Raid on the Medway

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• published: 07 Aug 2016
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The Raid on the Medway during the Second Anglo-Dutch War in June 1667, sometimes called the Battle of the Medway, Raid on Chatham or the Battle of Chatham, was a successful and daring attack conducted by the Dutch navy deep upriver targeting the largest English naval battleships at a time when most were virtually unmanned and unarmed, laid up due to lack of funding in the fleet anchorages off Chatham Dockyard and Gillingham in the county of Kent.At the time, the fortress of Upnor Castle and a barrier chain called the 'Gillingham Line' were supposed to protect the mothballed naval ships anchored off Chatham, the main English naval base in southeastern Stuart England.The Dutch, under nominal command of Lieutenant-Admiral Michiel de Ruyter, over several days bombarded and then captured the town of Sheerness, sailed up the River Thames to Gravesend, then risking the perils of its treacherous shallows, sandbars and shoals, sailed up the River Medway to Chatham and Gillingham, where they engaged fortifications with cannon fire, burned three capital ships and ten lesser naval vessels, and captured and towed away two ships of the line: HMS Unity and the pride and normal flagship of the English fleet, HMS Royal Charles.Politically, the raid was disastrous for King Charles' war plans and led to a quick end to the war and a favourable peace for the Dutch. ---Image-Copyright-and-Permission--- About the author(s): Pieter Cornelisz. van Soest (fl. 1642–1667) Alternative names Pieter van Soest Description Dutch painter Work period from 1642 until 1667 Work location Amsterdam Authority control VIAF: 95858951 ULAN: 500028715 RKD: 73758 License: Public domain ---Image-Copyright-and-Permission--- This channel is dedicated to make Wikipedia, one of the biggest knowledge databases in the world available to people with limited vision. Article available under a Creative Commons license Image source in video