| Summary : Area of battlefield debris, likely to consist largely of masts, from the Battle of Beachy Head, 1690 (1582844), in which numbers of Dutch ships were so severely damaged that many were dismasted following a French victory over a combined Anglo-Dutch fleet. Their masts would have 'gone by the board' and sunk, also causing hull damage to the vessels involved. Contemporary reports on both sides stated that at least a dozen Dutch vessels were dismasted, and that only three vessels remained serviceable in the Dutch division by nightfall, a sufficient number to create a significant area of battlefield debris resulting from the battle.The location for this area of battlefield wreckage is based on the named location for the Battle of Beachy Head, a nominal location for representative purposes only, based on the current state of knowledge. It is not intended to be definitive. |
More information : At this period the English retained the Julian or Old Style Calendar, in which the date of the battle was 30th June 1690. The Dutch and French had already adopted the Gregorian or New Style Calendar, in which the date of the battle was 10 days later, on 10 July 1690.
A letter from the French commander M de Tourville, dated "six leagues from Beachy Head, 14 July (New Style) 1690", states, recalling the day of the battle itself: '. . . il y eut, comptant les Anglais, douze de leurs navires rasés sans aucuns mâts . . . Il est sûr qui si nous avions eu nos galères, nous prenions les navires démâtés qui mouillèrent au jusant.'
('There were, including the English, a dozen of their ships razed and completely dismasted . . . It is certain that if we had had our galleys, we would have been able to capture the dismasted ships which anchored on the ebb tide.) (1)
A further letter from M de Tourville, dated 13 July (New Style), stated:
'Depuis notre combat, nous n’avons pas perdu les ennemis de vue en appareillant toutes les marées ; les calmes sont cause que nous n’avons pas eu [sic], douze ou quatorze vaisseaux hollandais ; comme la plupart étaient sans mâts, ils se sont tirés avec plus de facilité avec leurs chaloupes.' (1)
('Since the battle, we have not lost sight of the enemy, weighing with each tide; we have not seen more than 12 or 14 Dutch ships because of the calms; since the majority are dismasted, they have been towed by their pinnaces.') (1)
A letter from Cornelis Evertsen, dated from King's Deep, [in the Thames] 17th July (New Style), 1690, lists losses and damage to the fleet. Many of the damaged ships had masts and spars 'onbruckbaer' (onbruikbaar or useless) while the most damaged ships had been set on fire either by their crews or the enemy. (2)
These details together suggest the potential for significant battlefield debris from the Battle of Beachy Head, consisting principally of masts, spars and splinters, perhaps in association with expended cannonballs. The location of this wreckage has been indexed under the location of the battle, which is for representative purposes only. (3) |