Holmes' Bonfire

18^th August 1666

	Rear-Admiral of the Red Robert Holmes squadron
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Tiger	32	Robert Holmes	Flagship
	Advice	48
	Hampshire	46
	Assurance	42
	Dragon	38
	Sweepstakes	36
	Garland	30
	Pembroke	28
	Richard	8	Henry Browne	Fireship
				Fireship
				Fireship
				Fireship
				Fireship
	Fanfan	4		Ketch
				Ketch
				Ketch
				Ketch
				Ketch
				Ketch
				Ketch
	Dutch Naval Vessels
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Adelaar	12
	Tol

Description of the action, taken from Clowes, the Royal Navy vol II.

...the renegade Dutch captain, Laurens Heemskerk, informed the commanders-in-chief that on the islands of Vlieland and Ter Schelling there were valuable magazines and stores, and that within them lay nearly two hundred sail of richly laden merchantmen, some lately arrived from abroad and some waiting for an opportunity to sail; and that they were convoyed by only two men-of-war. A council of flag-officers determined that these should be immediately attacked, and confided the conduct of the affair to Rear-Admiral Sir Robert Holmes (R.), with, as his immediate second in command, Captain Sir William Jennens.

To Holmes were entrusted nine men-of-war of the lower rates, with five fireships and seven ketches. Three hundred men for the venture were specially chosen from each squadron of the fleet, two-thirds of them being soldiers and marines under Sir Philip Howard, and one-third seamen.

At 7 A.M. on August 8th this little squadron parted company from the rest of the fleet, and betook itself to an anchorage about three miles outside the first buoys marking the channel into the "Vlie, the strait, that is separating the two islands from one another. Thence the Rear-Admiral sent in the Fanfan, ketch, which, presently returning, reported that ships, as described by Heemskerk, were indeed within. Holmes determined to attack the vessels before dealing with the storehouses ashore; and, leaving the Advice and Hampshire, two of his largest craft, outside the buoys to attend to any sail that might escape him, he weighed with the rest of his force, and, not without difficulty, for the wind was contrary, made his way into Ter Schelling Road, where he anchored the Tiger, in which he had entered, and shifted his flag to the Fanfan. Signalling for his captains to come on board, he gave them the plan of operations, and ordered the Pembroke, which drew less water than the other ships, to proceed with the fireships and make as quick work as possible of the Dutch vessels.

Captain Henry Browne, of the Richard, at once made for and grappled the larger of the two convoying men-of-war, and soon burnt her. The second man-of-war, threatened by another fireship, cut her cables and backed on to a sand-bank, where she was taken a little later by some of the boats of the squadron and also burnt. Each of the other fireships grappled one of the largest of the merchantmen. By that time the Dutch were in confusion, and Sir Robert, taking advantage of it, sent in Sir William Jennings, with all the available boats of the squadron, to complete the disaster. The officers in charge were ordered not to plunder, but only to destroy; and so well did they carry out the duty that, in a very short time, about one hundred and seventy ships were delivered to the flames. About a dozen only escaped by running up into a creek where the boats could not follow them; and even these few were damaged. The affair was spoken of for years afterwards in England as " Sir Robert Holmes, his Bonefire."

Notes:

• Both Dutch frigates were burnt

Sources: