Monument record MWX5098 - Battle of Portland / Three days battle (1653) / Driedaagse Zeeslag

In 1653, the English fought the Dutch off Portland Bill during the First Anglo-Dutch war. The Battle of Portland, also known as the Three Days' Battle or Three Days' Fight (Driedaagse Zeeslag in Dutch) took place between 18th and 20th February 1653 according to the Julian Calendar then in use in England (28th February to 2nd March according to the Gregorian Calendar in use in the Netherlands), during the First Anglo-Dutch War (1652-4). While convoying homeward-bound merchant ships from the Atlantic via La Rochelle through the Channel, the Dutch fleet under Maarten Tromp were intercepted by the English under General-at-Sea Robert Blake. The battle was fought with three distinct actions each day, off Portland itself (1582336), off Dunnose Point, Isle of Wight (1582492) and off Beachy Head and Fairlight (1582686) as the Dutch fleet retreated eastwards, covering the convoy. The battle resulted in at least four ships sunk on the Dutch side, the capture of another that was later sunk as a harbour foundation, while an English ship was abandoned and left to sink, being severely disabled; however, though it was claimed as an English victory, it was inconclusive since the Dutch were able to fight a rearguard action and largely preserve their convoy. Another ship which took part, the VANGUARD, was scuttled in 1667 (1179295).The Battle of Portland was preceded in the First Anglo-Dutch War by the battles of the Goodwin Sands, 1652 (1573120); Plymouth, 1652 (1573415); the Kentish Knock, 1652 (1573472); Dungeness, 1652 (1575143), and was followed by the Battle of the Gabbard, 1653 (1572919). The concluding action of the war, the Battle of Scheveningen, took place in Dutch waters.

During the First Anglo-Dutch war, after the defeat at Dungeness, the English assembled a fleet large enough to equal the strength of the Dutch and proceeded to attack the Dutch fleet as they escorted a large convoy. As well as the engagement off Portland, there were other partial engagements along the channel, in the end the Dutch brought their fleet safely into Gravelines, despite being defeated.

The Dutch losses were great and includes 11 warships and 30 merchantmen, with nearly 2,000 crew being killed.

There are discrepancies about the dates of the battle from the sources, owing to the differences between the Julian Calander (in use in England) and the Gregorian Calander (in use on the continent). Half state the date as the 18th to 20th of February 1653 (Gregorain) and the other half state the dates of the battle as the 28th of February to 2nd of March 1653 (Julian). (6)

With the exception of the Dutch newspapers cited below, for the primary sources relating to this running battle, please see the subsidiary locations for the three days of the battle, in which each engagement took place in a different location: Portland itself on the 18th (1582336), the Isle of Wight on the 19th (1582492), and off Beachy Head on the 20th.

Note that during the Anglo-Dutch wars, English and Dutch sources differ in their dating, the Dutch having already adopted the Gregorian New Style Calendar, the basis of the modern reckoning, and the English retaining the Julian Old Style Calendar, with the New Year additionally beginning on 25th March, so that dates between 1st January and 24th March inclusive were dated the year 'behind' the modern year. Thus the dates of the battle were 18 to 20 February 1652 according to the English calendar; 28 February to 2 March 1653 according to the Dutch calendar.

Primary sources:

Translated and paraphrased from the original Dutch:

Extract of a letter from Vlissingen, dated the 12th of this month:

'Passengers from England and our seamen inform us that the Engish have had such a great victory in the battle that they have taken 13 of our warships and 160 of our merchantmen.' (4)

From London, the 7th:

'We have received tidings that a bloody fight has taken place between our Armada and Admirals Blake, Deane and Monck. Our fleet [sic]* consisted of 70 to 80 warships with approximately 4000 soldiers. The Dutch fleet consisted of 70 warships and 250 merchantmen. The fight began on the 28th February and lasted until the 2nd March. We have never heard of anything like as many ships shot up and damaged by fire on both sides. A great warship and a ship laden with wine have been brought into Portsmouth. So many of our ships have come in to repair . . . We hear that there have been many dead and wounded from our fleet and men say that Admiral Blake has died of his wounds.' ** (5)

*this reproduces letters from London, thus in this case inadvertently represents the English point of view, although two sentences later the dates are expressed as New Style, having thus been corrected for the Dutch readership.
**this was not true.

Secondary sources:

Three Days' Fight, 18-20 February, 1653.

An English fleet intercepted Admiral Tromp with a homeward-bound convoy off Portland. The fleets were equally matched with about 80 warships, but each had their own problems. The English were divided; the Dutch were concerned with protecting the convoy. Tromp engaged immediately, 'hoping to defeat the English piecemeal', but the English admirals fought so well that they closed the advantage, with reinforcements arriving. The English had the advantage of 'home territory', being able to despatch damaged ships into port for repair and to redistribute the crews among the ships.

The following day, on resuming the engagement, the English captured two Dutch warships and a dozen merchantmen, scattering the convoy, and fighting continued again on the 20th. The fleets were then off Boulogne but the Dutch managed to escape on the 21st, with the loss of four warships captured, five sunk, and two or three more abandoned and burned, and approximately 50 of the convoy captured, for the loss of one English ship and three others disabled. (1)

Each side had intelligence of the other. Tromp, with 75 ships, made rendezvous with the 150-strong Mediterranean convoy off La Rochelle in January 1653, hoping to escort them home before the English fleet was ready to put to sea, but he was delayed by stragglers and bad weather. The English had intelligence of the Dutch fleet and put to sea on 11 February, hoping to intercept them. By 16 February the Dutch had reached the mouth [western end] of the Channel, where the English hoped to attack them, as far as possible from any home advantage, but were themselves disadvantaged by the breadth of the English Channel at this point.

Blake was off Alderney when the Dutch fleet was sighted and the English hastened north, but the wind at NW favoured the Dutch. He turned to face the Dutch attack, and Penn, to the north, turned to come to Blake's assistance, and as he did so Pieter Floriszoon on the Dutch side tried to get between them, and three English ships were taken. In turn Lawson turned about to get to the Dutch on their south-western flank, enabling the English to recapture their ships, and Penn and Lawson broke through to prevent Blake being surrounded. In the meantime part of Jan Evertsen's squadron was fighting a separate battle with Monck. The Dutch were now as disorganised at the English had earlier been, so, fearing the English would then pursue the convoy, Tromp disengaged.

The result of the first day's fighting was the loss of the SAM[P]SON, and three other English ships damaged, while the STRUISVOGEL was captured and at least three others were sunk, and another burnt, on the Dutch side. Tromp then organised his ships in a crescent formation to protect the convoy as it continued eastwards, with Blake in pursuit. Although the wind was light, the English ships caught up with the Dutch on the afternoon of the following day, the 19th, off the Isle of Wight, when fighting continued until dark. Lawson managed to isolate a few escorts and some of the convoy from de Ruyter's squadron, but de Ruyter's flagship was badly damaged, and the convoy was beginning to scatter to seek refuge in French ports.

On the third day of fighting, on the 20th, the Dutch convoy passed by Beachy Head, bound for Boulogne, but fighting began again in the morning as the English tried to 'overtake' the Dutch in order to keep them out of the Straits of Dover. By this time the Dutch were running low on ammunition. Tromp could not break through to the Straits, so ran for the lee shore of Cap Gris Nez to the south, where the English dared not risk their ships. The English thus anchored off Boulogne to try and cut off the Dutch but the Dutch made a daring overnight escape and were seen by the English off Dunkirk on the 21st.

The outcome for the Dutch was the capture of four warships, five sunk, and two more possibly burnt, with 30-50 of the convoy taken. The English had only lost one ship but more were damaged and Blake himself was badly wounded. Though the Dutch had escaped on this occasion, the English were now able to blockade the Channel. (2)

Interpretation of the Battle:

It is not possible to represent the location of the battle with any degree of accuracy at a single position, since it was a running battle. Hence subsidiary locations have been created, for each of the three days in which action took place within English waters. These are representative locations only and should not be taken as definitive interpretations of the actual loci of the battle, namely off Portland (1582336), off Dunnose Point (1582492) and off Beachy Head (1582686), with the associated wrecks under the appropriate location.

The battle was one of tactics in which each fleet acted on intelligence and each attempted to outwit the other. Both fleets were evenly matched in numbers, in their willingness to engage, and in seamanship under their leaders, and is notable for the way in which each side attempted to outflank and isolate parts of the other's fleet.

As with several other battles during the First Anglo-Dutch War (and the two subsquent wars) the battle was inconclusive in many respects, with each side claiming some measure of victory. The Dutch effected a daring escape while the English had effectively managed to pinion the Dutch fleet in their home waters. (3)

Additional sources cited in sources (1) and (2):
John Barratt, Cromwell's Wars at Sea, Barnsley 2006 (2)
Bernard Capp, Cromwell's Navy: the fleet and the English Revolution, Oxford, 1898 (2)
S R Gardiner, History of the Commonwealth and Protectorate, Vol.2, London, 1903 (2)
William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to 1900, 7 vols., London, 1897-1903, Vol.2, p178-184; (1)(2)
J R Powell, Robert Blake, General-at-Sea, New York, 1972, p207-223 (1)
N A M Rodger, A Naval History of Britain, Vol.2, The Command of the Ocean, London, 2004, p16-17 (1)

<1> Grainger, John D, 2012, Dictionary of British Naval Battles, 366 (Monograph). SDO20686.

<3> NRHE Compiler's comments, 19-DEC-2013 (Verbal communication). SDO19863.

<4> Ordinaris dingsdaeghse courante, No.12, 18-MAR-1653 (New Style) p2 (Serial). SDO20687.

<5> Ordinarisse middel-weeckse courante, 18-MAR-1653, No.12 p1 (Serial). SDO20688.

<6> Wessex Archaeology, 2004, England's Shipping (Digital archive). SWX9372.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1582162 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 15 2024 1:37PM