The naval Battle of Leghorn[a] took place on 4 March 1653 (14 March Gregorian calendar),
[b] during the First Anglo-Dutch War, near Leghorn (Livorno), Italy. It was a victory of a Dutch squadron under CommodoreJohan van Galen over an English squadron under Captain Henry Appleton. Afterwards, another English squadron under Captain Richard Badiley, which Appleton had been trying to join up with, reached the scene in time to observe the capture of the last ships of Appleton's squadron, but was outnumbered and forced to return to Porto Longone.
Background
In 1652 the government of the Commonwealth of England, mistakenly believing that the United Provinces after their defeat at the Battle of the Kentish Knock would desist from bringing out fleets so late in the season, split their fleet between the Mediterranean and home waters. This division of forces led to a defeat at the Battle of Dungeness in December 1652, and by early 1653 the situation in the Mediterranean was critical too. Appleton's squadron of six ships (including four hired merchantmen) was trapped in Leghorn by a blockading Dutch fleet of 16 ships, while Richard Badiley's of eight (also including four hired merchantmen) was at Elba.
The only hope for the English was to combine their forces, but Appleton sailed too soon and engaged with the Dutch before Badiley could come up to help. Three of his ships were captured and two destroyed and only one (Mary), sailing faster than the Dutch ships, escaped to join Badiley. Badiley engaged the Dutch, but was heavily outnumbered and retreated.
The battle gave the Dutch command of the Mediterranean, placing the English trade with the Levant at their mercy, but Van Galen was mortally wounded, dying on 13 March.
One of the Dutch captains at the battle was son of Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp, Cornelis Tromp, who was to become a famous admiral himself and one of the most celebrated and controversial figures in Dutch naval history due to his actions in the Anglo-Dutch Wars and the Scanian War.
Ships involved
United Provinces of the Netherlands
Johan van Galen
The battle of Leghorn. Johannes LingelbachThe Battle of Leghorn, 1653 by Willem van Diest.Johan van Galen becomes mortally wounded during battle
The Eendracht and Jonge Prins were ships of the Noorderkwartier Admiralty, all the others (including the hired merchantmen) pertained to the Amsterdam Admiralty.
Commonwealth of England
Capt. Henry Appleton's squadron
Bonaventure 44 (Stephen Lyne) - Blown up by Vereenigde Provincien
Leopard 48 ('flagship' of Appleton) - Captured (by Eendracht?)
Samson 40 (hired merchantman, Edmund Seaman) - Burnt by fireship
Mary 30 (hired merchantman, Benjamin Fisher)
Peregrine 30 (hired merchantman, John Wood) - Captured by Zwarte Arend
Levant Merchant 28/30? (hired merchantman, Stephen Marsh) - Captured by Maagd van Enkhuysen
Capt. Richard Badiley's squadron
Paragon 52 ('flagship' of Badiley)
Phoenix 36 (Owen Cox)
Elizabeth 36 (Jonas Reeves)
Constant Warwick 32 (Upshott)
Mary Rose 32 (hired merchantman, John Turtley)
Lewis 30 (hired merchantman, William Elle)
William and Thomas 30 (hired merchantman, John Godolphin)
Thomas Bonaventure 28 (hired merchantman, George Hughes)
? (fireship, Peter Whyting)
The fireship is listed as Charity in Mariner's Mirror vol. 49, but according to Mariner's Mirror vol. 24 that ship was expended during an action off Plymouth on 27 August 1652.
Notes
^the Dutch call the encounter by the Italian name Livorno
^During this period in English history dates of events are usually recorded in the Julian calendar, while those the Netherlands are recorded in the Gregorian calendar. In this article dates are in the Julian calendar with the start of the year adjusted to 1 January (see Old Style and New Style dates).
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