View source for Battle of the Downs

{{short description|1639 battle of the Eighty Years' War}}
{{coord|51.2|1.5 |display=title |region:GB_type:event|format=dms}} <!--Check during ce -->
{{More citations needed|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Battle of the Downs
| partof            = the [[Eighty Years' War]] and the [[Thirty Years' War]]
| image             = The Battle of the Downs by Willem van de Velde.JPG
| caption           = ''The Battle of the Downs'' <br /> [[Willem van de Velde the Younger]], 1659
| date              = 21 October 1639
| place             = Near [[The Downs (ship anchorage)|The Downs]], [[English Channel]]
| casus             = 
| territory         = 
| result            = Dutch victory
| combatant1        = {{flag|Habsburg Spain|name=Spain}} <br> {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Portugal|1578}}{{Efn|Portugal was part of a [[dynastic union]] with Spain until 1640.}}
| combatant2        = {{flagcountry|Dutch Republic}}
| commander1        = {{flagicon|Spain|1506}} [[Antonio de Oquendo]] <br> {{flagicon|Spain|1506}} [[Lope de Hoces]] {{KIA}} <br> {{flagicon|Spain|1506}} [[Miguel de Horna]]
| commander2        = {{flagicon|Dutch Republic}} [[Maarten Tromp]] <br> {{flagicon|Dutch Republic}} [[Witte de With]] <br> {{flagicon|Dutch Republic}} [[Joost Banckert]] <br> {{flagicon|Dutch Republic}} [[Johan Evertsen]]
| strength1         = 22 [[galleys]], 29 [[galleons]], 13 [[frigates]], 6,500 sailors, 8,000 marines, <br> 30 transports carrying 9,000 soldiers{{sfn|Stradling|1979|p=208}}{{efn|'''Spanish Order of Battle'''; <br>
''Santiago'' 60 (Castile) – flagship; reached Dunkirk 22 October <br>
''San Antonio'' ([[Full-rigged pinnace|pinnace]]) (Masibradi) – Driven ashore 21 October<br>
''San Agustin'' (pinnace) (Martin Ladron de Guevara) – Driven ashore 21 October<br>
''[[Santa Teresa (1637)|Santa Teresa]]'' 60 (Portugal) – Don [[Lope de Hoces]], commander. Destroyed in action 21 October<br>
''San Jeronimo''<br>
''San Agustin'' (Naples) – Vice-Admiral. Driven ashore 21 October, sunk 3 or 4 days later<br>
''El Gran Alejandro'' (Martin Ladron de Guevara) – Taken by the Dutch<br>
''Santa Ana'' (Portugal)<br>
''San Sebastian''<br>
''Santa Catalina'' (Guipuzcoa) – Driven ashore 21 October<br>
''San Lazaro''<br>
''San Blas'' (Masibradi) – Driven ashore 21 October<br>
''San Jerónimo'' (Masibradi) – Burnt in the Downs 21 October<br>
''San Nicolas''<br>
''Santiago'' (Castile) – Burnt off Dover on the night of 23 October<br>
''San Juan Bautista'' (Guipuzcoa) – Sunk 21 October<br>
''Esquevel'' 16 (hired Dane) – Captured 28 September<br>
''San Jose'' (Dunkirk)<br>
''Los Angeles'' (Castile) – Driven ashore 21 October<br>
''Santiago'' (Portugal) – Driven ashore 21 October<br>
''Delfin Dorado'' (Naples) – Driven ashore 21 October<br>
''San Antonio'' (Naples) – Driven ashore 21 October<br>
''San Juan Evangelista'' (Dunkirk)<br>
''El Pingue'' (hired ship) – Sunk in the Downs 21 October<br>
''San Carlos'' (Masibradi)<br>
''San Nicolas'' (Masibradi)<br>
''San Miguel''<br>
''Orfeo'' 44 (Naples) – Lost on the Goodwin sands 21 October<br>
''San Vicente Ferrer'' (Dunkerque)<br>
''San Martin'' (Dunkerque)<br>
''Nuestra Senora de Monteagudo'' (Dunkerque) – Escaped into Dunkirk 22 October<br>
''Santiago'' 60? (Galicia) – Captured 21 October<br>
''?'' (flag of Masibradi) – Captured 28 September, retaken same day, escaped to Dunkirk, 22 October, wrecked ?26 October<br>
''Santo Tomas'' (Martin Ladron de Guevara) – Driven ashore 21 October<br>
''Nuestra Senora de Luz''<br>
''Santa Clara''<br>
''San Gedeon'' (Dunkerque)<br>
''San Jacinto''<br>
''San Carlos'' (Dunkerque) – Sunk 21 October<br>
''Santo Cristo de Burgos'' (San Josef) – Lost off the French coast 21 October<br>
''San Paulo'' (Masibradi)<br>
''San Miguel''<br>
''La Corona'' (hired ship)<br>
''La Presa'' or ''San Pablo La Presa'' (Castile)<br>
''San Esteban'' (Martin Ladron de Guevara) – Captured 21 October<br>
''San Pedro de la Fortuna'' (hired ship) – Driven ashore but got off, 21 October<br>
''Los Angeles'' (hired ship)<br>
''Aguila Imperial''<br>
''La Mujer''<br>
''Santo Domingo de Polonia'' (hired Polish ship) – Driven ashore 21 October<br>
''San Jose'' (flagship of Vizcaya) – Captured 21 October<br>
''San Salvador'' (flagship of Dunkirk) – Escaped into Dunkirk 22 October<br>
''São Baltasar'' (Vice-Admiral of Portugal) – 800 tons. Back at Lisbon in 1640<br>
''San Francisco'' 50? (Rear-Admiral of Dunkerque) – Escaped into Dunkirk 22 October<br>
''San Pedro el Grande'' (flagship of Ladron de Guevara)<br>
''Santiago'' (Martin Ladron de Guevara)<br>
''Jesus Maria'' (pinnace)<br>
''San Pedro Martir'' (urca) (hired ship) – Driven ashore 21 October<br>
''Fama'' (Urca) (hired ship) – Driven ashore 21 October<br>
''Santa Cruz'' (Masibradi)<br>
''San Daniel'' (Guipuzcoa) – Driven ashore 21 October<br>
''San Juan Evangelista'' (hired ship of Hamburg) – Driven ashore 21 October<br>
''Santa Agnes'' (frigate) (Naples) – Stranded but got off, 24 October<br>
''Grune''? (Castile) – Driven ashore, 21 October 1639<br>
''Santa Teresa (Saetia)'' (Castile) – Taken by a French privateer 21 October<br>
Hired English transports; ''Exchange'', ''Peregrine'', ''Assurance'' plus five others; all 8 English transports put into Plymouth on 13 September, and reached the Downs 22 October, where they were detained}}
| strength2         = 95 warships{{Efn|'''Dutch Order of Battle'''; incomplete, since contemporaneous Dutch sources only list participating captains and in many cases it is unknown which ship they commanded<br>
'''26 September:'''<br>
''[[Dutch ship Aemilia (1632)|Aemilia]]'' 57 (Tromp, flag captain Barend Barendsz Cramer) Rotterdam<br>
''Frederik Hendrik'' 36 (Pieter Pietersz de Wint) Amsterdam; on 21 October this was Witte de With's flagship<br>
''Hollandsche Tuyn'' 32 (Lambert IJsbrandszoon Halfhoorn) Northern Quarter (Noorderkwartier)<br>
''Salamander'' 40 (Laurens Pietersz Backhuysen) – WIC ship<br>
''Gelderland'' 34 (Willem van Colster) Rotterdam<br>
''Sampson'' 32 (Claes Cornelisz Ham) Noorderkwartier<br>
''Omlandia'' 28 (Jan Gerbrandszoon) Frisia <br>
''Groot Christoffel'' 28 (hired by Noorderkwartier admiralty, Frederick Pieterszoon) – blew up on 26 September<br>
''Deventer'' 28 (Robert Post) Amsterdam<br>
''Gideon'' 24 (Hendrick Jansz Kamp) Frisia<br>
''Meerminne'' 28 (Jan Pauluszoon) Zealand<br>
''Veere'' 32 (Cornelis Ringelszoon) Zealand

'''Reinforcements 27 September:'''<br>
''Maeght van Dordrecht'' 42 (Vice-Admiral Witte de With) Rotterdam<br>
''Overijssel'' 24 (Jacques Forant) Amsterdam<br>
''Utrecht'' 30 (Gerrit Meyndertsz den Uyl) Amsterdam<br>
''Sint Laurens'' 32 (A.Dommertszoon)<br>
''Bommel'' 28 (Sybrant Barentsz Waterdrincker) Amsterdam

'''Reinforcements 28 September:'''<br>
'''Banckert squadron:'''<br>
'''t Wapen van Zeeland'' 28 (Vice-Admiral Joost Banckert) Zealand<br>
''Zeeridder'' 34 (Frans Jansz van Vlissingen) Zealand<br>
''Zutphen'' 28 (Joris van Cats) Amsterdam<br>
''Walcheren'' 28 (Jan Theunisz Sluis) Amsterdam<br>
'''t Wapen van Holland'' 39 (Lieven Cornelisz de Zeeuw) Noorderkwartier<br>
''Neptunis'' 33 (Albert 't Jongen Hoen) Noorderkwartier<br>
''Amsterdam'' 10 (Pieter Barentsz Dorrevelt) Amsterdam <br>
''Drenthe'' 16 (Gerrit Veen) Amsterdam<br>
''Rotterdam'' 10 ([[Joris Pieters van den Broeck|Joris Pietersz van den Broecke]]) Frisia<br>
''Arnemuyden'' 22 (Adriaen Jansz de Gloeyende Oven) Zealand<br>
''Ter Goes'' 24 (Abraham Crijnssen) Zealand<br>
''Friesland'' 22 (Tjaert de Groot) Frisia <br>
'''After reinforcements 30 September'''<br>
'''Evertsen squadron:'''<br>
''Vlissingen'' 34 (Vice-Admiral Johan Evertsen, flag captain Frans Jansen) Zeeland
'''De With squadron: thirty ships, four fireships'''
'''Jol squadron, seven ships:'''<br>
''Jupiter'' (Cornelis Cornelisz Jol "Houtebeen") WIC
'''De Nijs squadron, eight ships'''}}<ref>{{in lang|nl}}''Schittering en schandaal, Biografie van Maerten en Cornelis Tromp.'', p.84</ref>
| casualties1       = 35–40 ships <br> 5,000 sailors or marines <br> 3,000 soldiers captured or interned in England{{sfn|Stradling|1979|p=213}}
| casualties2       = 100–1,000 men<br>1–10 ships lost
}}
{{Campaignbox Eighty Years' War Naval}}
{{Campaignbox Thirty Years' War}}
{{Campaignbox Dutch–Portuguese War}}

The '''Battle of [[The Downs (ship anchorage)|the Downs]]''' took place on 21 October 1639 ([[New Style]]), during the [[Eighty Years' War]]. A [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] fleet, commanded by Admiral [[Antonio de Oquendo]], was decisively defeated by a [[Dutch Republic|Dutch]] force under Lieutenant-Admiral [[Maarten Tromp]]. Victory ended Spanish efforts to re-assert naval control over the [[English Channel]] and confirmed Dutch dominance of the sea lanes, while it is also alleged to be the first major action to feature [[line of battle]] tactics.

The battle was initiated when Spanish chief minister [[Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares|Olivares]] sent a large convoy of troops and supplies for the [[Army of Flanders]], escorted by some 50 warships. Since 1621, Spanish naval activity in the Channel had focused on avoiding direct conflict with the superior Dutch fleet, while attacking their [[merchant ship]]s from [[dunkirkers|privateering bases]] in [[Dunkirk]] and [[Ostend]]. In a change from this policy, Oquendo was ordered to deliver the reinforcements but also bring the Dutch to battle; Olivares hoped victory would restore Spanish prestige and force the [[States General of the Netherlands|States General]] to negotiate peace terms.

The Spanish entered the Channel on 11 September and were intercepted by the Dutch in a series of actions between 16 and 18 September. Losses on both sides were minimal, but Oquendo took refuge in [[The Downs (ship anchorage)|The Downs]], an anchorage between the ports of [[Dover]] and [[Deal, Kent|Deal]], where he was protected by English neutrality. Although blockaded here by the Dutch fleet, most of the reinforcements were transported to Dunkirk via small, fast [[frigate]]s.

On 21 October, the Dutch entered the Downs and attacked the Spanish fleet with [[fireship]]s. Unable to manoeuvre in the cramped waters and with the wind against them, the Spanish lost around ten ships captured or destroyed, while another twelve deliberately ran themselves ashore to avoid capture. Combined with [[Action of 12–17 January 1640|the repulse]] of a similar-sized expedition against [[Dutch Brazil]] in January 1640, this marked the end of attempts to challenge Dutch maritime supremacy and an acceptance by the Spanish court that the war could not be won.

==Background==
When the [[Franco-Spanish War (1635–59)|Franco-Spanish War]] began in 1635, [[Habsburg Spain|Spain]] was already engaged in the [[Eighty Years War]] with the [[Dutch Republic]], as well as supporting [[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Ferdinand II]] in the [[Thirty Years War]]. Although the [[Spanish Empire]] had far greater resources than any of its opponents, fighting on multiple fronts forced them to rely on long and vulnerable lines of communication. The most important was the [[Spanish Road]], an overland route funnelling troops and supplies from their possessions in [[Italy]] to the [[Army of Flanders]]. This was crucial for the war in the Netherlands since Dutch naval superiority made it difficult to send these by sea.{{sfn|Wedgwood|1938|p=50}}

[[File:Spanish road (in red).png|thumb|left|upright=1.0|The [[Spanish Road]]; routes in Red and Blue <br /> '''Magenta''': Areas controlled by [[Habsburg Spain|Spain]] <br /> '''Green''': Areas controlled by [[Habsburg monarchy|Austria]] <br /> '''Orange''': [[Duchy of Milan]](ruled by Spain)]]

In December 1638, a French-backed army under [[Bernard of Saxe-Weimar]] captured [[Battle of Breisach|Breisach]] in [[Alsace]], severing the Spanish Road (see map). However, the Spanish defeated Dutch attacks on [[Dunkirk]] and [[Ostend]] in the [[Spanish Netherlands]], and despite a French naval victory at [[Battle of Getaria|Getaria]] in August, forced them to retreat from [[Siege of Fuenterrabía (1638)|Fuenterrabía]]. This encouraged chief minister [[Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares|Olivares]] to reassert Spanish naval prestige by sending a large convoy to reinforce Flanders.{{sfn|Stradling|1979|pp=206-207}} Stripping 22 [[galley]]s from the [[Mediterranean]], combined with a hurried construction program, meant that by August 1639 Olivares had assembled a fleet of around 50 warships along with a number of smaller vessels, manned by 6,500 sailors and 8,000 marines.{{sfn|Stradling|1979|p=208}}

In addition, 9,000 reinforcements and three million [[escudos]] for the Army of Flanders were carried in 30 transports, which included ships chartered from Germany and [[Kingdom of England|England]], contracted under an agreement with [[Charles I of England|Charles I]].{{sfn|Wilson|2009|p=662}} Dating back to the early 1630s and known as the "English Road", this took advantage of English neutrality to ship supplies and men to [[Dover]], where they transferred to small, fast vessels for the trip across the [[English Channel]] to Dunkirk.{{sfn|O'Neill|2014|pp=28-29}} In May, a flotilla of nine ships used this route to transport 1,500 men to Flanders, one of many similar transfers that took place over the years.{{sfn|Stradling|1992|p=106}}        

Since 1621, the Spanish had avoided major conflict with the Dutch fleet in favour of raids conducted by the Dunkirk-based ''Armada de Flandes'' and [[Dunkirkers|local privateers]] on their commercial shipping, their efforts peaking under admiral [[Francisco de Ribera y Medina|Francisco de Ribera]]. In October 1637, [[Lope de Hoces]], commander of the ''Armada de Coruña'', transported 5,000 men from [[A Coruña]] to Dunkirk, then captured over 20 Dutch merchant ships on his return voyage.{{sfn|Wilson|2009|p=651}} Now confident enough to seek a full-scale battle, Olivares offered him command of the expedition, but de Hoces was sceptical of his own ability to defeat the Dutch, especially given that the galleys which formed a significant part of his force were far less effective in the Channel. He refused the position, which passed instead to [[Antonio de Oquendo]], admiral in the Mediterranean. Olivares expected the Dutch would try to prevent delivery of the reinforcements, giving Oquendo the opportunity to bring them to battle.{{sfn|Stradling|1979|p=208}}

Advised of these movements, the [[States General of the Netherlands|States General]] began preparing the main Dutch fleet for action. While this was being done, a squadron led by [[Maarten Tromp]] was ordered to sea to monitor and harass the Spanish if needed, although he was forbidden from engaging them in battle until joined by the rest of the fleet, some fifty vessels under [[Johan Evertsen]]. Tromp divided his force into three; 12 ships under [[Joost Banckert]]{{efn|Middelburg (30); Vlissingen (34); Zutphen (28); Walcheren (28); Wapen van Nassau (38); Neptunus (28); Amsterdam (10); Drente (10); Rotterdam (10); Arnemuyden (22); Ter Goes (24); Friesland (22)<ref>{{cite web |title=Action of 18 September 1639 |url=https://threedecks.org/index.php?display_type=show_battle&id=930 |website=Three Decks |access-date=5 October 2021}}</ref>}} were positioned north of the Downs, in the unlikely event the Spanish took the long route around the [[British Isles]]. Five ships under [[Witte de With]]{{efn|Maagd van Dordrecht (42); Overijssel (24); Utrecht (30); Sint Laurens (32); Bommel (30);<ref>{{cite web |title=Action of 18 September 1639 |url=https://threedecks.org/index.php?display_type=show_battle&id=930 |website=Three Decks |access-date=5 October 2021}}</ref>}} patrolled the English side of the Channel, while the remaining 12 under Tromp{{efn|Aemilia (57); Gelderland (32); Frederik Hendrik (36); Sampson (36); Hollandsche Tuin (32); Deventer (28); Omlandia (28); Veere (32); Salamander (40); Groote Christoffel (30); Gideon (24); Meermin (28)<ref>{{cite web |title=Action of 18 September 1639 |url=https://threedecks.org/index.php?display_type=show_battle&id=930 |website=Three Decks |access-date=5 October 2021}}</ref>}} monitored the French coast.{{sfn|Warner|1981|p=40}}

==Preliminary actions; 16 to 18 September==
[[File:Antonio de Oquendo.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|right|Spanish commander [[Antonio de Oquendo]]]]
Attempts by the French admiral [[Henri de Sourdis]] to disrupt Spanish preparations failed and the fleet sailed on 27 August, entering the Channel on 11 September.{{sfn|Wilson|2009|p=661}} Ships of different squadrons were mixed through the formation, an attempt to ensure smaller ships would be supported by larger ones. The [[vanguard]] was composed of thirteen ships from the ''Armada de Flandes'' under [[Miguel de Horna]], since they had the most experience in these waters; De Horna himself accompanied Oquendo on board his flagship.{{sfn|Stradling|1992|p=106}}

On 15 September, they learned from a passing English ship that a Dutch squadron was anchored near [[Calais]] and the next day made contact with Tromp. Following his instructions, Oquendo adopted a half-moon formation, placing his flagship on the right flank; despite being outnumbered, Tromp placed his squadron into [[line of battle]] and attacked.{{sfn|Warner|1981|p=41}} During the [[Fight in the Channel]] Oquendo used the same tactics employed in his 1631 victory at [[Battle of Abrolhos|Abrolhos]], where he had destroyed the Dutch flagship in a single ship to ship battle. He failed to issue adequate instructions to his subordinates and negated his superior numbers by constantly seeking to engage Tromp's flagship. This manoeuver, however, was effected without warning the rest of the Spanish fleet. Some of the ships near Oquendo turned with him, others were confused and maintained bearing. The half-moon formation quickly disintegrated, and only the Dunkirk squadron and the galleon ''San Juan'' kept up with the Spanish flagship's pursuit of Tromp.

Had Oquendo given the order for a line, the immense Spanish fleet could have probably encircled and dispatched the Dutch squadron in a few hours. However, Oquendo seemed intent on boarding the Dutch flagship. When he finally decided to turn for a shot, he did it too late and sailed past Tromp's stern. Trying to correct his error, Oquendo attempted to board the second ship in the Dutch column. The latter also avoided him. Oquendo's flagship and one of the Dunkirk ships, the ''Santiago'', were now downwind and on the receiving end of the cannonades of the remaining nine ships of the Dutch column. Tromp turned his column and went for another round on the ''Santiago''. Oquendo, the other six Dunkirk ships and the ''San Juan'', unable to turn upwind, fired as they could. The artillery did little damage, but Spanish musketry picked off many on the Dutch decks.

[[File:Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|Dutch commander [[Maarten Tromp]]]]
This encounter lasted for three hours, in the course of which the Dutch ship ''Groot Christoffel'' accidentally exploded. By noon, the six ships of the [[Witte de With]] column had reached Tromp, and increased his number to 16. Although the rest of the Spanish fleet remained dispersed and disorganized, many units had finally turned and were also approaching from the other side. For Tromp, this was building up into a dangerous situation, as the Spanish units upwind would cut off his exit, and force the Dutch squadron to turn into the shoals of the bay of [[Boulogne]] and almost certainly run aground. However, at this moment, Oquendo ordered the Spanish fleet to resume a half-moon formation. The Spanish ships turned, allowing Tromp's squadron to turn also, gain the wind, and escape the danger.

There were no more engagements that evening. The fleets anchored in, and the next day, rear-admiral [[Joost Banckert]] arrived, bringing the total Dutch fleet to thirty-two. But there was no engagement, just preparations for what was to become known as the Battle of the Downs.

[[File:Reinier Nooms - Before the Battle of the Downs - c.1639.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|''Before the Battle of the Downs'' by [[Reinier Nooms]], ''circa'' 1639, depicting the Dutch blockade off the English coast, the vessel shown is the ''[[Dutch ship Aemilia (1632)|Aemilia]]'', Tromp's flagship.]]
The Spanish, whose priority was to protect the troops, not to endanger them by continuing the battle, took refuge in [[The Downs (ship anchorage)|The Downs]], an anchorage between the English ports of Dover and [[Deal, Kent|Deal]], near an English squadron commanded by Vice-Admiral [[John Pennington (admiral)|John Pennington]]. Ocquendo ordered 13 of his Dunkirker squadron, composed of light, fast [[frigates]], to head north at night round the [[Goodwin Sands]]; although the Dutch later sealed this exit, they arrived in Dunkirk with 3,000 troops and all the bullion intended to pay the Army of Flanders. Ultimately, the Spanish calculated 6,000 troops had been landed, with 1,500 captured by the Dutch and another 1,500 either killed or interned in England, which allowed Ocquendo to later claim he had largely achieved the objectives set.{{sfn|Stradling|1979|p=213}}  

On the evening of 28 September, Tromp and De With withdrew to resupply, for they were short of gunpowder. They feared they had failed in their mission until they rediscovered the Spanish at the Downs on the 30th. Together, they blockaded the Spanish and sent urgently to the Netherlands for reinforcements. The five [[Dutch admiralties]] hired any large armed merchant ship they could find. Many joined voluntarily, hoping for a rich bounty. By the end of October, Tromp had 95 ships and 12 [[fire ship]]s.

[[File:Paul Tetar van Elven - Anno 1639. De krijgsraad besluit op voorstel van Tromp de vijand voor Duins van buskruit te voorzien - SA 4923 - Amsterdam Museum.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|left|The Dutch council of war decides at Tromp's suggestion to supply the Spanish with gunpowder]]
Meanwhile, the Spanish, who earlier had managed to sneak 13 or 14 Dunkirker frigates through the blockade, began to transport their troops and money to Flanders on British ships under an English flag. Tromp stopped this by searching the English vessels and detaining any Spanish troops he found. Uneasy about the possible English reaction to this, he pretended to Pennington to be worried by his secret orders from the [[States-General of the Netherlands|States-General]]. He showed him, "confidentially", a missive commanding him to attack the Spanish armada wherever it might be located and to prevent by force of arms any interference by a third power.

Meanwhile, Tromp's patience was tested to the limit. His war council would not yet agree to an attack while the Spaniards claimed they did not have enough gunpowder to sail out. This prompted a remarkable offer from the Dutch. On the 13th of October, two captains on behalf of Tromp reported to Pennington that they were willing to supply the Spanish fleet with 500 barrels of gunpowder on the condition that the fleet would then immediately sail out to battle. Oquendo did not accept the offer, but conflict almost broke out anyway on the 14th when a Spanish gunman shot dead a sailor on a Dutch ship. According to Oquendo, the gunman was an incredibly stupid peasant who would be severely punished. Still, in the following days, Oquendo and Tromp both began to prepare for battle, while Pennington was given permission to withdraw in case of a battle.{{sfn|Panhuysen|2021|p=272—278}}

==The battle==
[[File:Maarten Tromp vóór de aanvang van de zeeslag bij Duins, 1639 Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp, voor den zeeslag bij Duins 1639 (titel op object), RP-P-OB-81.616.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|Maarten Tromp on his flagship just before the Battle of the Downs]]
On 21 October, an easterly wind giving him the [[weather gage]], Tromp detached 30 ships under De With to prevent any interference from Pennington, while two squadrons commanded by [[Cornelis Jol]] and Jan Hendriksz de Nijs blocked escape routes to the north and south respectively.{{sfn|Warner|1981|p=41}} He then attacked with the remainder, which included a number of fireships. Some of the large, unmanoeuverable Spanish ships panicked on approach of the Dutch fleet and grounded themselves deliberately; they were immediately plundered by the English populace, present in great numbers to watch the uncommon spectacle. Others tried a planned breakthrough.

De Oquendo's royal flagship, the ''Santiago'', came out first followed by the ''[[Santa Teresa (1637)|Santa Teresa]]'', the Portuguese flagship. Five blazing fireships were sent into the Spanish ships. The first Spanish ship could disengage and avoid three of the fireships at the last moment, but these hit the following ''Santa Teresa'', who had just managed to repel the attack of the other two. Too big (the biggest ship in the Spanish/Portuguese fleet) and slow to manoeuvre, and with no time to react, the ''Santa Teresa'' was finally grappled and set on fire by one fire ship. With Admiral [[Lope de Hoces]] already dead from his wounds, she fiercely burned with great loss of life.

The Portuguese ships were intercepted by the squadron of the Zeelandic Vice-Admiral [[Johan Evertsen]] who launched his fireships against them: most Portuguese ships were taken or destroyed, leaving according to some reports 15,200 dead and 1,800 prisoner. The number of dead is today considered as greatly exaggerated; for example, it does not take into account that a third of the troops had already reached Flanders. De Oquendo managed to escape in the fog with about ten ships, most of them [[Dunkirkers]], and reach Dunkirk. Nine of the ships driven ashore during the battle could be later refloated and also reached Dunkirk.<ref>[[Cesáreo Fernández Duro]], ''Armada española desde la unión de los reinos de Castilla y de León'', Est. tipográfico Sucesores de Rivadeneyra, Madrid, 1898, Vol. IV, pp. 215-216</ref>

==Losses==

[[File:Spaanse vloot verslagen in de zeeslag bij Duins, 1639 (titel op object), RP-P-OB-81.468 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|left|The Battle of the Downs]]
According to Spanish naval historian [[Cesáreo Fernández Duro]], of the 38 ships that attempted to break the Dutch blockade, twelve beached themselves on the English shore, nine of which were later refloated and managed to reach Dunkirk. One was destroyed by a fireship and another nine captured, three being so badly damaged they sank before reaching port; another three were wrecked on the coasts of France or Flanders while trying to avoid capture.{{sfn|Duro|1898|p=221}}

The French diplomat [[Godefroi, Comte d'Estrades|Comte d'Estrades]], in a letter to [[Cardinal Richelieu]], claimed that the Spanish had lost thirteen ships burnt or sunk, sixteen captured with 4,000 prisoners, and lost fourteen off the coasts of France and Flanders,<ref name="Estrades">Comte d'Estrades, p. 45</ref> a figure higher than the number of Spanish ships present at the Downs.<ref>Fernández Duro, p. 231</ref> D'Estrades also reported in his letter that the Dutch had lost ten ships sunk or burnt.<ref name="Estrades"/> This source is cited by [[Jean Le Clerc (historian)|Jean Le Clerc]] in his [[Histoire des Provinces-Unies des Pays-Bas]].<ref>Le Clerc, p. 194</ref>

The Portuguese Admiral and historian [[Ignacio Costa Quintella]] gives figures of 43 ships and 6,000 men lost by the Spanish and some ships and more than 1,000 men by the Dutch.<ref>Costa Quintanella, p. 353</ref>

The Dutch sources only mention the loss of one Dutch ship that got entangled with the ''Santa Teresa'' and about a hundred persons dead. Historian M.G de Boer's extensively researched book about the subject agrees with this and puts Spanish losses in ships and men at about 40 and 7,000 respectively.{{sfn|De Boer|1941|p=132}}

==Aftermath==
The larger part of the Spanish infantry managed to reach Flanders along with nearly all the money, but the celebrated Dutch victory marked a significant moment in the shifting balance of naval power. Much of the Spanish fleet, which had been built up over several years, was destroyed, and of the ships that succeeded in breaking through the blockade, many were severely damaged. A few months later, [[Action of 12–17 January 1640|another large Spanish expedition]], this time headed for [[Dutch Brazil]], was also defeated. Spain, strained under the vast commitments of the [[Thirty Years War]], was in no position to rebuild its naval dominance.{{sfn|Stradling|1979|p=208}}<ref> Wilson, Peter H. ''A History of the Thirty Years' War'' Allan Lane (Penguin) 2009 p.651</ref> The two major naval defeats also had consequences for the Spanish on the Iberian mainland, where they contributed to the climate in which the Portuguese decided to [[Portuguese Restoration War|revolt against the Spanish king]].{{sfn|Klooster|2016|p=69}}

The Dunkirker privateers continued to harm Dutch trade and were not defeated until [[Siege of Dunkirk (1646)|Dunkirk was captured by a Franco-Dutch force in 1646]]. However, the continuation of Dutch naval dominance in the North Sea meant that Spanish convoys paid a heavy price in lives and ships in running the Dutch blockades. These complicated operations in the Low Countries had left the overall [[Spanish Habsburg]] forces and finances in a precarious situation.<ref>p. Wilson, Peter H. ''A History of the Thirty Years' War'' Allan Lane (Penguin) 2009 p.651</ref> The Dutch, English, and French were quick to take advantage by seizing some small Spanish island possessions in the Caribbean. But by far the worst effects for Spain were the increased difficulties it suffered in maintaining its position in the [[Southern Netherlands]].

Tromp was hailed as a hero on his return and was rewarded with 10,000 guldens, invoking the jealousy of De With who only got 1,000. De With wrote some anonymous [[pamphlet]]s painting Tromp as avaricious and himself as the real hero of the battle. With Spain gradually losing its dominant naval position, England weak, and France not yet in possession of a strong navy, the Dutch allowed their own navy to diminish greatly after a peace treaty was signed in 1648. So, with an ineffective naval administration and ships that were too light and too few in number, they were to find themselves at a serious disadvantage in their coming conflicts with the English. However, they were able to maintain their large mercantile advantage over other European powers, entering into a period of increasing Dutch maritime superiority, both mercantile and naval, from the [[Second Anglo-Dutch War]], until the onset of the 18th century.

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book|last= De Boer |first= Dr MG|title = Tromp en de armada van 1639|year = 1941|lang=NL}}
* {{cite book|last =Duro|first=Cesáreo Fernández|title = Armada Española desde la unión de los reinos de Castilla y Aragón |publisher = Est. tipográfico Sucesores de Rivadeneyra|year = 1898|volume = IV|lang=ES}}
* {{cite book|author = Godefroi Louis Estrades (comte d'), Charles Colbert de Croissy (marquis), Jean-Antoine de Mesmes Avaux (comte d') |title = Lettres, memoires et négociations de Monsieur le comte d'Estrades: tant en qualité d'ambassadeur de S. M. T. C. en Italie, en Angleterre & en Hollande, que comme ambassadeur plénipotentiaire à la paix de Nimegue, conjointement avec Messieurs Colbert & comte d'Avaux  |publisher = J. Nourse |year = 1743 |volume = 1}}
* {{cite book|author = Jean Le Clerc |title = Histoire des Provinces-Unies des Pays-Bas, depuis la naissance de la République jusqu'à la Paix d'Utrecht & le Traité de la Barrière en 1716. Avec les principales médailles et leur explication |publisher = L'Honoré et Chatelain |year = 1728 |volume = 2}}
* {{cite book|author = Ignacio da Costa Quintella |title = Annaes da marinha portugueza|publisher = Acad. das sci. de Lisboa |year = 1839}}
* {{cite journal |last=Edmundson |first=George  |author-link= |title=Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange |journal=The English Historical Review |pages=41–64 |publisher=Oxford University Press |volume=5 |issue=17 |date=January 1890 |jstor=546555 |doi= |ref=edmundson1890}}
* {{cite book|author = R. B Prud'homme van Reine |title = Schittering en schandaal – Biografie van Maerten en Cornelis Tromp|publisher = Arbeiderspers |year = 2001}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Stradling |first1=Robert |title=Catastrophe and Recovery: The Defeat of Spain, 1639–43 |journal=History |date=1979 |volume=64 |issue=11 |pages=205–219 |doi=10.1111/j.1468-229X.1979.tb02059.x |jstor=24411536}}
* {{cite book|last=Stradling|first=Robert|title=The Armada of Flanders: Spanish Maritime Policy and European War, 1568-1668|year=1992|publisher=CUP|isbn=978-0521405348}}
* {{cite thesis|last=O'Neill|first=Patrick|title=Charles I and the Spanish Plot: Anglo-Habsburg Relations and the Outbreak of the War of Three Kingdoms, 1630-1641|publisher=University of California|year=2014|type=PHD|url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5z67h5rt#page=11}}
* {{cite book|last=Warner |first=Oliver|title = Great Sea Battles|publisher = Cambridge Ferndale Edns |year = 1981}}
* {{cite book |last1=Wedgwood |first1=CV |title=The Thirty Years War |date=1938 |publisher=New York Review of Books |isbn=978-1590171462 |edition=2005}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wilson |first=Peter H. |title=Europe's Tragedy: A History of the Thirty Years War |publisher=Allen Lane |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-7139-9592-3}}
* {{cite book|author = Francis Vere |title = Salt in their blood: The lives of the famous Dutch admirals|publisher = Cassell|year = 1955}}
* {{cite book|author = J.C.M. Warnsick |title = Drie zeventiende-eeuwsche admiraals. Piet Heyn, Witte de With, Jan Evertsen.|publisher = van Kampen|year = 1938}}
* {{cite book|author = J.C.M. Warnsick |title = 12 doorluchtige zeehelden | publisher = van Kampen|year = 1941}}
* {{cite book |last=Panhuysen |first=Luc |title=Het monsterschip: Maarten Tromp en de armada van 1639 |year=2021 |publisher=Atlas contact|isbn=978-9045040714}}
* {{cite book |last=Klooster |first=Wim |title=The Dutch moment: war, trade, and settlement in the seventeenth-century Atlantic world |year=2016 |publisher=Cornell University Press |url=https://archive.org/details/dutchmomentwartr0000kloo/page/68/mode/2up}}

{{Spanish Empire}}
<!--off Kent coast-->

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Downs, Battle Of The}}

[[Category:1639 in Europe]]
[[Category:Naval battles of the Eighty Years' War|Downs 1639]]
[[Category:Military history of the English Channel]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1639]]
[[Category:17th century in Kent]]
[[Category:Naval battles of the Thirty Years' War involving Spain]]
[[Category:Naval battles of the Thirty Years' War involving the Dutch Republic]]
[[Category:Naval battles involving Portugal]]
[[Category:Fire ship attacks]]