Key Facts
- Date
- 18–20 February 1653 (OS)
- Duration
- 3 days
- Conflict
- First Anglo-Dutch War
- Also known as
- Three Days' Battle
Strategic Narrative Overview
On 18 February 1653, Tromp's Dutch fleet, protecting merchant shipping, encountered Blake's Commonwealth fleet and fighting erupted across three days in the waters near Portland Bill. Both fleets suffered significant damage and losses. The battle was fiercely contested with neither side able to deliver a decisive blow, and Tromp ultimately succeeded in shepherding much of the convoy to safety, while Blake's fleet was badly mauled.
01 / The Origins
The First Anglo-Dutch War arose from commercial and naval rivalry between the Commonwealth of England and the Dutch Republic. England's Navigation Act of 1651 threatened Dutch carrying trade, prompting repeated clashes at sea. By early 1653, Dutch Admiral Maarten Tromp was escorting a large merchant convoy through the English Channel, while the English fleet under Robert Blake sought to assert dominance over those waters and disrupt Dutch commerce.
03 / The Outcome
Neither side achieved clear victory and both claimed success; the battle failed to resolve supremacy in the English Channel. Control of the Channel was ultimately settled at the Battle of the Gabbard later in 1653, enabling England to blockade the Dutch coast. The war concluded with the Battle of Scheveningen, during which Admiral Tromp was killed, and the Dutch Republic eventually signed the Treaty of Westminster in 1654.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Robert Blake.
Side B
1 belligerent
Maarten Tromp.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.