The Battle of Camperdown

Battle of Camperdown

The Battle of Camperdown was a major naval action fought on 11 October 1797 between a Royal Navy fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Dutch Navy fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter...

 was an important naval action of the French Revolutionary Wars

French Revolutionary Wars

The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...

, fought off Camperduin

Camperduin

Camperduin is a small village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Bergen, and lies about 12 km northwest of Alkmaar....

 on the Noord Holland coast on 11 October 1797 between a British fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Dutch fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter. The French Republic had overrun the Dutch Republic

Dutch Republic

The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...

 two years earlier, reforming it into the Batavian Republic

Batavian Republic

The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....

. In early 1797 the Dutch Navy was ordered to sail to Brest

Brest, France

Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...

 and unite with the French Atlantic Fleet in preparation for an invasion of Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. Shortly afterwards, the British fleets were paralysed by the Spithead and Nore mutinies, in which the sailors refused to take their ships to sea until they were awarded better pay and conditions. For two months the English Channel

English Channel

The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...

 was undefended, but the Dutch failed to take the opportunity to sail from their harbour in the Texel

Texel

Texel is a municipality and an island in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the biggest and most populated of the Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea, and also the westernmost of this archipelago, which extends to Denmark...

. Their preparations were not complete, and a small squadron of loyal British ships under Duncan convinced de Winter that the British fleet was at sea by sending nonsensical signals to fictitious ships over the horizon.

By October 1797, the plan to attack Ireland had been abandoned and the British North Sea Fleet was again at full strength. During a brief period replenishing supplies at Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...

, news reached Duncan on 10 October that the Dutch had sailed and he returned to the Dutch coast, intercepting de Winter's fleet on its way back to the Texel. The Dutch formed a line of battle

Line of battle

In naval warfare, the line of battle is a tactic in which the ships of the fleet form a line end to end. A primitive form had been used by the Portuguese under Vasco Da Gama in 1502 near Malabar against a Muslim fleet.,Maarten Tromp used it in the Action of 18 September 1639 while its first use in...

 in shallow coastal waters to meet Duncan's attack, which was conducted in a confused mass, the British ships separating into two groups that struck the van and rear of the Dutch fleet, overwhelming each in turn and capturing eleven ships, including de Winter's flagship Vrijheid. On the return journey three of the captured ships were lost, and none of the surviving Dutch prizes was ever suitable for active service again. Both sides suffered heavy casualties during the battle as each fleet had been trained to aim at the hulls of their opponents, maximising the damage to personnel.

Although both fleets fought hard, they were suffering from popular unrest: the mutinies in Britain continued to overshadow the Navy, while the Dutch sailors were unhappy with French dominion and, in marked difference to their officers, were generally supporters of the exiled House of Orange. In addition, the Dutch were disaffected and poorly trained due to the long months blockade

Blockade

A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...

d in their harbours, which made them inferior seamen and gunners when compared with the highly experienced British crews. Dutch ships were also more weakly constructed than their British counterparts with a shallower draught, a necessity in the shallow waters of the Dutch coast but a liability when fighting warships built for the open ocean. The Dutch did however have the advantage of weight of shot, especially when their well-armed frigates and brigs are included statistically. Unlike the smaller British ships, these lighter craft were intended to contribute in battle, covering the gaps in the line between their larger companions.

Orders of battle

The ships in the orders of battle below are listed in the order in which they appeared in the respective battle lines. Listed in the casualties section are the totals of killed and wounded as best as can be established: due to the nature of the battle, Dutch losses were hard to calculate precisely. Officers killed in action or who subsequently died of wounds received are marked with a † symbol. As carronades were not traditionally taken into consideration when calculating a ship's rate

Rating system of the Royal Navy

The rating system of the Royal Navy and its predecessors was used by the British Royal Navy between the beginning of the 17th century and the middle of the 19th century to categorise sailing warships, initially classing them according to their assigned complement of men, and later according to the...

, these ships may have actually been carrying additional or fewer guns than indicated below.

British fleet

Admiral Duncan's fleet
Ship	Rate Rating system of the Royal Navy The rating system of the Royal Navy and its predecessors was used by the British Royal Navy between the beginning of the 17th century and the middle of the 19th century to categorise sailing warships, initially classing them according to their assigned complement of men, and later according to the...	Guns	Commander	Casualties			Notes
				Killed	Wounded	Total
Windward division
HMS Triumph HMS Triumph (1764) HMS Triumph was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 3 March 1764 at Woolwich.In 1797, she took part in the Battle of Camperdown, and in 1805 Triumph was part of Admiral Calder's fleet at the Battle of Cape Finisterre....	Third rate	74	Captain William Essington				Hull and masts damaged, ten guns dismounted
HMS Venerable HMS Venerable (1784) HMS Venerable was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 19 April 1784 at Blackwall Yard.In 1797, Venerable served as Admiral Duncan's flagship at the Battle of Camperdown....	Third rate	74	Admiral Adam Duncan Captain William George Fairfax William George Fairfax Sir William George Fairfax was a vice-admiral in the Royal Navy and the progenitor of the Fairfax Baronets. His most notable service was as Admiral Adam Duncan's flag captain on board HMS Venerable during the Battle of Camperdown on 11 October 1797.-Life:Born in 1739 the son of Captain John...				Hull and masts very badly damaged
HMS Ardent HMS Ardent (1796) HMS Ardent was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 9 April 1796 at Northfleet. She had been designed and laid down for the Honourable East India Company, but was purchased by the Navy after the outbreak of the French Revolutionary War.In 1801, Ardent took part in the...	Third rate	64	Captain Richard Rundle Burges				Hull and masts very badly damaged
HMS Bedford HMS Bedford (1775) HMS Bedford was a Royal Navy 74-gun third rate. This ship of the line was launched on 27 October 1775 at Woolwich.-Early service:In 1780, Bedford fought at the Battle of Cape St Vincent...	Third rate	74	Captain Sir Thomas Byard				Hull and rigging badly damaged
HMS Lancaster HMS Lancaster (1797) HMS Lancaster was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 29 January 1797 at Rotherhithe. She was designed and built for the Honourable East India Company, but was purchased by the Navy after the start of the French Revolutionary War.She was sold out of the service in...	Third rate	64	Captain John Wells				Lightly damaged
HMS Belliqueux HMS Belliqueux (1780) HMS Belliqueux was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 5 June 1780 at Blackwall Yard, London. She was named after the French ship captured in 1758....	Third rate	64	Captain John Inglis				Hull and rigging badly damaged
HMS Adamant HMS Adamant (1780) HMS Adamant was a 50-gun Portland-class fourth rate warship of the British Royal Navy. She served during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars in a career that spanned thirty years....	Fourth rate	50	Captain William Hotham William Hotham (1772–1848) Sir William Hotham GCB was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....				Undamaged
HMS Isis HMS Isis (1774) HMS Isis was a 50-gun Portland-class fourth-rate of the Royal Navy. She saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....	Fourth rate	50	Captain William Mitchell William Mitchell (Royal Navy officer) Sir William Mitchell, KCB was an officer of the British Royal Navy during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Mitchell is best known for rising from humble origins to high rank, having joined the Navy in 1766 as an able seaman and died in 1816 as a vice-admiral...				Lightly damaged
HMS Circe	Sixth rate	28	Captain Peter Halkett Sir Peter Halkett, 6th Baronet Admiral Sir Peter Halkett, 6th Baronet was a senior Royal Navy officer of the early nineteenth century who is best known for his service in the French Revolutionary Wars. The younger son a Scottish baronet, Halkett joined the Navy and by 1793 was a lieutenant, becoming a post captain after service...				Not engaged in the action.
Leeward division
HMS Russell HMS Russell (1764) HMS Russell was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 10 November 1764 at Deptford.In 1782, she was commanded by Captain James Saumarez at the Battle of the Saintes. In 1794 she was part of Admiral Howe's fleet at the Glorious First of June, and in the following year...	Third rate	74	Captain Henry Trollope Henry Trollope Admiral Sir Henry Trollope, GCB was an officer of the British Royal Navy.-Early career:He entered the navy at the age of 14. In the American Revolutionary War he served aboard HMS Captain and HMS Asia. He fought at the battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill and the Siege of Boston...				Lightly damaged
HMS Director HMS Director (1784) HMS Director was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 9 March 1784 at Gravesend. She was laid down speculatively in the November of 1779, and ordered by the Navy the following year....	Third rate	64	Captain William Bligh William Bligh Vice Admiral William Bligh FRS RN was an officer of the British Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. A notorious mutiny occurred during his command of HMAV Bounty in 1789; Bligh and his loyal men made a remarkable voyage to Timor, after being set adrift in the Bounty's launch by the mutineers...				Masts and rigging damaged
HMS Montagu HMS Montagu (1779) HMS Montagu, sometimes spelled Montague, was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 28 August 1779 at Chatham Dockyard....	Third rate	74	Captain John Knight John Knight (Royal Navy officer) Sir John Knight, KCB was a senior British Royal Navy officer during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries most noted for his activities as a post captain during the American and French Revolutionary Wars...				Lightly damaged
HMS Veteran HMS Veteran (1787) HMS Veteran was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 14 August 1787 at East Cowes. She was designed by Sir Edward Hunt, and was the only ship built to her draught....	Third rate	64	Captain George Gregory				Three guns dismounted, otherwise lightly damaged
HMS Monarch HMS Monarch (1765) HMS Monarch was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 20 July 1765 at Deptford Dockyard.Monarch had a very active career, fighting in her first battle in 1778 at the First Battle of Ushant and her second under Admiral Rodney at Cape St. Vincent in 1780...	Third rate	74	Vice-Admiral Richard Onslow Sir Richard Onslow, 1st Baronet Sir Richard Onslow, 1st Baronet GCB was an English naval officer who played a distinguished role at the Battle of Camperdown.-Naval career:... Captain Edward O'Bryen Edward O'Bryen Rear-Admiral Edward O'Bryen was a British Royal Navy officer prominent in the late nineteenth century, who is best known for his participation at the Nore Mutiny and the Battle of Camperdown, both in 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars...				Hull and masts very badly damaged
HMS Powerful HMS Powerful (1783) HMS Powerful was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 3 April 1783 at Blackwall Yard, London.In 1805 the ship arrived too late to take part in the Battle of Trafalgar but was then detached to reinforce the East India squadron. On 13th June 1806 she captured the French...	Third rate	74	Captain William O'Bryen Drury William O'Bryen Drury Rear-Admiral William O'Bryen Drury was a senior officer of the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. Drury served as commander of the ship of the line HMS Powerful during the French Revolutionary Wars, during which he was heavily engaged at the Battle of Camperdown, at which a Dutch fleet...				Hull and masts badly damaged
HMS Monmouth HMS Monmouth (1796) HMS Monmouth was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 23 April 1796 at Northfleet. She had been designed and laid down for the Honourable East India Company, but was purchased by the Navy after the start of the French Revolutionary War.She was hulked in 1815, and...	Third rate	64	Captain James Walker James Walker (Royal Navy officer) James Walker CB, CavTe was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, rising to the rank of Rear-Admiral....				Lightly damaged
HMS Agincourt HMS Agincourt (1796) HMS Agincourt was a 64-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 23 July 1796 at Blackwall Yard, London. She was bought from the East India Company in 1796, where she had been called Earl Talbot....	Third rate	64	Captain John Williamson				Very lightly damaged
HMS Beaulieu	Fifth rate	40	Captain Francis Fayerman				Undamaged
Minor warships
HMS Martin HMS Martin (1790) HMS Martin was a 16-gun sloop of the Royal Navy.-Construction and commissioning:Martin was a , built to a design by John Henslow and ordered from Woolwich Dockyard on 17 January 1788. She was worked on by Master Shipwright John Nelson until August 1790, after which she was completed by William Rule...	Sloop Sloop A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....	16	Commander Charles Paget				Not engaged in the action.
Rose	Hired cutter	10	Lieutenant Joseph Brodie				Not engaged in the action.
King George Hired armed cutter King George The Royal Navy used several vessels that were described as the hired armed cutter King George. Some of these may have been the same vessel on repeat contract.-First hired armed cutter King George:...	Hired cutter	12	Lieutenant James Rains				Not engaged in the action.
Active	Hired cutter	12	Lieutenant J. Hamilton				Not engaged in the action.
Diligent	Hired cutter	6	Lieutenant T. Dawson				Not engaged in the action.
Speculator	Hired lugger Lugger A lugger is a class of boats, widely used as traditional fishing boats, particularly off the coasts of France, Scotland and England. It is a small sailing vessel with lugsails set on two or more masts and perhaps lug topsails.-Defining the rig:...	8	Lieutenant H. Hales				Not engaged in the action.
Total casualties: 203 killed, 622 wounded
Source: Clowes, p. 326, James, p. 380

Dutch fleet

Vice-Admiral de Winter's fleet
Line of battle
Ship	Rate Rating system of the Royal Navy The rating system of the Royal Navy and its predecessors was used by the British Royal Navy between the beginning of the 17th century and the middle of the 19th century to categorise sailing warships, initially classing them according to their assigned complement of men, and later according to the...	Guns	Commander	Casualties			Notes
				Killed	Wounded	Total
Gelijkheid *	Third rate	68	Commander H. A. Ruijsch	40 killed			Badly damaged and may have been dismasted. Captured at 15:10, later became HMS Gelykheid
Beschermer	Fourth rate	56	Captain Hinxt	Unknown			Lightly damaged
Hercules *	Third rate	64	Commander Ruijsoort	Unknown			Hull very badly damaged and set on fire, mizenmast collapsed. Captured and became HMS Delft.
Admiraal Tjerk Hiddes De Vries *	Third rate	68	Captain J. B. Zegers	Unknown			Badly damaged and ship may have been dismasted. Captured at 15:00, later became HMS Devries
Vrijheid *	Third rate	74	Vice-Admiraal Jan de Winter Commander L. W. van Rossum	58	98	156	Hull very badly damaged and ship dismasted. Captured at 15:15, later became HMS Vryheid
Staaten Generaal	Third rate	74	Rear-Admiral Samuel Story Samuel Story Samuel Story was a vice-admiral of the navy of the Batavian Republic. He commanded the squadron that surrendered without a fight to the Royal Navy at the Vlieter Incident in 1799.-Early life:...	20	40	60	Hull badly damaged, masts and rigging lightly damaged
Wassenaar *	Third rate	64	Commander A. Holland	Unknown			Damaged. First captured at 14:00, subsequently rejoined the combat and was captured again. Later became HMS Wassenaer
Batavier	Fourth rate	56	Commander Souter	Unknown			Lightly damaged
Brutus	Third rate	74	Rear-Admiral Johan Bloys van Treslong Commodore Polders	10	50	60	Lightly damaged
Leijden	Third rate	68	Commander J. D. Musquetier	Unknown			Lightly damaged
Mars	Fifth rate razee Razee A razee or razée is a sailing ship that has been cut down to reduce the number of decks. The word is derived from the French vaisseau rasé, meaning a razed ship.-Sixteenth century:...	44	Commander D. H. Kloff	1	14	15	Mizenmast collapsed
Cerberus	Third rate	68	Commander Jacobsen	5	9	14	Lightly damaged
Jupiter *	Third rate	72	Rear-Admiral Hermanus Reijntjes	61 killed			Hull and rigging severely damaged, main and mizenmasts collapsed. Captured at 13:45, later became HMS Camperdown
Haarlem *	Third rate	68	Captain O. Wiggerts	Heavy casualties			Hull severely damaged and mizenmast collapsed. Captured at 13:15, later became HMS Haerlem
Alkmaar *	Fourth rate	56	Captain J. W. Krafft	26	62	82	Hull severely damaged and ship dismasted in the immediate aftermath of the battle. Captured at 14:30, later became HMS Alkmaar.
Delft Dutch ship Delft The Delft was a Dutch 56-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the navy of the Dutch Republic and the Batavian Republic.The order to construct the ship was given on 27 May 1782 by the Admiralty of the Meuse... *	Fourth rate	56	Captain Gerrit Verdooren van Asperen Gerrit Verdooren van Asperen Gerrit Verdooren van Asperen was a Dutch naval officer. He became a vice admiral.He was born in Bergen op Zoom on 9 February 1757. Verdooren van Asperen joined the Batavian Navy in 1795, and was the commander of the Batavian 56-gun fourth rate ship of the line Delft during the Battle of Camperdown...	43	76	119	Hull severely damaged. Captured at 14:15. Sank during journey to Britain with the loss of an additional 34 lives.
Frigate line
Atalante	Brig Brig A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...	18	Commander B. Pletsz	Unknown
Heldin	Fifth rate	32	Commander Dumenil de Lestrille	Unknown
Galathée	Brig Brig A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...	18	Commander Riverij	Unknown
Minerva	Sixth rate	24	Commander Eijlbracht	Unknown
Ajax	Brig Brig A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...	18	Lieutenant Arkenbout	Unknown
Waakzaamheid	Sixth rate	24	Commander Meindert van Nierop	Unknown
Ambuscade *	Fifth rate	36	Commander J. Huijs	Unknown			Captured but later driven ashore on the Dutch coast and retaken by Dutch forces
Daphné	Brig Brig A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...	18	Lieutenant Frederiks	Unknown			Badly damaged
Monnikkendam *	Fifth rate	44	Commander Thomas Lancester	50 killed			Badly damaged. Captured at 14:00 but subsequently wrecked on the Dutch coast
Haasje	Advice boat Aviso An aviso , a kind of dispatch boat or advice boat, survives particularly in the French navy, they are considered equivalent to the modern sloop....	6	Lieutenant Hartingveld	Unknown
Total casualties: 540 killed, 620 wounded
Sources: Clowes, p. 326, James, p. 381, Lloyd, pp. 145–150