Action of March 1677 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of Franco-Dutch War | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Kingdom of France | Dutch Republic | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Jean II d'Estrées Louis Gabaret† |
Jacob Binckes Roemer Vlacq | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
10 ships Some smaller vessels |
10 ships Some merchant ships | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
4 ships | 1 ship |
The action of March 1677 in the West Indies took place between a Dutch fleet under Jacob Binckes and a French force attempting to recapture the island of Tobago. There was much death and destruction on both sides. One of the Dutch supply ships caught fire and exploded; the fire then quickly spread in the narrow bay causing several ships, among them the French flagship Glorieux, to catch fire and explode in turn which resulted in great loss of life. The French under Jean II d'Estrées retreated but would make a second attempt at the end of the year with a much stronger fleet.
The Facebook game Solitaire Blitz has a level dedicated to the Glorieux, where a user plays a pirate version of Solitaire and retrieves items such as a flag, a shield, a set of swords and the Glorieux's silenced bell, the latter of which is left of the ship.
Order of battle[]
France (d'Estrées)[]
- Glorieux (flag) - (Jean II d'Estrées) Burnt; 60 people dead
- Intrépide - (Louis Gabaret) Captured and burnt
- Précieux - Aground and captured
- Marquis - Blew up
- Galant - Damaged
- Fendant - Damaged
- 4 anonymous other ships, and some smaller vessels
Netherlands[]
- Beschermer (flag) - (Jacob Binckes) 50 people dead
- Huis te Kruiningen - (Roemer Vlacq) Captured, blown up by its own crew; 56 people dead
- Zeelandia - 44 people dead
- Leyden - Damaged
- 6 anonymous other ships, and some merchant ships
The original article can be found at Action of March 1677 and the edit history here.