Battle of Solebay
1672 battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short, summarize this topic like I'm... Ten years old or a College student
The naval Battle of Solebay took place on 28 May Old Style, 7 June New Style[1][2] 1672 and was the first naval battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War.
| Battle of Solebay | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Anglo-Dutch War | |||||||
 The Burning of the Royal James at the Battle of Solebay, 28 May 1672 by Willem van de Velde the Younger | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Dutch Republic |
 England France | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Michiel de Ruyter Adriaen Banckert Willem Joseph van Ghent † |
James, Duke of York Edward Montagu † Jean II d'Estrées | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 61 ships of the line, 14 frigates, 36 fire ships, and a number of smaller ships | 85-95 War ships, 30 fire ships | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
1 ship destroyed, 1 captured ≈1600 sailors killed |
4 ships destroyed ≈2500 sailors killed | ||||||
The battle began as an attempted raid on Solebay port where an English fleet was anchored and largely unprepared for battle, and ended at a hard-fought draw. The battle however prevented a planned allied naval invasion of the Dutch Republic and boosted the morale of the Dutch population. Both sides claimed victory.