Likely the final battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War, fought 23 days after the Treaty of Westminster ended the conflict.
Key Facts
- Date
- 14 March 1674
- Dutch ship
- Wapen van Rotterdam (VOC East Indiaman)
- Days after Treaty of Westminster
- 23 days
- English force
- 3 Royal Navy men-of-war and 1 dogger
- Dutch casualties (up to)
- 300 crew killed
- Burial site
- Heylor, Shetland ("The Hollanders' Graves")
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Dutch East India Company ship Wapen van Rotterdam, bound for the East Indies with trade goods and soldiers, was severely damaged by extreme weather, losing its masts and rudder. The crippled vessel sought refuge in Ronas Voe, Shetland for several months, where a local informant alerted English authorities to its presence.
Three English Royal Navy men-of-war and a dogger were dispatched to Ronas Voe. On 14 March 1674, they engaged the stranded Dutch ship in a short naval battle. The Wapen van Rotterdam was captured and taken to England as a prize of war, with up to 300 of her crew killed during the engagement.
The captured Wapen van Rotterdam was brought back to England as a prize of war. The Dutch crewmen killed in the battle were buried at Heylor, Shetland. A modern memorial bearing the inscription 'The Hollanders' Graves' marks the site. The battle is regarded as almost certainly the last combat action of the Third Anglo-Dutch War.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent