More information : Primary Sources:
'Whitehall, June 16. . . the Enemy taking the advantage of an Easterly Wind and the Tide, which both served them, pressed on . . . notwithstanding a stout resistance, in which our Men shewed infinite courage, with considerable loss to the Enemy, yet they clapt their Fireships aboard the MATTHIAS and the UNITY, that lay at an anchor, as a Guard to the Chain, and then upon the CHARLES THE FIFTH, all three of them Dutch Ships, that had been formerly taken from them.' (5)
Pictorial Sources:
This print, labelled with a numbered key, shows the MATTHIAS at No.15, on the Gillingham side, and is annotated: 'De Brander PRO PATRIA zeilt de Kettingh aan stukken en verbrandt de MATTHIAS met 52 stucken.'
'The fireship PRO PATRIA sails into the chain, breaking it into pieces, and sets the MATTHIAS, of 52 guns, on fire.' (4)
Secondary sources:
11-JUN-1667: this vessel attacked the MATTHIAS and set her on fire. (1)(2)
The Dutch advance party under Captain Tobiasz. moved the EDWARD AND EVE, sunk earlier that day, to allow a gap through the blockships. They were then forced to anchor and wait for the flood tide before proceeding further in the early morning of 12-JUN-1667. Tobiasz. led the party in the BESCHERMING, followed by the yachts and the two fireships, the SUSANNA and PRO PATRIA. Due to the narrowness of the channel the Dutch proceeded virtually 'single file', approaching Gillingham at about 10am.
'The second fireship, the PRO PATRIA, followed close behind the SUSANNA, rode hard at the chain, and broke it. She then positioned herself alongside the MATTHIAS lying just above the chain near the Gillingham shore, and set her afire.' (3)
Some Dutch fireship wrecks were recorded at Gillingham, which are likely to have been part of the attack on the chain. It is not clear which is which, nor whether they correspond precisely numerically with the ships expended in the attack on the chain. That being said (7), it is recorded in (4) that on 22 September 1669 the following wrecks were sold at auction, thus illustrating their continuing presence in the river:
The bottom of the bigger Dutch fireships at Gillingham, for £11; [note the plural]
The bottom of the smaller Dutch fireship at Gillingham, for £7;
The wreck of a Dutch fireship at Gillingham, for £21.
Those same wrecks were valued lower on 4 October 1669 in a report to the Navy Board:
The bottom of the bigger Dutch fireship at Gillingham, £6;
The bottom of the smaller Dutch fireship at Gillingham, £4;
The wreck of the Dutch fireship at Gillingham, £15.
Commanding Officer: Jan Danielsz. van Rijn (6)
Owner: Dutch Navy [all sources]
Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss |