Battle of Camperdown – Wikipedia

The Battle of Camperdown (11 October 1797) It was a naval battle, fought off the north coast of Holland which culminated in the victory of the Royal Navy over the naval forces of the Republic Batava ^[3] during the French revolutionary wars. The British fleet under the command of Adam Green Duncan defeated the Dutch fleet, under the command of the admiral Jan Willem de Winter, off the coast of the village of Camperduin, north-west of Alkmaar.

During 1797, Duncan blocked the Dutch fleet to Den Helder and Texel. The Dutch wanted to cover the invasion of French troops in Ireland in support of Irish nationalists, and had designed a landing on the coasts of Scotland of an army of 50 000 men, to support Scottish nationalists. The long wait in the ports failed the supplies on board and undermined the morale of men. The Dutch did not news that for a few weeks only four of the Royal Navy ships participated in the blocking of ports as the bulk of the fleet participated in a mutiny of mass that then culminated with the hanging of the culprits.

At the end of September the Dutch abandoned their invasion plans. The English admiralized learned of this and decided to recall the fleet to Yarmouth for a refueling. The Dutch thus had the opportunity to get out of the ports and enter the North Sea with the intention of attacking British vessels. The British, alerted by the cutter Black Joke and from the lugger Speculator , they returned off the coast of Texel and attested the return of the Dutch fleet.

The two fleets met 28 km from the Dutch coast. The British were strong of 24 vessels and proceeded in a south-east direction and faced a Dutch fleet of 25 ships that proceeded tilled in the north-east direction. The British attacked on two columns, presaged what would have occurred eight years later at the battle of Trafalgar. Duncan commanded the easternmost group under the command of the Venerable and deputy admiral Sir Richard Onslow commanded the group a west on the Monarch . In this way they prevented Dutch ships from repairing the coast and take refuge in ports.

The Venerable The Dutch lines broke and faced the flagship ship Freedom , while the other British ships faced the Dutch fleet on both sides taking them in two fires. Eleven Dutch ships were captured, including the flagship ship, but many English ships were not in a position to navigate. British losses were 220 deaths and 812 injured while 540 dead and 620 injured were among the Dutch ranks.

During the battle the British had the advantage of having heavier ships and cannons, as well as having more trained crews. Many of the British vessels were equipped with carronade , a sort of cannons with a very short barrel equipped with a heavy projectile that had a devastating power in the combat shortly. The captured Dutch ships had been reduced in poor condition and the repair was difficult for English crews to prey.

Admiral De Winter was taken prisoner with his ship, heiring and with half a dead or injured crew. In surrendering he did to deliver his sword to Duncan but he refused and squeezed his hand. Both Duncan and De Winter were very high and robust men (Duncan was one meter and ninety centimeters tall). De Winter subsequently said: “It seems incredible that two gigantic beings like Admiral Duncan and I may have escaped a carnage like that.” ^[4]

Following the battle, the first French expedition to Ireland did not come that in August 1798, when the Irish nationalists had already been decimated.

Ships involved (and their cannons), in battle order:

First group [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

Second group [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

Other [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

• Martin (sloop)
• Rose (cutter)
• King George (cutter)
• Active (cutter)
• Diligent (cutter)
• Speculator (Lugger)

Ships involved (and their cannons), in battle order:

Battle line [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

• Equality 64/68 – captured by Warlike It is Lancaster 3.10 pm
• Protector 50/56
• Hercules 64 (Musquetier?) – captured on fire
• Admiraal de Vries 64/68 – captured by Isis 3.00 pm
• Freedom 74 (flagship) – captured 3.15 pm
• States General 74
• Wassenaar 64 – captured by Powerful It is They veterate 2.00 pm
• Batavier 50/56
• Brutus 74
• Leyden 64/68
• Mars 44
• Cerberus 64/68
• Jupiter 74/72 – captured by Russell ? 1.45 pm
• Monkendam 40/44 – catturata 2.00 pm, wrecked
• Haarlem 64/68 – captured by Adamant 1.15 pm
• Alkmaar 50/56/52? – captured 2.30 pm
• Delft 50/54/60 – captured 2.15 pm, sunk 2.30 am of 15 October

Minor ships not participating in the battle [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

• Ambush 32 – captured, freed and therefore reliable
• heroine 32
• Minerva 24 (Corvetta)
• Vigilance 24 (Corvetta)
• Ajax 18 (Corvetta)
• Atalanta 18 (Corvetta)
• Daphne 18 (Corvetta)
• Galathée 18 (Corvetta)
• Hate 6 (lookout)
• ? (lookout)

The cannons indicated for seconds obtained from Mariner’s Mirror vol. 23 (1937).

• Mariner’s Mirror vol. 23 (1937)
• Nelson’s War , Peter Padfield, Book Club Associates, London, 1976