Battle of the Downs
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{{Infobox Military Conflict
|conflict=Battle of the Downs
|partof=the Eighty Years' War
|image=Image:Nooms, Battle of the Downs.jpg
|caption= Before the Battle of the Downs by Reinier Nooms, circa
1639, depicting the Dutch blockade off the English coast.
|date=October 31, 1639
|place=near The Downs, English Channel
|casus=
|territory=
|result=Decisive Dutch victory
|combatant1=Spain
|combatant2=United Provinces
|commander1=Antonio de Oquendo
|commander2=Maarten Tromp
|strength1=77 ships
|strength2=117 ships
|casualties1=15,200 dead
60 ships destroyed or captured
|casualties2=100 dead
1 ship burned
}}
Template:Campaignbox Eighty Years' War Naval
The naval Battle of the Downs took place on 31 October 1639 during the Eighty Years' War and was a decisive defeat of the Spanish, commanded by Admiral Antonio de Oquendo, by the United Provinces, commanded by Admiral Maarten Tromp.
In 1639 the Spanish prepared a force of 77 ships carrying 24,000 soldiers and sailors, planning to take control of the English Channel from the Dutch and land the army at Dunkirk. They were sighted by the Dutch in early October in the channel. Tromp had only 13 ships, but he attacked with such ferocity and skill that the Spanish were driven to take refuge off the coast of England, in the anchorage known as The Downs between Dover and Deal, near an English squadron commanded by Admiral Pennington.
Here Tromp was joined by Witte de With's fleet of 17 ships and together they blockaded the Spanish and sent urgently to the Netherlands for reinforcement. By the end of October Tromp had 105 ships and 12 fire ships. On 31 October he dispatched de With to watch the English and prevent them from interfering, and attacked. The large, unmanoeuverable Spanish ships were powerless to resist, and all but seven were taken or destroyed, leaving 15,200 dead and 1,800 prisoner. Oquendo managed to escape in the fog with seven ships and reach Dunkirk.
The complete victory destroyed Spanish sea power. Spain was no longer able to contest the control of the seas, and the Dutch and English were quick to take advantage and began to seize Spanish colonial possessions.
However, for England the Battle of the Downs was a humililation: a flagrant violation of English neutrality within sight of the English coast, with England's navy powerless to intervene. Lingering resentment from this incident may have influenced the breakout of the First Anglo-Dutch War not far from the Downs at the Battle of Goodwin Sands in 1652.
Contents |
Order of battle
Netherlands (Maarten Tromp)
(not complete)
Fredrik Hendrik 36 (de With's flagship)
Groot Christoffel 28 (hired) - Blew up
Deventer (Govert Voorns)
Spain/Portugal (Antonio de Oquendo)
Order of Battle of the Spanish Armada, 6 September 1639 (Orden de Batalla en media Luna). Total is 75 ships. Dates are now NS.
Name guns (squadron/type/commander etc.) - Fate
Santiago 60 (Castile) - Capitana Real or Royal Flagship. Escaped into
Dunkirk, 1 November 1639
San Antonio (pinnace) (Masibradi) - Driven ashore 31 October
San Agustin (pinnace) (Martin Ladron de Guevara) - Driven ashore 31 October
Santa Tereza 60 (Portugal) - Don Lope de Hoces, commander. Destroyed in action 31 October
San Jeronimo
San Agustin (Naples) - Vice-Admiral. Driven ashore 31 October, sunk 3 or 4 days later
El Gran Alejandro (Martin Ladron de Guevara) - Taken by the Dutch
Santa Ana (Portugal)
San Sebastian
Santa Catalina (Guipuzcoa) - Driven ashore 31 October
San Lazaro
San Blas (Masibradi) - Driven ashore 31 October
San Jer髇imo (Masibradi) - Burnt in the Downs 31 October
San Nicolas
Santiago (Castile) - Burnt off Dover on the night of 2 November
San Juan Bautista (Guipuzcoa) - Sunk 31 October
Esquevel 16 (hired Dane) - Captured 28 September
San Jose (Dunkirk)
Los Angeles (Castile) - Driven ashore 31 October
Santiago (Portugal) - Driven ashore 31 October
Delfin Dorado (Naples) - Driven ashore 31 October
San Antonio (Naples) - Driven ashore 31 October
San Juan Evangelista (Dunkirk)
El Pingue (hired ship) - Sunk in the Downs 31 October
San Carlos (Masibradi)
San Nicolas (Masibradi)
San Miguel
Orfeo 44 (Naples) - Lost on the Goodwin sands 31 October
San Vicente Ferrer (Dunkerque)
San Martin (Dunkerque)
Nuestra Senora de Monteagudo (Dunkerque) - Escaped into Dunkirk 1 November
Santiago 60? (Galicia) - Captured 31 October
? (flag of Masibradi) - Captured 28 September, retaken same day, escaped to Dunkirk, 1 November, wrecked 4 days later
Santo Tomas (Martin Ladron de Guevara) - Driven ashore 31 October
Nuestra Senora de Luz
Santa Clara
San Gedeon (Dunkerque)
San Jacinto
San Carlos (Dunkerque) - Sunk 31 October
Santo Cristo de Burgos (San Josef) - Lost off the French coast 31 October
San Paulo (Masibradi)
San Miguel
La Corona (hired ship)
La Presa or San Pablo La Presa (Castile)
San Esteban (Martin Ladron de Guevara) - Captured 31 October
San Pedro de la Fortuna (hired ship) - Driven ashore but got off, 31 October
Los Angeles (hired ship)
Aguila Imperial
La Mujer
Santo Domingo de Polonia (hired Polish ship) - Driven ashore 31 October
San Jose (flagship of Vizcaya) - Captured 31 October
San Salvador (flagship of Dunkirk) - Escaped into Dunkirk 1 November
Sao Balthasar (Vice-Admiral of Portugal) - 800 tons. Back at Lisbon in 1640
San Francisco 50? (Rear-Admiral of Dunkerque) - Escaped into Dunkirk 1 November
San Pedro el Grande (flagship of Ladron de Guevara)
Santiago (Martin Ladron de Guevara)
Jesus Maria (pinnace)
San Pedro Martir (urca) (hired ship) - Driven ashore 31 October
Fama (Urca) (hired ship) - Driven ashore 31 October
Santa Cruz (Masibradi)
San Daniel (Guipuzcoa) - Driven ashore 31 October
San Juan Evangelista (hired ship of Hamburg) - Driven ashore 31 October
Santa Agnes (frigate) (Naples) - Stranded but got off, 3 November
Grune? (Castile) - Driven ashore, 31 October 1639
Santa Teresa (Saetia) (Castile) - Taken by a French privateer 31 October
Exchange (hired English transport) - All 8 English transports put into Plymouth 13 September, and reached the Downs 22 October, where they were detained
Peregrine (hired English transport)
Assurance (hired English transport)
5 other hired English transports