The skirmish at the Isle of Wight (Swedish: Skärmytsling vid Isle of Wight) was a brief naval skirmish between Swedish and English warships off the Isle of Wight on 1 May 1647 during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It ended with the Swedish escaping their English pursuers, although one Swedish warship was later taken by the English into the Downs on 3 May after being discovered at anchor in Boulogne-sur-Mer.
| Skirmish at the Isle of Wight | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms | |||||||
_RMG_PW4954.jpg) An illustration of the Isle of Wight | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Sweden |
 England | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Mårten Anckarhielm (Thijssen) |
Richard Owen | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
Leopard Angel Raphael Nelptune Anne-Free Neptune |
Henrietta Maria Roebuck | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
5 warships 10 merchant ships |
3 warships 2 merchant ships | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown |
8 men killed 1 warship damaged | ||||||
Background
editOn 1 May 1647, English Rear-Admiral Richard Owen, commanding the 42-gun Henrietta Maria and accompanied by the 14-gun Roebuck, met with five men-of-war of the Swedish Navy convoying five Swedish merchant ships near the Isle of Wight.[1][2][3][3] The Swedes refused to lower their colours despite the English ships firing several warning shots. As a result, Owen sent one of his subordinates to Leopard, the flagship of Swedish Admiral Mårten Anckarhielm (Thijssen), to see what the reason was. Anckarhielm cited orders he had received from Christina, Queen of Sweden, which ordered him not to lower the Swedish flag to any foreign prince or state outside of Sweden proper.[4][5]
Skirmish
editUpon receiving Anckarhielm's response, Owen called upon two nearby English merchant ships that were heading south for assistance. During discussions with the English, Anckarhielm ordered the topsail of Leopard to be raised and sailed ahead of Owen, forcing the English into a pursuit right before nightfall.[4] Owen, acting upon his duty as an officer, engaged the Swedish Vice–Admiral's ship, firing several broadsides at her from close range. However, Henrietta Maria was heavily damaged during the exchange, which forced her to withdraw temporarily before resuming the pursuit. Roebuck, under the command of an officer which had already warned Anckarhielm of impending combat if his ships did not lower their colours, fired shots at the Swedish convoy before nightfall forced him to end his pursuit. In the engagement, Owen's ships lost no more than 8 men killed, with the fighting lastings for a total of six hours.[4][5]
Aftermath
editAfter the engagement, Vice-Admiral William Batten, who was appointed by the Parliament of England to his position, was informed of the situation on 2 May. He sailed out with several warships, including St Andrew, Garland, Convertine and Mary Rose, arriving at where Anckarhielm's ships had anchored near Boulogne-sur-Mer on the morning of 3 May. After finding the Swedish convoy anchored with their flags lowered, Batten approached and boarded Leopard.[5][4] Anckarhielm was still onboard the Leopard, and the other Swedish warships in Boulogne at the time were Angel Raphael, Nelptune, Anna–Free and Neptune.[5][4]
Upon boarding, Batten questioned the Swedes about the engagement on 1 May. Initially, the Swedes denied engaging with the English at all, but eventually they admitted to firing at Owen's ships, mostly due to the strict orders they had received from Queen Christina.[4][5] The Swedes expressed their willingness to die rather than dishonouring their commissions. Criticism was directed from Batten towards Owen for not targeting Leopard, despite being in close proximity with her for several hours. Batten also inquired about Owen's ships, learning they had last been seen near Beachy Head, which he found confusing.[5]
The following day was spent with the gathering of testimonies and copying the commissions, with the Swedish commanders being treated with respect but also held as prisoners aboard Batten's ship. An English council of war was assembled, which decided to escort the Swedish Vice–Admiral and his ship to the Downs.[5] The English allowed the rest of the Swedish convoy to continue on its journey.[6]
See also
edit- Anglo–Swedish skirmish (1695) – Anglo–Swedish naval skirmish
- Action of 10 August 1695 – Anglo–Swedish naval skirmish in 1695
- Action of 18 April 1695 – Skirmish between an English ship and a Dano-Swedish fleet
- Stockholm incident – Seizure of a Swedish ship by English ships in 1651
References
edit- ^ Oppenheim, M. (2023-07-09). A history of the administration of the Royal Navy and of merchant shipping in relation to the Navy. Good Press.
- ^ O'Mahoney 2011, p. 100.
- ^ a b Dictionary of National Biography. Smith, Elder, & Company. 1885.
- ^ a b c d e f Manuscripts, Great Britain Royal Commission on Historical (1891). Reports. p. 437.
- ^ a b c d e f g B, R. (1647). A true and full relation of the late sea fight, betwixt a squadron of ships belonging to the Parliament of England, and the Queene of Swethlands fleet. University of Michigan.
- ^ Murdoch 2019, p. 3.
Works cited
edit- O'Mahoney, Michael James (2011). THE NAVY IN THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR. University of Exeter. p. 100.
- Murdoch, Steve (2019). 'Breaching Neutrality': English prize-taking and Swedish neutrality in the First Anglo-Dutch War, 1651–1654 (PDF). Routledge. p. 136.