Battle of Dogger Bank (1781)

Battle of Dogger Bank
Part of the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War
The Battle of Dogger Bank, by Thomas Luny. NMM
Date 5 August 1781 Location Dogger Bank, North Sea Coordinates: 54°43′26″N 2°46′08″E / 54.724°N 2.769°E / 54.724; 2.769 Result Tactically indecisive; Strategic British victory[1]
Belligerents
Great Britain	Dutch Republic
Commanders and leaders
Sir Hyde Parker, 5th Baronet	Johan Zoutman
Strength
7 ships of the line	7 ships of the line
Casualties and losses
104 killed, 339 wounded[2]	142 killed, 403 wounded,[2] (Some sources repute as high as 1,100) 1 ship sunk[3]

The Battle of the Dogger Bank was a naval battle that took place on 5 August 1781 during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, contemporaneously related to the American Revolutionary War, in the North Sea. It was a bloody encounter between a British squadron under Vice Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, 5th Baronet and a Dutch squadron under Vice Admiral Johan Zoutman, both of which were escorting convoys.

Background

In December 1780, Great Britain declared war on the Dutch Republic, drawing it militarily into the American War of Independence.^[4] The Dutch had for many years been supplying the Americans, and shipping French supplies to the Americans, in support of the American war effort.^[5] The opening of hostilities with the Dutch meant that Britain's trade with countries on the Baltic Sea (where key supplies of lumber for naval construction were purchased) was potentially at risk, and that the British had to increase protection of their shipping in the North Sea. In order to accomplish this, the British began blockading the Dutch coast to monitor and intercept any significant attempts to send shipping into or out of Dutch ports, and began to protect merchant shipping convoys with armed vessels.

The Dutch were politically in turmoil, and were consequently unable to mount any sort of effective actions against the British.^[6] The result of this inaction was the collapse of their economically important trade.^[7] It was finally decided that a merchant fleet had to be launched. On 1 August 1781, Admiral Johan Zoutman led a fleet of some 70 merchantmen from the Texel, protected by seven ships of the line as well as a number of frigates and smaller armed vessels.

Depiction of the Dutch line August 5, 1781.

Admiral Hyde Parker was accompanying a convoy of ships from the Baltic when he spotted the sails of the Dutch fleet at 4am on the morning of 5 August. He immediately despatched his convoy toward the English coast, and ordered his line to give chase rather than prepare for battle.^[8]:48 Zoutman, whose ships had been interspersed with the merchantmen, signalled his line to form in between Parker and the convoy.

The ships of Parker's fleet were not in the best of condition, since great demands were placed on the Royal Navy by the demands of the war, and all manner of ships were pressed into service, or did not receive necessary maintenance. Some ships were in such poor condition that the number of guns available to fire was reduced from its normal complement. The ships had had no time to practice the normal fleet manoeuvers.^[8]:46 In spite of this, Berwick and Parker's flagship Fortitude, both 74 guns, were both relatively new and in good shape. The Dutch fleet had not seen any significant action due to the British blockade.

Battle

Batavier

With a calm sea and a breeze from the northeast, Zoutman maneuvered his line onto a port tack, heading east-southeast, and awaited Parker, who held the weather gage. The British fleet closed, raggedly at first due to the poor condition of some of the ships into line of battle abreast in accordance with the signal raised at 6.10 am. Two ships were told to change places, which led to a mistake and placed the Dolphin (44) against one of the largest Dutch ships and the Bienfaisant without an opponent.^[8]:48

When Parker raised the battle flag shortly before 8 am, for close action the British fleet moved closer, surprisingly the Dutch ships did not fire a shot as the British approached until the two fleets were about half a musket shot apart. Zoutman then also raised his flag, and when both commanders raised red flags at the same time, to signal the commencement of firing, opened fire, raking the Fortitude with a broadside. Close action ensued, lasting for three hours and forty minutes.^[8]:49 Around mid-morning the Dutch merchantmen moved away from the action and headed back to the Texel. At 11.35 am Parker gave the signal to reform his line as the ships had become unmanageable, which dropped to leeward and limped away from the Dutch.^[8]:50

Casualties on both sides were high, considering the number of ships involved. (Fewer casualties were suffered, for example, in the Battle of the Chesapeake, fought a month later between fleets more than twice as large.) The British claimed 104 killed and 339 wounded, while the Dutch claimed 142 killed and 403 wounded.^[2] There were private reports made that the Dutch casualties were actually much higher, possibly reaching 1,100. The Hollandia sank the same night. Her flag, which was kept flying, was taken away by the Belle Poule, and carried to Admiral Parker.^[3]

Aftermath

Although the Dutch celebrated the battle as victory, their fleet did not leave harbour again during the war and their merchant trade remained crippled. At least one convoy did make it to the Baltic, but it flew under Swedish flags and was accompanied by a Swedish frigate.^[9]

Parker claimed victory but considered that he had not been properly equipped for his task, and on arrival at the Nore, met King George telling him "I wish Your Majesty better ships and younger officers. As for myself, I am now too old for the service".^[8]:52 He then resigned his command.

The battle had no real impact on the general course of the war.

Order of battle

The order of battle is provided by Clowes, p. 505.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Battle of Dogger Bank (1781).

Sources

• Allen, Joseph, Battles of the British navy, Volume 1 H. G. Bohn, London,(1852)
• Blok, Petrus Johannes. History of the People of the Netherlands
• Clowes, Sir William Laird (1898). The Royal Navy: a history from the earliest times to the present, Volume 3
• Davies, Charles Maurice. The history of Holland and the Dutch nation, Volume 3
• Edler, F. (2001) [1911]. The Dutch Republic and The American Revolution. Honolulu, Hawaii: University Press of the Pacific. ISBN 0-89875-269-8. 
• Penrose, John (1850). Lives of Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Vinicombe Penrose, K. C. B., and Captain Trevenen. J. Murray (publisher), Harvard University.
• Syrett, David (1998). The Royal Navy in European Waters During the American Revolutionary War Studies in maritime history. Univ of South Carolina Press. ISBN 9781570032387.