Action of March 1677
The action of March 1677 in the West Indies, often called the Battle of Tobago, took place on 3 March 1677 between a Dutch fleet under Jacob Binckes and a French force attempting to recapture the island of Tobago. There was much death and destruction on both sides. One of the Dutch supply ships caught fire and exploded; the fire then quickly spread in the narrow bay causing several ships, among them the French flagship Glorieux, to catch fire and explode in turn which resulted in great loss of life. The French under Vice-Admiral Comte d'Estrées retreated but would make a second attempt at the end of the year with a much stronger fleet.
| Action of March 1677 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Franco-Dutch War | |||||||
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 France |
 Dutch Republic | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Vice-Adm. Jean, Comte d'Estrées Louis Gabaret |
Jacob Binckes Roemer Vlacq | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
10 ships Some smaller vessels |
10 ships Some merchant ships | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 4 ships | 7 ships | ||||||
Order of battle
France (d'Estrées)
- Glorieux (flag, 60 guns) - (Jean, Comte d'Estrées) Burnt; 60 people dead
- Intrépide (56 guns) - (Louis Gabaret) Captured and burnt
- Précieux (54 guns) - Aground and captured
- Marquis (46 guns) - Blew up
- Galant (46 guns) - Damaged
- Fendant (54 guns) - (Charles de Courbon de Blénac) Damaged
- Jeux (40 guns)
- Emérillon (36 guns)
- Soleil d'Afrique (30 guns)
- Laurier (28 guns) - (Charles-François de Machault de Belmont)
- plus some smaller vessels
Netherlands
- Beschermer (flag) - (Jacob Binckes) 50 people dead
- Huis te Kruiningen - (Roemer Vlacq) Captured, blown up by its own crew; 56 people dead
- Zeelandia - 44 people dead
- Leyden - Damaged
- 6 anonymous other ships, and some merchant ships
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