Battle of Portland

Battle of Portland
Part of the First Anglo-Dutch War
Date18–20 February 1653
Location
Result English victory
Belligerents
 Commonwealth of England  Dutch Republic
Commanders and leaders
The Protectorate Robert Blake
The Protectorate Richard Deane
Maarten Tromp
Strength
80 warships
12,000 men
2,800 guns
80 warships
8,600 men
2,450 guns
Casualties and losses
3 warships sunk 12 warships sunk

The naval Battle of Portland, or Three Days' Battle, took place during 18–20 February 1653 (28 February – 2 March 1653 (Gregorian calendar)),[a] during the First Anglo-Dutch War, when the fleet of the Commonwealth of England under General at Sea Robert Blake was attacked by a fleet of the Dutch Republic under Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp escorting merchant shipping through the English Channel.

The battle failed to settle supremacy of the English Channel, although both sides claimed victory, and ultimate control over the Channel would only be decided at the Battle of the Gabbard which allowed the English to blockade the Dutch coast until the Battle of Scheveningen, where Admiral Maarten Tromp was killed in a firefight.
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