Raid on Newfoundland (1665)

In June, 1665, after the Second Anglo-Dutch war broke out a fleet under Michiel de Ruyter sailed to Newfoundland, and raided the place, and damaged the colony severely.

Raid on Newfoundland (1665)
Part of the Second Anglo-Dutch War

Present day St. John
DateJune, 1665
Location
Result

Dutch Victory

  • St. John captured[1]
Belligerents
 Dutch Republic

England England

Commanders and leaders
Dutch Republic Michiel de Ruyter England Christopher Martin
Strength
20 ships [2] Fortifications and defences of St. John, and a coalition of planters and migratory fishermen[3]
Casualties and losses
none all ships taken, castle, and houses destroyed,[4] and goods, canons, and guns taken

Background

Michiel first set sail to the Barbary coast to capture Barbary pirates, then whe went to Algiers to free the Christian slaves. He continued patrolling in the Mediterranean Sea until he got secret orders from the States-General to recapture forts in West Africa, and harm the English colonies in the Americas[5]

The Raid

After Recapturing the colonies in West Africa.[6] He decided to set sail for Newfoundland. When he arrived he first had to break a massive cable across the narrows.[7] He dived his fleet by 3, and sent 1 to the bay of bulst he himself went to St. John's bay, and he sent the other one to pretty bay. In the pretty bay.They captured 2 English ships completely filled with salt, oil, and wine, on the other hand the ruyter captured one frigate, and a fluyt. They stayed there for a bit capturing other numerous English ships, and vessels, filled with bread, meat, peas, and lots of fish. The people on the island had lots of fish, and even had too much, after de Ruyter had captured all these ships, he had too many English prisoners, he had around 300 prisoners. He thought it was too dangerous maybe they would rebel so he freed some on the Island.[8] However this was not the only port he raided he sailed around the coast and attacked numerous ports in the colony causing significant damage [9]

References

  1. Woodley Prowse, Daniel (1895). A History of Newfoundland from the English, Colonial, and Foreign Records. Macmillan. p. 197. ISBN 9780919302440.
  2. Gilbert, William (7 July 2010). "Gilbers". Newfoundland & Labrador Studies. 25 (2): 198.
  3. Gilbert, William (7 July 2010). "St. John Narrows". Newfoundland & Labrador Studies. 25 (2): 199.
  4. Calendar of the State Papers, Colonial Series, 1574-1660, preserved in the state paper department of Her Majesty's public record office Edited by W. Noël Sainsbury. II. H.M. Stationery Office. 1880. p. 558.
  5. Barreveld, Drs Dirk J. "De Reis Van De Ruyter Naar West Afrika En De West 1664-1665" (PDF) (in Dutch). p. 2-4.
  6. West African Sketches. Tinsley. 1881. ISBN 9780598527912.
  7. Gilbert, William (7 July 2010). "Gilbers". Newfoundland & Labrador Studies. 25 (2): 198.
  8. ten Cate, S.H (1877). Neêrland's roem ter zee de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, van zijn ontstaan tot den vrede van Utrecht (1713) : geschetst in tafereelen · Volume 2 (in Dutch). Amsterdam: Van Kesteren. pp. 465–466.
  9. Schneider, Stephen (2009). Iced The Story of Organized Crime in Canada (Paperback ed.). Wiley. p. 16. ISBN 9780470835005.
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