Action of 29 January 1654

Last updated
Action of 29 January 1654
Part of the First Anglo-Dutch War
Date29 January 1654
Location
near Bandar Abbas, or near Sindh
Result

Dutch victory

  • Gulf in complete hands of the Dutch [1]
Belligerents
Flag of The Commonwealth.svg  Commonwealth of England Statenvlag.svg  United Provinces
Commanders and leaders
Flag of The Commonwealth.svg Mr. Hargreave
Flag of The Commonwealth.svg Mr. Walterer
Statenvlag.svg Unknown Admiral
Strength
4 ships 5 ships
Casualties and losses
1 ships captured
1 ship sunk
30-80 Prisoners [2]
unknown deaths
no ships lost
unknown deaths

The Action of 29 January 1654 was a naval battle between the Dutch and the English, either near Bandar Abbas or Sindh. [2] [3]

Contents

Background

Following the commencement of the First Anglo-Dutch War in December 1653, three English ships, namely the Falcon, Dove, and Welcome, set sail from Diu with the purpose of proceeding to Gombroon to load cargo onto the Endeavour. [4] Upon reaching the Persian Gulf these ships engaged two Dutch vessels in battle for a couple of hours. Despite having a superior force, they eventually withdrew. Subsequently, they set sail towards the Endeavour, which was being pursued by a Dutch fleet. They anchored at Gombroon Roads and remained there for two days. Finally, on January 29, they arrived in Gombroon [5]

Battle

During the naval battle, the Dutch Admiral's ship was rendered ineffective by a broadside from the English ship "Welcome," which had 21 cannons on that side. The English ship "Falcon" initially collided with the Dutch Admiral's ship but was soon cleared, only to engage another Dutch ship and lose its foremast. The Falcon was eventually boarded by the Dutch from the laden ship, resulting in an hour-long struggle with considerable losses on both sides. However, a groundless fear of a fire led the Falcon's crew to abandon their ship and escape in boats, leaving behind over 60 able-bodied men who hadn't been injured. The Welcome and the Dove managed to avoid significant harm during the battle. The Endeavour, although initially engaged with two Dutch ships, eventually sank after taking many shots under the waterline, resulting in the loss of English and Dutch lives. The Dutch ships pursued the 2 retreating English ships later in the day. The battle was poorly managed on both sides, with reports of drunkenness among the Dutch and likely similar conditions among the English. The Welcome and the Dove safely reached Surat on February 9, 1653–4. Two days later, two Dutch ships arrived at Surat, bringing the captured Falcon and about 80 English prisoners, which was seen as a dishonorable outcome for the English. [6]

Aftermath

After the battle, the English lodged a complaint about the Dutch attack with the Safavid authorities and requested assistance. [2] [3] However, their plea for aid was declined because the Safavid Empire was preoccupied with other pressing matters. Moreover, the Safavids assured the English that they had no intention of taking action against the Dutch, primarily due to their substantial trade interests with the Dutch that they did not want to ruin. [3] The Dutch dominance in the Gulf was so big that after this battle that the English Agent in Basrah received orders to relocate to a safer location. There was even consideration of sending silk bought in Persia to Europe via Isfahan. Fortunately, news of peace eventually put an end to this precarious situation. [1] This also destroyed England's ideas of an alliance with Portugal to expel the Dutch from India. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglo-Dutch Wars</span> Series of wars during the 17th and 18th centuries

The Anglo–Dutch Wars were a series of conflicts mainly fought between the Dutch Republic and England in the mid-17th and late 18th century. The first three wars occurred in the second half of the 17th century over trade and overseas colonies, while the fourth was fought a century later. Almost all the battles were naval engagements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandar Abbas</span> City in Hormozgan Province, Iran

Bandar Abbas or Bandar-e ‘Abbās is a city in the Central District of Bandar Abbas County, Hormozgan province, Iran, serving as capital of the district, the county, and the province. Bandar Abbas is a port on the southern coast of the country, on the Persian Gulf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Line of battle</span> Naval warfare tactic in which a fleet of ships forms a line end to end


The line of battle is a tactic in naval warfare in which a fleet of ships forms a line end to end. The first example of its use as a tactic is disputed—it has been variously claimed for dates ranging from 1502 to 1652. Line-of-battle tactics were in widespread use by 1675.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Swally</span> Part of Portuguese battles in the Indian Ocean (1612)

The naval Battle of Swally, also known as Battle of Suvali, took place on 29–30 November 1612 off the coast of Suvali a village near the Surat city and was a victory for four English East India Company galleons over four Portuguese galleons and 26 barks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottoman–Portuguese conflicts (1538–1560)</span> Series of military encounters between the Portuguese and Ottoman Empires

The Ottoman-Portuguese conflicts were a period of conflict during the Ottoman–Portuguese confrontations and series of armed military encounters between the Portuguese Empire and the Ottoman Empire along with regional allies in and along the Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea.

The Bani Utbah is an Arab tribal confederation that originated in Najd. The confederation is thought to have been formed when a group of Arab clans migrated to Eastern Arabia from Najd in the 16th century. Bani Utbah belongs to the larger Anizah tribe. The Al Bin Ali along with current ruling families of Bahrain and Kuwait were the rulers of the federation. The name of confederation is found in the form Attoobee or Uttoobee in English sources up to the late 19th century.

John Weddell (1583–1642) was an English sea captain who served for the Muscovy Company and then the East India Company (EIC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safavid–Portuguese conflicts</span> Wars between the Portuguese and Safavid empires (1507–1622)

The Persian–Portuguese war/Safavid–Portuguese war took place from 1507 to 1622 and involved the Portuguese Empire and the Kingdom of Ormus, its vassal, on one side, and the Safavid Persia (Iran) with the help of the Kingdom of England on the other side. During this era, Portugal established its rule for about more than a century in Ormuz and more than 80 years in Bahrain, capturing some other islands and ports such as Qeshm and Bandar Abbas. The conflict came to an end when the Persian Shah, Abbas the Great, conquered the Portuguese Bahrain forcing them to war in the Persian Gulf.

The Órfãs do Rei were Portuguese girl orphans who were sent from Portugal to overseas colonies during the Portuguese Empire as part of Portugal's colonization efforts. The orphans were married to native rulers or Portuguese settlers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piracy in the Persian Gulf</span> Historic buckaneering era (C17th–C19th)

Piracy in the Persian Gulf describes the naval warfare that was prevalent until the 19th century and occurred between seafaring Arabs in Eastern Arabia and the British Empire in the Persian Gulf. It was perceived as one of the primary threats to global maritime trade routes, particularly those with significance to British India and Iraq. Many of the most notable historical instances of these raids were conducted by the Al Qasimi tribe. This led to the British mounting the Persian Gulf campaign of 1809, a major maritime action launched by the Royal Navy to bombard Ras Al Khaimah, Lingeh and other Al Qasimi ports. The current ruler of Sharjah, Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi argues in his book The Myth of Piracy in the Gulf that the allegations of piracy were exaggerated by the Honourable East India Company to cut off untaxed trade routes between the Middle East and India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bantam Presidency</span> Presidency of Company rule in India

Bantam Presidency was a presidency established by the British East India Company and based at the Company factory at Bantam in Java. Founded in 1617, the Presidency exercised its authority over all the Company factories in India, including the agencies of Madras, Masulipatnam and Surat. The factors at Bantam were instrumental in founding the colony of Madraspatnam in 1639 with the Fort St. George, which later grew into the modern city of Madras. The Presidency of Bantam was twice downgraded, first in 1630 before being restored in 1634 and for the second time in 1653, when owing to the hostility of Dutch traders, the Presidency was shifted to Madras.

Andrew Shilling, was a naval commander in the fleet of the English East India Company (EIC).

Sheikh Rashid bin Matar Al Qasimi was Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah from 1747–1777, as head of the Al Qasimi maritime federation. Rashid bin Matar ruled at a time when maritime violence was prevalent throughout the Persian Gulf, following incursions by the Portuguese and fighting at sea and on land on the Persian Coast between the British and Dutch and the British and French, over 'factories' established on that coast by both maritime powers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle off Hormuz (1625)</span> Battle for the control of the Persian Gulf trade

The battle off Hormuz or the battle of the Persian Gulf on 11–12 February 1625 was "perhaps the largest naval battle ever fought in the Persian Gulf". It pitted a Portuguese force against a combined force of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and English East India Company (EIC). Although the battle was a draw, the result was the loss of Portuguese influence in the Gulf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afsharid navy</span> Military unit

Iran sustained maritime forces during Afsharid dynasty that were revived in 1734 by Nader Shah, with peak of its activity lasting more than a decade until Division of the Afsharid Empire. It operated in the Caspian Sea, where it was considered a threat by the Russian Empire. Headquartered in Bushehr, the southern flotilla maintained presence in the Persian Gulf as well as the Sea of Oman, effectively pushing against maritime Arabian empires in Sultanate of Muscat and Imamate of Oman, Pirates based in coasts that were later called Trucial, and also local rebels and mutineers. The Afsharid navy also ordered several vessels from both the British and Dutch East India Company.

The English ship Martin was a 14-gun sixth rate vessel built under the 1651 Programme at Portsmouth Dockyard for the Commonwealth of England in 1651/52. Her service in the Commonwealth Navy was very active. She participated in the Battles of Dover, Portland and the Gabbard. She was with Robert Blake at Porto Farina. She was the main vessel at the Capture of Jamaica in 1655. With the Restoration she became HMS Martin. During the Second Anglo-Dutch War she was in the initial battle of Lowestoft then the Battle of Vagen. She was sold in February 1667.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Suakin (1541)</span>

The Battle of Suakin of 1541 was an armed encounter that took place in 1541 in the city of Suakin, held by the Ottoman Empire, and which was attacked, sacked and razed by Portuguese forces under the command of the Portuguese governor of India, Dom Estêvão da Gama.

The Siege of Daman in 1581 was a military engagement between Portuguese forces and those of the Mughal Empire in the city of Daman, in India. A Mughal army engaged the Portuguese in an attempt to set up a siege, but was forced to withdraw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gujarati–Portuguese conflicts</span>

Gujarati-Portuguese conflicts refers to the armed engagements between the Portuguese Empire and the Sultanate of Gujarat, in India, that took place from 1508 until Gujarat was annexed by the Mughal Empire in 1573.

References

Sources