A Dutch blockade sortie off Dunkirk ended inconclusively, allowing the Spanish squadron to eventually complete its mission after Tromp's fleet withdrew with heavy damage.
Key Facts
- Date
- 18 February 1639
- Battle duration
- 4 hours
- Walloon troops transported
- 2000 soldiers
- Spanish galleons lost/grounded
- 3 (2 captured, 1 aground)
- Dutch outcome
- Forced to abandon blockade due to ship damage
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Eighty Years' War, the Spanish Dunkirk Squadron under Miguel de Horna was ordered to join Admiral Antonio de Oquendo's fleet at A Coruña. Horna simultaneously needed to escort a convoy of 2,000 Walloon soldiers to Spain. A Dutch blockading squadron under Admiral Maarten Tromp was stationed off Dunkirk, directly obstructing this mission.
On 18 February 1639, Horna's squadron attempted to exit Dunkirk in the presence of Tromp's blockading fleet. A four-hour naval engagement followed. The Spanish were repulsed; Horna retreated into Dunkirk, leaving two galleons behind while a third ran aground. However, Tromp's ships sustained heavy damage in the fighting.
Despite tactically stopping the Spanish sortie, Tromp was compelled to abandon the blockade due to his fleet's damage. This allowed Horna to repair his squadron and subsequently accomplish his original mission of escorting the convoy and joining Oquendo's fleet, making the Dutch tactical success strategically hollow.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Maarten Tromp.
Side B
1 belligerent
Miguel de Horna.