Hired armed merchantman
Fireship
10
30
Victory
60
300
Vice-Admiral Lionel Lane
Centurion
42
200
Captain Walter Wood
Expedition
32
140
Captain Thomas Foules
Gillyflower
32
120
Captain John Hayward
Middelburg
32
120
Captain Thomas Withing
Raven
38
140
Captain Robert Taylor
Exchange
32
120
Captain Jeffery Dare
Hired armed merchantman
Globe
30
110
Captain Robert Coleman
Prudent Mary
28
100
Captain John Taylor
Hired armed merchantman
Thomas and Lucy
34
125
Captain Andrew Rand
Hired armed merchantman
Andrew
56
360
Rear-Admiral Thomas Graves Captain George Dakins
Assurance
36
160
Captain Phillip Holland
Crown
36
140
Captain Thompson
Duchess
24
90
Captain Richard Seafield
Princess Maria
38
170
Captain Seth Hawly
Waterhound
30
120
Captain Giles Shelly
Pearl
26
100
Captain James Cadman
Reformation
40
160
Captain Anthony Earning
Industry
30
100
Captain Ben Salmon
Hired armed merchantman
Blue Squadron
Ship
Guns
Men
Commander
Notes
Ref.
George
58
350
Admiral John Lawson Captain Peter Strong
Kentish
50
180
Captain Jacob Reynolds
Great President
40
180
Captain Francis Park
Nonsuch
40
170
Captain Thomas Penrose
Success
38
150
Captain William Kendall
Welcome
40
200
Captain John Harman
Oak
32
120
Captain John Edwin
Brazil
30
120
Captain Thomas Heath
Hired armed merchantman
Eastland Merchant
32
110
Captain John Walters
Hired armed merchantman
Adventure
38
160
Captain Edward Greene
Hired armed merchantman
Samaritan
30
120
Captain Shadrach Blake
Hired armed merchantman
Fireship
10
30
Vanguard
56
390
Vice-Admiral Joseph Jordan
Happy Entrance
43
200
Captain Richard Newbery
Dragon
38
260
Captain John Seaman
Convert
32
120
Captain Philip Gethings
Paul
38
120
Captain Anthony Spatchurt
Gift
34
130
Captain Thomas Salmon
Crescent
30
115
Captain Thomas Thorowgood
Samuel Taboat
30
110
Captain Joseph Ames
Hired armed merchantman
Benjamin
32
120
Hired armed merchantman
King Ferdinando
36
140
Captain Richard Paine
Hired armed merchantman
Roebuck
30
100
Captain Henry Fenn
Rainbow
58
300
Rear-Admiral William Goodsonn
Convertine
44
210
Captain Anthony Joyn
Amity
36
150
Captain Henry Pack
Dolphin
30
120
Captain Robert Davis
Arms of Holland
34
120
Captain Francis Mardrig
Tulip
32
120
Captain Joseph Cubitt
Jonathan
30
110
Captain Robert Graves
Hired armed merchantman
Dragoneare
32
110
Captain Edward Smith
Hired armed merchantman
William and John
36
120
Captain Nathaniel Jesson
Hired armed merchantman
Nicodemus
12
40
Captain William Ledgart
Blossom
30
110
Captain Nathaniel Cock
Hired armed merchantman
Netherlands
98 ships – of which 6 sunk and 11 captured
Brederode, 54 (flagship of Admiral Tromp) :