Michiel
De Ruyter, the "Terror of the Ocean" is the most illustrious Admiral of
the Dutch Golden Age. In the 17th century, the Dutch Republic, the
world’s dominant trade nation, was at war for sixty years because of
commercial and maritime rivalry. Although the Dutch had the largest
fleet in Europe, they would face England, a maritime power on the rise,
allied with Portugal, Sweden, and later Louis XIV’s France. The Navy of
the Republic had to protect overseas shipping lanes, but also repel any
naval invasion of Dutch territory. Revered as savior of the nation, De
Ruyter would become the most celebrated of Dutch seamen, and one of the
most able commanders of the 17th century.
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| Dutch Council of War on the De Zeven Provinciën, De Ruyter's flagship, June 10, 1666 (detail), art by Maarten Platje from the well-known engraving by Willem van de Velde the Elder. |
After
the catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Lowestoft (June 1665), Grand
Pensionary Johan de Witt replaced the deceased Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob
van Wassenaer by De Ruyter. This led to bitter rivalry with
Lieutenant-Admiral Cornelis Tromp, a political enemy of De Witt. De
Ruyter’s blaming Admiral Cornelis Tromp for the defeat at the St.
James’s Day battle the following year resulted in Tromp’s resignation
from the Navy until 1673, when the two commanders were reconciled.
De
Ruyter worked closely with Johan De Witt to expand the Dutch Navy,
building new, larger and better-armed ships, instead of relying on armed
merchantmen, and improving their organization. The flagship of the
Republic, De Zeven Provinciën, was fitted with 80 bronze guns.
Until
then, the favored Dutch tactic was of undisciplined mêlée, with
individual ships boarding and attempting to capture their opponent,
leaving the battle with their prize. With De Ruyter, fighting in line
and ensuring fleet discipline became the basis of Dutch standard tactic
in the new Fighting Instructions approved by the States General in
August 1665. Faulty captains were trialed, some executed, others banned.
The
fleet was divided into three distinct squadrons, each with a clear
chain of command. Signaling was improved, and the principle of the
concentration of superior force against part of the enemy fleet was
adopted. Finally, regiments of soldiers, the Korps Mariniers, were
deployed aboard the ships.
These
reforms soon paid off. During the rest of the Second Anglo-Dutch War
(1665–67), De Ruyter’s achieved victory at the Four Days’ Battle, soon
followed by even more stunning successes...
The
English fleet was stronger than that of the Dutch, but on receiving
intelligence that the Duc de Beaufort was preparing to land troops in
Ireland, the English divided their fleet, sending the more powerful
vessels into the Channel, still leaving 56 warships off the Kentish
coast. De Ruyter, deploying his 84 warships to prevent the English
breaking out into the North Sea, mauled the vessels off the Kent coast
and then inflicted severe damage on the vessels returning from the
Channel.
