Orders were at once issued that the Fleet should sail at daybreak,
and at three o'clock the next morning they were on their way down the
river. At ten o'clock the Dutch Fleet was seen off the North
Foreland. According to their own accounts they numbered eighty-eight
men-of-war, with twenty-five fire-ships, and were also divided into
three squadrons, under De Ruyter, John Evertz, and Van Tromp.
The engagement began at noon by an attack by the White Squadron upon
that commanded by Evertz. An hour later, Prince Rupert and the Duke,
with the Red Squadron, fell upon De Ruyter, while that of Van Tromp,
which was at some distance from the others, was engaged by Sir
Jeremiah Smith with the Blue Squadron. Sir Thomas Allen completely
defeated his opponents, killing Evertz, his vice- and rear-admirals,
capturing the vice-admiral of Zeeland, who was with him, and burning
a ship of fifty guns.
The Red Squadron was evenly matched by that of De Ruyter, and each
vessel laid itself alongside an adversary. Although De Ruyter himself
and his vice-admiral, Van Ness, fought obstinately, their ships in
general, commanded, for the most part, by men chosen for their family
influence rather than for either seamanship or courage, behaved but
badly, and all but seven gradually withdrew from the fight, and went
off under all sail; and De Ruyter, finding himself thus deserted, was
forced also to draw off. During this time, Van Tromp, whose squadron
was the strongest of the three Dutch divisions, was so furiously
engaged by the Blue Squadron, which was the weakest of the English
divisions, that he was unable to come to the assistance of his
consorts; when, however, he saw the defeat of the rest of the Dutch
Fleet, he, too, was obliged to draw off, lest he should have the
whole of the English down upon him, and was able the more easily to
do so as darkness was closing in when the battle ended.
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