The Battle of the Texel 11 August 1673

On 2 August Prince William of Orange visited the Dutch
fleet. He expressed his opinion that the English had only one more battle in
them. Cornelis Tromp was in command of the Dutch van squadron. De Ruyter was in
command of the Dutch centre squadron. Bankert was in command of the Dutch rear
squadron. The Dutch sailed north and attacked on 10 August, although the combined
fleet had 86 ships against their 60. Knowing the waters well, as Narborough
recorded, the Dutch:

shot ahead of us at a great pace.

Once ahead they were able to tack and get to windward. On 1
1 August both fleets were sailing northwards with the wind blowing south-east.
De Ruyter concentrated most of his force on his enemy’s main body. Firing began
at 8 am. D’Estrees had the advantage of a wind change which owed him to get to
windward and attack again. Seven ships from Bankert’s squadron pursued d’Estrees
who did not use the wind but hung back six miles away.

Sir Edward Spragge with the rear (Blue) squadron fought
Tromp’s squadron “within fair gun shot”. Spragge had to shift his
flag twice due to damage to masts and rigging from the Dutch gunfire. The second
time he was killed when the boat he was using was destroyed. He had noted
Tromp’s position the night before:

He will, I hope, fall to my share in the Blue squadron
tomorrow.

It was the final entry in his journal. Narborough:

Monday being the eleventh day of August, 1673, beginning at
12 o’clock in the morning, and so proceeding successively from one to two
o’clock until 12 o’clock tonight. The wind was, at 1 1 o’clock, at the E. by
N., a fine small gale. We continued our course to the south by eastwards with
our short sail, fair weather and smooth water, with a fine small gale. We
sailed in our line according to the order of battle. Between twelve and one
o’clock this morning, the wind veered to the E. S. E. a fine small gale. At one
o’clock this morning our General, and all our fleet, tacked and stood to the E.
N. eastwards, as near the wind as we could lie with our two topsails, the wind
at S. E. a fine small gale. Several ships in tacking were out of their order,
and so continued until daylight. At daylight, our General hoisted the Union
flag at his mizen peak to have all our fleet fall into the order of battle.
Presently all our whole fleet fell into their stations, every flagship putting
out the same sign, the Blue squadron leading the van. When it was fairly
daylight, we saw the Dutch fleet on the S. E. of us, right to windward of our
fleet standing the same way as we did close by the shore, distance from our
General about three leagues. Then, the south end of the Texel Island bore from
me, near E. N. E., distance off, three leagues. When it was full daylight the
Dutch fleet made sail and put themselves into a line; and came large, down to
our fleet, the Dutch fleet appeared to be but a small fleet to ours. I could
not, tell above 88 ships of war of Dutch. We were about 90 ships of war of our
fleet English and French. About seven o’clock in the morning our General put
abroad a Union flag at his foretopmast head, and a Union flag at his mizen
topmast head, signs for the van of our fleet to tack, and the rear of the fleet
to tack, then our General, and our whole fleet, tacked and stood S. W. by S.,
close by a wind, the wind then at the S. E. by E. and S. S, E. a fine small
gale with smooth water, the mouth of the Texel bearing nearest E. by S. of us,
distant off three leagues. Our fleet sailed, in very good order in a line,
every- one in his station, according to the order in the second article in the
fighting instructions line. We all sailed with two topsails and a foresail, the
French squadron leading the van of our fleet: our General, with the Red
Squadron, in the middle, and the Blue Squadron in the rear. The vice admiral,
rear flag. The Dutch fleet being in a fair berth to wind- ward of us, spread
their fleet with our fleet in this manner: Admiral De Ruyter bore down against
the body of our fleet with his squadron, Tromp, one the Dutch flags, and his
squadron, placed themselves in a line against our Blue Squadron to windward of
us. They were about 26 sail of men of war, and about seven fireships. Our Blue
squadron was 27 men of war and nine fireships Admiral Tromp, and his division
placed themselves against our admiral of the Blue and his division. Tromp’s
vice-admiral and his division placed themselves against our vice-admiral of the
Blue and his division. Tromp’s rear admiral and his division placed themselves
against our rear-admiral of the Blue and his division. Admiral De Ruyter, with
the rest, being about 60 ships of war besides several fireships, placed
themselves against our General and the rest of our fleet. At their coming down
at first, as I perceived, they fired at a great distance at our fleet which
were ahead of us, and stood on to the southward with our fleet, they being to
windward caused so great darkness with their smoke, that I could not see what
our Red squadron did.

A little before eight o’clock, the Admiral of the Blue
braced his foretopsail aback. Presendy after, we braced our foretopsail to the
mast to keep in our station and line of battle; the Dutch division of ships at
that time were got within cannon shot of us. We saluted them with our trumpets
and three holloas. Presendy the Dutch rear-admiral shot several shot over us
and about us; then we fired at him. Thus our fight began, they being to
windward of us, and stood to the southward as we did, the rest of the Dutch
ships were flung at the rest of the ships in the Blue squadron. In our admiral’s
and vice admiral’s division, the guns went off very fast. After the Dutch had
received several of our shot, they backed from our broadsides and fell on our
quarter, and there kept and plied their guns at us. So we kept on fighting to
the S. by Westward as near the wind as we could lie, some- times with our
foretopsail aback and sometimes full, to keep our distance from our admiral
until near 12 o’clock today, then it rained a small shower and the wind veered
to the S. by W a fine small gale, our topsails were much shot, the bolt ropes
out, and braces, that we could not keep them full. The foretopsail was shot
down twice, our shrouds and rigging was cut by the enemy’s shot very much
faster than I could get the seamen to make it fast again. The enemy shoot much
more shot than we do and ply their guns faster. They shoot much pound shot,
which flies so quick, and cut our rigging so much. When the enemy came near us,
I could perceive our shot to be well placed in them, but when they were at any
distance our shot fell often short. About twelve o’clock to-day I saw our
Admiral of the Blue on our lee-bow, hard by us, standing to the Westward, with
his, foresail foretopsail, maintopsail, and mainsail in the brails, as near the
wind as he could be. We stood along with him having our foresail and
foretopsail, our maintopsail being split from the skirt to the head, in the
middle of the sail, so that it would not stand full. Several of the Dutch were
on our lee quarter plying shot at us, and we at them. Tromp, and several of his
division, were on the lee quarter of our Admiral of the Blue, standing, along
with him, shooting at him. I saw the vice-admiral of the Blue and his division
to leeward of Tromp and several of the Dutch ships standing, to the westward as
we did, shooting at each other.

Rupert’s Red squadron had to take on De Ruyter and the rest
of Bankert’s squadron. By midday Rupert had:

De Ruyter and his squadron on my lee quarter; an admiral with two flags more on my weather quarter; and the Zeeland squadron (Bankert’s) upon my broadside to the windward.

Narborough:

Between twelve and one o’clock the wind came to the S. W, a
fine fresh gale, the sea smooth, so that we could carry out our lower of guns
without shipping one drop of water, then the Dutch were put to leeward of us
and our admiral. By the shifting of the wind, they fell astern, being nearly
out of shot of us. Our division and our admiral’s division being near together
we made haste we could to fit our rigging and get our maintopsail fitted again,
that we might be ready to go about. Having the weather gage of the enemy,
excepting the rear admiral of the Dutch, and four sail more, which were on our
weather quarter, a cannon shot from us. I could not see our General nor any of
our two squadrons, the Red and the White, nor hear any guns from them. Before
one o’clock, I saw a great Dutch ship without her masts, she lay astern of the
Dutch ships which pied at our admiral’s division of the Blue. The wind being
good at S. W., a fine fresh gale, our admiral of the Blue made way to stay,
when the ship came in the wind, with her head sails; she fell again, and would
not stay; they loosened their sprit sail and flattened their head-sails to wear
her to bring her on the other tack; their foresail and fore topsail being set,
the mainsail in the brails, and the maintopsail up aloft and full. When the
wind was on the beam, the main- mast fell by the board at once, a little above
the deck. It carried away the mizen mast with it overboard, the stump left
being a man’s height above the deck. She kept on her course to the W. N. W ward
having her head sails complete; they cut the main mast and mizen mast away
presently. This was about one o’clock in the afternoon. Sir Edward Spragg sent
his Lieutenant on board the St. Michael to know how Lord Ossory did, who
returned commendations to Sir Edward by his lieutenant and bid him tell Sir Edward
Spragg and the company that he would keep by him with the St. Michael.

We hauled up our foresail and fell astern of the Royal
Prince’s quarter between him and the enemy, and kept plying our guns at the
enemy, our division being with us. The enemy made sail to get up with the Royal
Prince, seeing her disabled. Sir Edward Spragg went aboard the St. George and
put up the blue flag at her maintopmast head. This was presently after one
o’clock. The St. George being ahead of us, my Lord Ossory sent me on board the
St. George to Sir Edward Spragg to know if he would bear down and board the
enemy. In case he would, my lord would board Tromp, and that we were provided
for it.

I immediately went on board the St. George and delivered my lord’s message to Sir Edward Spragg on the quarter deck, there being there Sir Edward Spragg, Captain Darcey and several officers on the place. Sir Edward Spragg answered me he would bear down upon the enemy so soon as possibly he could, and that he would second my lord in boarding, and that there would be no great danger in doing it. I took my leave of Sir Edward Spragg and went on board the St. Michael and acquainted Lord Ossory with what Sir Edward Spragg said to me. We presently loosened our sprit- sail and flattened our headsails, being resolved to lay Tromp on board, he being then our lee quarter within fair shot of us, making such sail to get up near the Royal Prince. At the same time my lord sent one of his fireships to the Royal Prince to lie by her and assist her. The fireship went to the Prince, and lay by her. Then the Prudent Mary, fireship, Captain Christopher Billopp, Commander, bore down upon Tromp, which caused Tromp to bear up. The fireship brought to again, and kept on her course with the Royal Prince, we in the St. Michael having borne to leeward of all our ships, and saw that Tromp and his division bore from us, and that Sir Edward Spragg in the St. George did not bear down after us to our assistance, we brought our ship to and handed our sprit sail, and kept on our course to the westward along with the Prince, astern of her, the enemy and we plying our guns at each other very briskly. Between one and two o’clock the enemy shot the St. George’s fore- topmast by the board, so that she was disabled as to work- ing. Presently, the Blue flag was taken down from the maintopmast-head. Sometime after, I saw a boat drive astern of the St. George, sunk, and men in the sea swimming about the boat. I saw two boats put from our ships and take up the men, and went to the ship again, one was the St. George’s boat it was close by the St. George’s stern; we were looking when the Blue flag would be put up on board some of our ships that were near the St. George at that time.

All this time, the enemy plied many shot at us and the
Prince, which much disabled us in our rigging, sails, and men; all our shrouds
of our main-mast and maintopmast being cut, with most of our running ropes, so
that we could not traverse one yard any way to work the ship nor haul up any sail.
The clew lines and clew garnets and bunt lines being shot, both our topsails
were shot, so as they split clear asunder in rags, all the canvas of the
foretopsail was so shot in pieces and the bolt rope cut that the whole sail
fell into the sea and was lost. Our maintopsail yard and mizen yard shot in
pieces, and our mizen topmast shot by the board. We had no sail left us but our
foresail, which was much shot, the mainsail mizen and staysails shot in pieces
that we could not set them. We kept on our course with our foresail, resolving
to get the Prince off from the enemy. My Lord Ossory always ordered me to keep
close by her, letting her go ahead. About 3 o’clock Tromp’s ship was disabled
in her sails, topmast, and yards so that she fell astern. Tromp went on board
one of his seconds, and put up his flag there, and made sail ahead with nine
Dutch ships with him, to leeward of the Prince. Our vice-admiral of the Blue
and his division being to leeward of Tromp’s division, made sail and tacked
ahead of Tromp, and weathered several of Tromp’s division, and made a stretch
away to the eastward firing at the Dutch, as he passed by them, which made them
give way. When he had passed all the Dutch and was astern, and most of his
division with him, he and they fitted their rigging.

Tromp’s flagship was the Golden Leeuw. Her sails and rigging
were so damaged Tromp had to shift his flag to the Kotmeester, 70. At 4 pm
Narborough saw De Ruyter and Rupert’s squadrons approaching from windward.

About four o’clock we saw a great fleet of ships to wind-
ward of us, S. W from us; they came large down to us; they appeared to be our
Red and White squadrons. As they neared us, they appeared to be in two
divisions. As they came in next to us, we saw they had Dutch flags and colours,
and those that were furthest off had English colours, they being our General,
and his squadron, the Dutch fleet being to the eastward of our fleet both
coming down before the wind, N. E., Tromp made sail ahead to leeward of the
Prince, and tacked, and stood to the eastward and his division after him, and
came aweather of the Royal Prince. Our vice-admiral of the Blue and his
division met Tromp and his division and passed several shot into each other;
then we, and some of our division, placed several shot in Tromp. As he went
aweather of the Prince, she passed several shot into him and his division. Two
Dutch ships that followed Tromp endeavoured to lay the Prince on board as they
came along. We plied them with shot, and the Prince bravely defending herself,
so that they could not grapple, but set their ships on fire, before they were
fast and burnt the fireships to no purpose, astern of the Prince. Tromp and the
rest of the Dutch being sufficiently satisfied with their day’s work, kept on
their course to the eastward. We braced our foresail to the mast and went to
work about fitting our rigging again, and to bring a foretopsail to the yard.
Our division being pretty well fitted in this time, they being ahead of us on
our weather bow, near out of shot of the enemy, my Lord Ossory sent the
Hampshire, Captain Griffith, commander, to the Prince, to take her in tow, to
get her further ahead, my lord being resolved, as soon as we could get our
topsail to the yard, and our shrouds and rigging fast, to bear down upon Tromp;
all our Blue squadron being got pretty near together and in a good condition,
the major part of them. The Dutch were but twenty sail together the rest of
them were disabled and bore out of the squadron. We had much advantage of the
Dutch now by having more ships, and not much worse for the day’s fight, and the
weather gage of them. Now we doubted our admiral was slain, because we could
not see the flag put up any- where. Captain Billopp, commander of the Prudent
Mary fireship, this afternoon, bore down ahead of the Royal Prince to lay
Tromp’s vice-admiral on board, which he would certainly have done had not a
Dutch fireship laid him on board on his bearing down, so, the two fireships
burnt both together. In case the Dutch fireship had not burnt thus, she would
have attempted to board the Prince or some other of our ships, as she could
have fetched.

Between four and five o’clock saw Tromp, and his division, a
good way astern of us fitting our rigging. De Ruyter and the rest of the Dutch
fleet, began to near us apace, and edged more northerly, thinking to cut us off
from joining with the General, which was bearing down towards us. After we had
brought a new foretopsail to the yard, it was time for us to make sail, several
of the Dutch were shooting at us, we being the sternmost ship of all our
Squadron, the Royal Prince was got out of shot ahead of us two frigates having
her in tow. At five o’clock, the General and the Red squadron being near the
Dutch fleet, aweather of them, fired several guns at each other. Our General
having a blue flag at his mizen peak, a sign for all ships to windward of him
to bear down into his wake, the French squadron keeping to windward and would
not bear down according to the signal given by our General. We kept the wind, what
we could, to get into our General’s wake. De Ruyter himself bore down ahead of
all his fleet towards us to cut us off from our fleet; he fired several shot at
us, and we at him. He saw he could get nothing by us; he braced his maintopsail
aback, and backed to his fleet. About six o’clock, our vice- admiral of the
Blue and his division, and most of the admiral’s division of the Blue were
joined with our General’s squadron. Tromp seeing De Ruyter bearing down towards
us, tacked and stood to the westward, close by a wind, to join with him. In
case De Ruyter and his fleet had not come down to leeward to us, we had busily
engaged Tromp and his squadron before night: Tromp was standing clear away had
he not seen De Ruyter come towards us.

About six o’clock two of the General’s fireships, having the
weather gage of the enemy, set their ships on fire before they came at the
enemy, putting the enemy in disorder. The French still kept to windward,
although our General’s sign was out to call all ships to windward into his
wake.

Between seven and eight o’clock we were got into our fleet,
fine close weather, the wind at S. W., a fine fresh gale. This evening at seven
o’clock the Dutch fleet bore off from our General, and fell astern of our fleet
on our lee quarter, that we could not see them in their lights when it was
dark. This evening we heard that Sir Edward Spragg our Admiral of the Blue, was
drowned, his boat being sunk under him by a shot from the enemy as she was
going from the St. George to another ship. His body was taken up, his hands
being fast to the sunken boat; two or three gentlemen more were drowned with
him. This night, the Royal Prince was towed ahead of us by three frigates. In
case my Lord Ossory had not lain by the Royal Prince, all this afternoon, and
saw her out of shot before him, she would certainly have been destroyed by the
enemy. Thus the enemy and our fleet part- ed, we being to windward of them. We
stood away to the westward all night.

Narborough concluded:

Thus the enemy and our fleet parted; we having the weather
gauge of the enemy, stood away from them, a sight unpleasant to the English
seamen. I hope never to see nor hear of the like again. I had rather fall in
battle than ever to see the like more, that so mighty a fleet of ships as ours
is to stand away, as now we do, from so mean a fleet as the Dutch fleet is to
ours, without the loss of one ship or any other damage considerable to us.

Prince Rupert wrote:

The enemy, when dark came, stood off to their own coast
which I had reason to be glad of.

The allies retired to their bases on the English coast,
lifting the blockade of Dutch ports. The English were furious at the French. A
contemporary expressed the widespread opinion:

We were engaged by the French that they might have the
pleasure to see the Dutch and us destroy one another; while they knew our seas
and ports, and learned all our methods, but took care to preserve themselves.

Peace proposals were offered to the Dutch. They accepted
these at the Treaty of Westminster in February 1674.