The Battle of Camperdown, 11 October 1797

Following the French occupation of Holland soon after the outbreak of the Revolutionary Wars, the Royal Navy suddenly found itself having to face the not inconsiderable Dutch fleet in addition to the naval forces of France herself. Adopting the usual strategy of blockading all the enemy's ports, a powerful squadron under Admiral Duncan was sent to stand off the Texel and thereby prevent the Dutch either menacing the security of Britain or simply harrying English merchantmen. Duncan mounted his blockade throughout the summer of 1797 but was ordered home for a refit early in October. Leaving several frigates to maintain a watch, he had barely anchored in Yarmouth Roads when a despatch boat arrived with the news that the Dutch fleet had taken advantage of his absence and put to sea. Weighing anchor immediately, Duncan sped back to the Dutch coast to prepare for battle and engaged the enemy fleet just after mid-day on 11 October, three miles NW of Kamperduijn (Camperdown). The two fleets each had sixteen ships-of-the-line but the Dutch had more frigates and also the advantage of position. Duncan, in H.M.S. Venerable, attacked the Dutch in two columns and a furious action ensued lasting several hours. The Dutch flagship Vrijheid attracted some of the bitterest fighting and by the time Admiral de Winter surrendered her at about 3.15p.m., she was a total wreck and he himself was the only unwounded man aboard her. Eight Dutch men-o'war and a frigate had already surrendered with the result that when their flagship struck her colours, the battle was effectively ended. It was not only a decisive victory for Duncan but it also marked the end of Dutch sea power and the eclipse of the Dutch navy as a significant force in European history.

The present work appears to be a copy after Thomas Whitcombe's 1798 painting of the same subject (Tate Britain), which was subsequently engraved by Thomas Hellyer.