John Harman (admiral)

Battle of Lowestoft, 3 June 1665, showing HMS Royal Charles and the Eendracht by Hendrik van Minderhout

The Battle of Lowestoft was the first large naval action in the Second Anglo-Dutch War.[8] In this battle on 3 June 1665 (old style) the Royal Charles was the flagship of James, Duke of York, the future King James II of England.[9] Sir William Penn, who was also on the Royal Charles, was captain of the fleet.[6] The Royal Charles was engaged with the Dutch flagship, the Eendracht when the latter was blown up.[9] The Dutch fled in confusion. Sir William Penn, who was sick and exhausted, and the Duke of York both retired to their cabins. The Royal Charles was leading the pursuit under Harman's command when Henry Brouncker, the duke's gentleman-in-waiting, asked Harman to shorten sail.[10] Brounker gave as his reason the danger to the duke if the Royal Charles, which was the closest of the English ships to the Dutch, were to find itself alone in an engagement with the Dutch on the coast of Holland. Harman said he could do nothing without orders. Brounker went back to the cabin, then returned to Harman and said the duke ordered him to shorten sail, which Harman did.[6] The other pursuing ships slowed in response and the Dutch escaped. The incident caused a scandal and a parliamentary inquiry was held in which Harman was absolved of all blame, which was laid on Brouncker.[10]

On 13 June 1665 Harman was knighted and promoted to rear admiral of the White squadron with the Resolution (formerly Tredagh) as his flagship.[10] On 25 October 1665 Harman took command of the recently refitted frigate Revenge, with 58 guns and a crew of 300.[11] In November he was sent with 18 ships to escort the merchant fleet home from Gothenburg.[6] After his return he moved his flag to the 80-gun Henry. He fought in the Four Days' Battle (1–4 June 1666).[8]

St. James Day Battle

With the Henry as his flagship Harman played a conspicuous part in the St. James's Day Battle on 4–5 August 1666 off the North Foreland of the coast of Kent.[3] The English fleet was commanded in this long battle against the Dutch by George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle.[6] The fighting was savage. The admiral Sir George Ayscue was captured and the vice-admiral Sir William Berkeley was killed. The White squadron suffered the greatest damage.[10] Harman led the van of the English fleet and was soon in the center of the Zeeland squadron, where his ship became completely disabled.[6]

An enemy fire ship grappled the Henry on the starboard side, but through extraordinary exertion his boatswain managed to detach the grappling irons. A second fire ship grappled the Henry on the larboard side, and the sails caught fire. Almost fifty of the crew jumped overboard. Sir John drew his sword and threatened to kill any other men who tried to leave the ship or who failed to fight the fire. The remaining crew managed to quench the fire, but the burnt rigging let one of the top-sail yards fall and it broke Harman's leg. A third fire ship now approached but was sunk by fire from the Henry's lower-deck guns. The Dutch vice-admiral Evertzen approached and offered to accept a surrender. Harman refused and fired a broadside that killed Evertzen. The Dutch now held back from the Henry, which despite the damage it had suffered was able to sail back to Harwich. Harman managed to make enough repairs to put to sea again the next day, hoping to resume the fight despite his broken leg. He found that the engagement had been broken off.[6]

Harman had to resign his command while he recovered from his injury. Early in 1667 he was sent as admiral and commander in chief of a fleet that was sent to the West Indies. By special order his ship flew the Union Jack. He reached Barbados in early June and on 10 June 1667 sailed for Saint Kitts, which the French had just captured. He failed to recapture the island, and was holding a council of war when news arrived that 23–24 French warships and 3 fire ships were lying at Martinique. Harman directed his fleet to Martinique, where he found the French ships lying close to the shore under the protection of the batteries.[10]

Attack on the French at Martinique by Willem van de Velde the Younger (1675)

The French commander Antoine Lefèbvre de La Barre and the governor of Martinique Robert de Clodoré had returned there after an attempt to take Nevis had failed when La Barre left the scene. La Barre and Clodoré were arguing when Harman's fleet arrived and in the Battle of Martinique bombarded the French ships off Saint-Pierre.[12] Harman was suffering badly from gout and had difficulty moving, but despite this gave orders throughout the engagement.[13] He attacked several times, and on 25 June 1667 set fire to the French admiral's ship and six or seven other strong vessels.[10] La Barre appears to have panicked and ordered his ships to be scuttled.[12] Several others were sunk, some sank themselves and only two or three escaped. The English lost no more than 80 men killed, although others were wounded and the ships suffered considerable damage and loss of ammunition.[10]

Harman then sailed to South America, and on 15 September 1667 captured Cayenne.[10] His fleet destroyed Fort Cépérou and the French colonial settlement of Cayenne.[14] The French governor Cyprien Lefebvre de Lézy fled the colony on 23 September 1667. Harman arrived at the mouth of the Suriname River on 3 October 1667. The next morning he entered the river on the Bonaventure accompanied by the Assurance and Norwich, the Portsmouth and Roe ketches under lieutenant-general Henry Willoughby and a sloop. Willoughby sent a messenger demanding that the Dutch surrender. The troops were landed on 5 October and advanced to the fort, which was well-built with walls about 18 feet (5.5 m) high. On 8 October 1667 Harman captured Fort Zeelandia.[15] Harman returned to Barbados on 10 November 1667, and since peace had been concluded he sailed for England, arriving in the Downs on 7 April 1668.[10]