Four Days' Battle

Overview

The Four Days' Battle was a naval engagement fought from 11 to 14 June 1666 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. It began off the Flemish coast and ended near the English coast, and remains one of the longest naval battles in history.

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

Significance

The Four Days' Battle, fought from 11 to 14 June 1666, stands as one of the longest naval engagements in history and a major action of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. The English force of 21,000 suffered approximately 5,000 casualties against Dutch losses of around 2,000, a disparity that indicates a significant English defeat at the hands of de Ruyter's fleet. The battle opened off the Flemish coast and concluded near the English coast, suggesting the Dutch held and pressed the initiative across the four days of fighting. The scale of English losses relative to the Dutch — more than double in casualties despite comparable force sizes — marked one of the most damaging reverses England sustained during the war and substantially affected the naval balance between the two powers in the ongoing conflict.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (12)