Battle of Beachy Head

Overview

The Battle of Beachy Head, also known as the Battle of Béveziers, was a fleet action fought on 10 July 1690 during the Nine Years' War. The battle was the most significant French naval victory over their Grand Alliance opponents during the war. The Dutch lost seven ships of the line and three fire ships. Their English allies also lost one ship of the line, whereas the French did not lose a single vessel. Control of the English Channel temporarily fell into French hands but French Vice-Admiral Anne Hilarion de Tourville failed to pursue the Anglo-Dutch fleet with sufficient vigour, allowing it to fall back to the Thames.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Beachy Head, fought on 10 July 1690 during the Nine Years' War, resulted in significant English casualties — between 2,350 and 4,000 — against a French fleet commanded by Tourville, Châteaurenault, d'Estrées, and Forbin. The French force of 28,000 held a numerical advantage over the combined English and Dutch force of 23,000 under the Earl of Torrington, Ralph Delaval, and Cornelis Evertsen. The scale of English losses indicates a French tactical success in the western approaches, with the engagement representing one of the more costly naval reverses for England during this phase of the Nine Years' War.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (7)