Action of 1652/05/22, 22nd May 1652

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Action of 1652-05-22

22nd May 1652 (1652/06/01 NS)
Part of : The First Anglo-Dutch War (1652 - 1654)
Previous action : Battle of Dover 19.5.1652
Next action : Action of 1652-06-17 17.6.1652
 

Commonwealth of England

 
English Squadron,
Anthony YoungBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1647-1674
Ship NameCommanderNotes
President (34) 1650-1663
British 34 Gun
4th Rate Ship
1660 Renamed "Bonaventure"
Anthony YoungBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1647-1674
Fleet Flagship
Nightingale (30) 1651-1674
British 30 Gun
5th Rate Ship
Jacob ReynoldsBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1648-1666
Recovery (20) 1646-1655
British 20 Gun
5th Rate Ship
Francis AllenBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1650-1662
 

Dutch Republic

 
Dutch Convoy Escort,
Joris van der ZaenDutch
Naval Sailor
Service 1602-1653
Ship NameCommanderNotes
Zeelandia (34) 1643-1677
Dutch 34 Gun
4th Rate Ship of the Line
Jacob HuyrluytDutch
Naval Sailor
Service 1602-1702
Kampen (54) 1652-1677
Dutch 54 Gun
4th Rate Ship of the Line
Joris van der ZaenDutch
Naval Sailor
Service 1602-1653
Fleet Flagship
 

Notes on Action


Description of the actionTRN2
On May 12th, 1652, Captain Anthony Young, in the President, accompanied by two other "frigates," fell in off the Start with a small squadron of a dozen ships. Taking them to be Ayscue's vessels, he stood towards them, but, on coining up, discovered that they were homeward-bound Dutch merchant ships, convoyed by three men-of-war wearing flags as admiral, vice-admiral, and rear-admiral. The Dutch admiral, on being summoned, struck his 'flag and held his course, but the vice-admiral who followed him refused point-blank, bidding Young come aboard and strike it himself. Young naively sent his master aboard, only to meet with a further refusal. On this the President ranged up on the Dutchman's weather quarter and again called on him to strike. The vice-admiral refused, and Young at once gave him a broadside, which was as promptly returned. The Dutch admiral hauled his wind the wind seems to have been north-west and tried to weather Young, who found himself obliged to put his helm down to prevent the admiral from getting out to windward of him and boarding. Meanwhile, Captains Chapman and Reynolds had fired on the rear-admiral astern. They now came up with the vice-admiral, but, as they overhauled him, the Dutchman struck his flag, and the rear-admiral did the like.

Young demanded that the vice-adrniral should be sent into port with him to make good the loss to the "frigates." To that the admiral said that so long as the dispute concerned the flag alone he did not interfere, but that he would resist to the uttermost any interference with the possession of the ship.

Nothing further was done. Young, who had lost one man killed and four wounded, wrote, " I do believe I gave him his bellyful of it; for he sent me word he had orders from the States, that if he struck he should lose his head; but at length he did strike, which makes me conceive he had enough of it." Whitelocke, who repeats many hearsay reports, records that the Dutch admiral offered in explanation the suggestion that his vice-admiral was drunk. When he goes on to say that after the fight the Hollanders gave Young " such loving salutes, confessing their faults, and so they parted good friends," he rather discredits his story.
Previous comments on this page

Posted by vittorio on Wednesday 15th of July 2015 20:15

In the description of the action:
Captains Chapman ? Maybe you changed by Francis Allen.
What the name of the third dutch man-of-war ?
Thanks !

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