A Dutch fleet of twenty-six small warships…
April 1608 CE
A Dutch fleet of twenty-six small warships and four cargo ships, commanded by Jacob van Heemskerk, on April 25, 1607, surprises and engages a Spanish fleet anchored at the Bay of Gibraltar.
The Spanish fleet of twenty-one ships, including ten galleons of the largest size, is led by Don Juan Álvarez de Ávila.
Van Heemskerk leaves some of his ships at the bay entrance to prevent the escape of any Spanish ship.
The attacking ships are ordered to focus on the Spanish flagship San Augustin, commanded by Don Juan's son, and the Dutch fleet stands into the bay.
Van Heemskerk is killed during the first approach on the Spanish flagship as a cannon ball severs his leg.
The Dutch effectively then double up the galleons and a few of the galleons catch fire.
One Spanish ship explodes due to a shot into the powder magazine.
The Dutch capture the Spanish flagship, but let it go adrift.
During the four hours of action, the entire Spanish fleet is destroyed.
Following the destruction of the Spanish ships, the Dutch deploy boats and killed hundreds of swimming Spanish sailors.
The Dutch lose one hundred men, including admiral Van Heemskerk, with sixty wounded.
The Spanish lose their entire fleet of twenty-one ships and four thousand men, including Álvarez.
Images
Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen (Formerly attributed to Hendrik Cornelisz Vroom) : The Explosion of the Spanish Flagship during the Battle of Gibraltar, April 25 1607 (ca. 1621) Oil on canvas, 136.8 × 187 cm (53.86 × 73.62 in) Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
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