Battle of the Gabbard - Definition and Overview

The Battle of the Gabbard, 12 June 1653 by Heerman Witmont.

The Battle of the Gabbard, also known as the Battle of Gabbard Bank or the Battle of the North Foreland, (12–13 June 1653) was a battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War between fleets of the Commonwealth of England and the United Provinces.

The battle took place near the Gabbard shoal off the coast of Suffolk in England. The English fleet had 100 ships commanded by Generals at Sea George Monck and Richard Deane, the Dutch 98 ships under Admiral Maarten Tromp. On 12 June 1653 the Dutch attacked but were beaten back. On 13 June the English were joined by Admiral Robert Blake and the Dutch were scattered in defeat with eleven ships sunk and nine captured. The English lost no ships, but Deane was killed.

The victory lead to the English regaining control over the English Channel, which had be lost some six months earlier in the Battle of Dungeness.

After the battle the English imposed a blockade on the Dutch coast, capturing many merchant ships. The fleets met again on 8 August 1653 at the Battle of Scheveningen.

HMS Gabbard of the British Royal Navy was named in honour of the battle.

See also

• British military history