The naval Battle of the Downs took place on 31 October 1639 (New style), during the Eighty Years' War and was a decisive defeat of the Spanish, commanded by Admiral Antonio de Oquendo, by the United Provinces, commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp.
In 1639, the Spanish prepared a force of 77 ships carrying 24,000 soldiers and sailors, in a desperate attempt to resupply their forces in Flanders after the French had cut off the usual land r...
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The naval Battle of the Downs took place on 31 October 1639 (New style), during the Eighty Years' War and was a decisive defeat of the Spanish, commanded by Admiral Antonio de Oquendo, by the United Provinces, commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp.
In 1639, the Spanish prepared a force of 77 ships carrying 24,000 soldiers and sailors, in a desperate attempt to resupply their forces in Flanders after the French had cut off the usual land route. The fleet, under command of Antonio de Oquendo, left on 16 September from A Coruña. It tried to reach Dunkirk, the last large Catholic port on the North Sea coast. It was sighted in the English Channel by a Dutch squadron commanded by Tromp on 25 September (New style). Tromp had only 13 ships, sending one back for help, and at first merely fell back before the Spanish fleet.
When reinforced by Vice-Admiral Witte de With, bringing his total to sixteen (the Groot Christoffel had blown up on 26 September), Tromp closed in on 27 September....
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