The Battles of Tobago were two naval battles between the French Navy and the Dutch States Navy during the Franco-Dutch War in 1677.
First Battle of Tobago
The First Battle of Tobago took place on 3 March 1677 between a Dutch fleet under the command of Jacob Binckes and a French squadron commanded by Jean II d'Estrées attempting to recapture the island of Tobago in the West Indies. There was much death and destruction on both sides. One of the Dutch supply ships caught fire and exploded; the fire then quickly spread in the narrow bay causing several warships, among them the French flagship Glorieux, to catch fire and explode in turn which resulted in great loss of life.
Order of battle (first battle)
France
- Glorieux (flagship, 64 guns) - (Jean, Comte d'Estrées) Destroyed; 60 killed
- L'Intrépide (56 guns) - (Louis de Gabaret) Captured
- Le Precieux (54 guns) - Captured
- Le Marquis (46 guns) - (Chevalier de Lézines) Destroyed
- Le Galant (46 guns) - Damaged
- Le Fendant (54 guns) - (Charles de Courbon de Blénac) Damaged
- Fortuné (52 guns) - (Nicholas Lefèvre de Méricourt)
- Le Laurier (40 guns) - (Charles-François de Machault de Belmont)
- Le Soleil d'Afrique (40 guns) - Captain killed
Dutch Republic
- Beschermer (flagship, 54 guns) - (Jacob Binckes) 50 killed
- Huis te Kruiningen (58 guns) - (Roemer Vlacq) Captured; 56 killed
- Zeelandia (34 guns) - (Pieter Constant) 44 killed
- Middelburg (38 guns) - (Jan Swart) Destroyed
- Sphaera Mundi (41 guns)
- Gouden Ster (30 guns) - (Pieter Cooreman) Captain killed
- Hertog van York (26 guns) - (Frederick Sweers)
- Alcion (24 guns) - (Cornelis Stolwijk) Sunk
- Popkensburg (24 guns) - (Pieter Slolwyck)
- Sint Salvador (6 guns)
Second Battle of Tobago
The French fleet retreated but made a second attempt to capture Tobago at the end of the year, during the Second Battle of Tobago, which took place on 11 December 1677. This time, the French were successful. The French squadron sailed to the Cape Verde Islands, took the slaving island of Gorée (off Senegal) from the Dutch, then sailed fast to the Antilles.
D'Estrées stopped briefly at Barbados to find out what he could about the strength of the Dutch, then reached Tobago on 6 December 1677.Blénac led the land force of 950 men, with an artillery train to besiege the Dutch fort.
The mortars and cannon had to be dragged about 4 miles (6.4 km) to the top of a hill that overlooked the fort, which took three days. The third shell fired by the French hit the powder magazine, and the explosion destroyed the fort.
250 men died, including Admiral Jacob Binckes and 16 officers. The French attacked at once and within an hour had seized what remained of the fort as well as four sinking ships. They took 600 prisoners.
The French destroyed all the houses and plantation buildings on the island, deported the people and abandoned the island.
This victory destroyed Dutch military power in the Antilles.
D'Estrées next sailed to Martinique to prepare an attack on Curaçao.
Blénac raised a large contingent of buccaneers to support this expedition.