Holmes's Bonfire
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Holmes's Bonfire was a raid on the Vlie estuary in the Netherlands, executed by the English Fleet during the Second Anglo-Dutch War on 19 and 20 August 1666 New Style. The attack, named after the commander of the landing force, Rear-Admiral Robert Holmes, was successful in destroying by fire a large merchant fleet of 140 ships. During the same action, the town of West-Terschelling was burnt down, which caused outrage in the Dutch Republic.
'Holmes's Bonfire' by Willem van de Velde the Elder
Satellite image of Vlieland, with the Vlie estuary to the north; despite it being flood tide, the mudflats are visible below the water surface
Robert Holmes sets fire to the Dutch fleet at Terschelling, 19 August, by Willem van de Velde
Satellite image of Terschelling. The broad white beach visible at the western tip of the island, the former Noordvaarder sandbank, did not exist in the 17th century; Holmes's approach route into the Vlie today crosses solid land
Second Anglo-Dutch War
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The Second Anglo-Dutch War, or Second Dutch War, began on 4 March 1665, and concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Breda on 31 July 1667. One in a series of naval conflicts between England and the Dutch Republic, its causes were a combination of political differences and commercial disputes.
The Four Days' Battle, 1–4 June 1666, by Abraham Storck
Ships in Amsterdam harbour, c. 1690; in the second half of the 17th century, Dutch merchants dominated European trade
HMS Sovereign of the Seas, with its architect Peter Pett; built in 1634, it carried over 100 guns, while the largest Dutch ships had a complement of 60 to 70
The Four Days' Battle as depicted by Abraham Storck