| Summary : 1690 wreck of Dutch fireship which foundered after being expended and apparently then sunk by gunfire in a failed attack upon the CONQUERANT in the French van, commanded by Philippe le Valois, marquis de Villette-Mursay, during the Battle of Beachy Head (1582844). She was one of four fireships said to have been lost during the battle itself: see 1582976, 1582979, and 1582981for the other fireships lost. A contemporary print takes care to depict four Dutch fireships and to show at least three of them as being lost. The battle took place on 30th June 1690 according to the Julian (Old Style) Calendar still in use by the English at this time, or on 10th July 1690 according to the Gregorian (New Style) Calendar, which had already been adopted by the Dutch and the French. Any such fireship would have been constructed of wood and powered by sail. For the other ships lost during the battle and its aftermath, please see: the VRIESLAND (974985), captured and burnt in the battle itself; the GEKROONDE BURG (1438084), beached and set on fire in the night following the battle, followed by the NOORDERQUARTIER, also beached further east (1583059). So many ships were dismasted in the action that there is likely to have been battlefield debris (1582969). In the aftermath of the battle the WAPEN VAN UTRECHT (1167831) foundered on the 3rd of July, probably off Hastings, since that area seems to have been the focal point of events on that day. A group of four vessels, the MAAGD VAN ENKHUIZEN (974986), ELSWOUT (1167835), THOLEN (1438083) and NOORD HOLLAND (1438085) were all beached and burnt in the Hastings area on the 3rd-4th July. The English lost the ANNE, which was also beached and fired on the Pett Level, and is now designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 (1082120). The COURTEEN took part in the battle, but was wrecked later that year on the English coast (1449034). |
More information : One of four Dutch fireships which were lost in the action of Beachy Head itself:
Translated from the original French by compiler:
'I noticed that a fireship, escorted by those English who were to the windward, was bearing down upon me under full sail. I told M de La Roche-Allart, captain of my ship, to keep to windward, so as to bring about suddenly just as the fireship was about to approach. M de La Roche-Allart suggested an even bolder manoeuvre, which was to prepare to fire the three batteries of the CONQUERANT to fire simultaneously on the fireship. This I was ready to do, and to avoid any unfortunate consequences, I ordered Saujon to board my pinnace ready to take the fireship under tow if the guns were not able to have the desired effect. The fireship was sunk . . . ' (1)
A secondary account of the battle states that:
'Trois brûlots ennemis sont coulés, un quatrième brûlé.' (1) [Three enemy fireships sank, and a fourth was burnt.']
A contemporary print of the action marks out four fireships in the van of the combined Anglo-Dutch fleet, but to the eastward behind the line of battle (2), presumably for the purposes of making them more visible, since they would not have been behind the Anglo-Dutch line when put to use. (4) One is seen on fire, and two others are marked in a sinking state. (2) Their location is consistent with the French line of battle, in which Philippe de Villette Mursay was in the van. (1)(3) The number of Dutch fireships is consistent with the Dictionary (p267) in (2) but appears to indicate that three fireships were lost, rather than four. (4)
Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss
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