Battle of Camperdown order of battle

The Battle of Camperdown was an important naval action of the French Revolutionary Wars, fought off Camperduin on the North Holland coast on 11 October 1797 between a Royal Navy fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Batavian Navy fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan Willem de Winter. France had overrun the Dutch Republic two years earlier, which was replaced by the Batavian Republic. In early 1797, the Batavian Navy was ordered to sail to Brest and unite with the French Atlantic Fleet in preparation for an invasion of Ireland. Shortly afterwards, the British navy was paralysed by the Spithead and Nore mutinies, in which the navy's sailors refused to take their ships to sea until they were awarded better pay and conditions. For two months the English Channel was undefended, but the Batavian navy failed to take the opportunity to sail from their harbour in the Texel as their preparations were not complete; furthermore, a small squadron of loyal ships under Duncan convinced de Winter that the British navy was at sea by sending nonsensical signals to fictitious ships over the horizon.

By October 1797, the plan to invade Ireland had been abandoned and the British North Sea Fleet was again at full strength. During a brief period replenishing supplies at Yarmouth, news reached Duncan on 10 October that de Winter had set sail with his fleeton a raiding cruise and he returned to the Dutch coast, intercepting the Batavian fleet on its way back to the Texel. The Batavians formed a line of battle in shallow coastal waters to meet Duncan's attack, which was conducted in a confused mass, the British fleet separating into two groups that struck the vanguard and rear of the Batavian fleet, overwhelming each in turn and capturing eleven ships, including de Winter's flagship Vrijheid. On the return journey, three of the captured ships were lost, and none of the surviving prizes were ever suitable for active service again. Both sides suffered heavy casualties during the battle as each fleet had been trained to aim at the hulls of their opponents, maximising the damage to personnel.

Although the sailors of both fleets fought hard, they were suffering from popular unrest; the mutinies in Spithead and Nore continued to overshadow the Royal Navy, while the Batavian Navy's sailors were unhappy with the new pro-French regime and in marked difference to their officers were generally supporters of the exiled House of Orange. Additionally, Batavian sailors were disaffected and poorly trained due to the long months they had spent being blockaded in their harbours by the Royal Navy, which made them inferior seamen and gunners in contrast to the highly experienced crews of the British navy. Furthermore, the ships of the Batavian navy, many of which had been part of the former Dutch States Navy, were more weakly constructed than their British counterparts with a shallower draught, a necessity in the shallow waters of the Dutch coast but a liability when fighting warships built for the open ocean. De Winter's fleet did, however, have the advantage of weight of shot, especially so with its well-armed frigates and brigs. Unlike their British equivalents, these lighter craft were intended to contribute in battle, covering the gaps in the line between their larger companions.

The ships in the orders of battle below are listed in the order in which they appeared in the respective battle lines. Listed in the casualties section are the totals of killed and wounded as best as can be established: due to the nature of the battle, Dutch losses were hard to calculate precisely. Officers killed in action or who subsequently died of wounds received are marked with a † symbol. As carronades were not traditionally taken into consideration when calculating a ship's rate, these ships may have actually been carrying additional or fewer guns than indicated below.

•   * Ships in this colour were captured during the battle

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