Identifier: cu31924028018574 (find matches)
Title: The Royal Navy
Year: 1907 (1900s)
Authors: Swinburne, Henry Lawrence Wilkinson, Norman, 1878-1934 illus Jellicoe, John Rushworth Jellicoe, Earl, 1859-1935, illus
Subjects: Great Britain. Royal Navy Great Britain. Royal Navy
Publisher: London, A. and C. Black
Contributing Library: Cornell University Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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ition atSolebay, had been taunted by the Duke with fearof the enemy, refused to leave the burning ship,and perished with her. On the whole, however,after what De Ruyter described as the hardestfought battle that he ever saw, the victory wasundecided, both sides claiming it. The Dutch hadburnt four of our ships, but De Rujrter left one ofhis finest vessels in our hands as a prize. AnotherDutch ship had been sunk, and a second burnt. In the following year, 1673—the Test Act, mean-while, having obliged the Duke of York, a RomanCatholic, to resign his command—three more battleswere fought, Rupert and Spragge having succeededthe Duke of York and Lord Sandwich. The firstof these took place on the anniversary of Solebay ;and so fierce was the British attack that Tromp,the Dutch Admiral, was thrice forced to shift hisflag, his flagship being disabled. The second battle was on the 4th June, and, thoughthere was great slaughter, neither side lost a ship. THE BATTLE OF SOLE BAYMay 28th, 1672
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NAVY OF THE COMMONWEALTH 97 In the third action, Sir Edward Spragge, in theRoyal Prince^ backed his main topsail to awaitTromp s flagship, the Golden Lion. After threehours hard fighting the Royal Prince was disabled,and Spragge had to leave her for the St George,A little later this ship also was so crippled thatSpragge determined to shift his flag to the RoyalCharles; but in rowing to that ship the boat inwhich the admiral had taken his place was sunkby a round shot, and the gallant seaman perished.All three battles, in fact, were fought with themost determined ferocity, and were practicallyundecisive in their results. In all three anothercharacteristic was the desertion of the French, inwhose fleet scarcely a shot was ever fired. It is,however, only fair to say that in the last of theseactions one French officer. Admiral de Martel,exposed himself gallantly with his single ship, butnothing could induce his comrades to follow hisexample. The Dutch were anxious for peace; the war wasun

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