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.Pakenham, p. 29 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.Gardiner, p. 165 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.Clowes, p. 325
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 fleet and he returned to the Dutch coast, intercepting the Batavian fleet on its way back to the Texel.Clowes, p. 326 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,Lloyd, p. 139 overwhelming each in turn and capturing eleven ships, including de Winter's flagship .Padfield, p. 103 On the return journey, three of the captured ships were lost, and .Clowes, p. 331 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.James, p. 71
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.Lloyd, p. 128 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.Padfield, p. 99 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.Gardiner, p. 179 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.James, p. 74
Orders of battle 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,James, Vol. 1, p. 32 these ships may have actually been carrying additional or fewer guns than indicated below.
British fleet +Admiral Duncan's fleetClowes, p. 326James, p. 380 Ship Rate Guns Commander Casualties Notes Killed Wounded TotalWindward division Third-rate 74Captain William Essington Hull and masts damaged, ten guns dismounted Third-rate 74Admiral Adam DuncanCaptain William George Fairfax Hull and masts very badly damaged Third-rate 64Captain Richard Rundle Burges Hull and masts very badly damaged Third-rate 74Captain Sir Thomas Byard Hull and rigging badly damaged Third-rate 64Captain John Wells Lightly damaged Third-rate 64Captain John Inglis Hull and rigging badly damaged Fourth-rate 50Captain William Hotham Undamaged Fourth-rate 50Captain William Mitchell Lightly damaged Sixth-rate 28Captain Peter Halkett Not engaged in the action.Leeward division Third-rate 74 Captain Henry Trollope Lightly damaged Third-rate 64 Captain William Bligh Masts and rigging damaged Third-rate 74Captain John Knight Lightly damaged Third-rate 64Captain George Gregory Three guns dismounted, otherwise lightly damaged Third-rate 74Vice-Admiral Richard OnslowCaptain Edward O'Bryen Hull and masts very badly damaged Third-rate 74 Captain William O'Bryen Drury Hull and masts badly damaged Third-rate 64 Captain James Walker Lightly damaged Third-rate 64 Captain John Williamson Very lightly damaged Fifth-rate 40Captain Francis Fayerman UndamagedMinor warships Sloop 16Commander Charles Paget Not engaged in the action. Rose Hired cutter 10Lieutenant Joseph Brodie Not engaged in the action. King George Hired cutter 12Lieutenant James Rains Not engaged in the action. Active Hired cutter 12Lieutenant J. Hamilton Not engaged in the action. Diligent Hired cutter 6Lieutenant T. Dawson Not engaged in the action. Speculator Hired lugger 8Lieutenant H. Hales Not engaged in the action.Total casualties: 203 killed, 622 wounded
Batavian fleet + Vice-Admiral de Winter's fleetJames, p. 381, Lloyd, pp. 145–150Line of battle Ship Ship type Guns Commander Casualties Notes Killed Wounded Total * Ship of the line 68 Commander H. A. Ruijsch 40 killedClowes, p. 330 Badly damaged and may have been dismasted. Captured at 15:10, later became HMS Gelykheid Ship of the line 56 Captain-at-sea Dooitze Eelkes Hinxt Unknown Lightly damaged * Ship of the line 64 Commander Ruijsoort Unknown Hull very badly damaged and set on fire, mizzenmast collapsed. Captured and became HMS Delft. * Ship of the line 68 Captain-at-sea J. B. Zegers Unknown Badly damaged and ship may have been dismasted. Captured at 15:00, later became HMS Devries * Ship of the line 74 Vice-Admiral Jan Willem de WinterCommander L. W. van Rossum 58 98 156 Hull very badly damaged and ship dismasted. Captured at 15:15, later became HMS Vryheid Ship of the line 74 Schout-bij-nacht Samuel Story 20 40 60 Hull badly damaged, masts and rigging lightly damaged * Ship of the line 64 Commander A. Holland Unknown Damaged. First captured at 14:00, subsequently rejoined the combat and was captured again. Later became HMS Wassenaer Ship of the line 56 Commander Souter Unknown Lightly damaged Brutus Ship of the line 74 Schout-bij-nacht Johan Arnold Bloys van TreslongCommodore Polders 10 50 60James, p. 381 Lightly damaged Ship of the line 68 Commander J. D. Musquetier Unknown Lightly damaged Razee 44 Commander D. H. Kolff 1 14 15 Mizzenmast collapsed Ship of the line 68 Commander Jacobsen 5 9 14 Lightly damaged * Ship of the line 72 Schout-bij-nacht Hermanus Reijntjes 61 killed Hull and rigging severely damaged, main and mizzenmasts collapsed. Captured at 13:45, later became HMS Camperdown * Ship of the line 68 Captain-at-sea O. Wiggerts Heavy casualties Hull severely damaged and mizzenmast collapsed. Captured at 13:15, later became HMS Haerlem * Ship of the line 56 Captain-at-sea J. W. Krafft 26 62 82 Hull severely damaged and ship dismasted in the immediate aftermath of the battle. Captured at 14:30, later became HMS Alkmaar. * Ship of the line 56 Captain-at-sea Gerrit Verdooren van Asperen 43 76 119 Hull severely damaged. Captured at 14:15. Sank during journey to Britain with the loss of an additional 34 lives.James, p. 76Frigate line Brig 18 Commander B. Pletsz Unknown Frigate 32 Commander Johan Ferdinand Dumesnil de l'Estrille Unknown Brig 18 Commander Riverij Unknown Frigate 24 Commander Eijlbracht Unknown Brig 18 Lieutenant Arkenbout Unknown Frigate 24 Commander Meindert van Nierop Unknown * Frigate 36 Commander J. Huijs Unknown Captured but later driven ashore on the Dutch coast and retaken by Batavian forces Brig 18 Lieutenant Frederiks Unknown Badly damaged * Frigate 44 Commander Thomas Lancaster 50 killed Badly damaged. Captured at 14:00 but subsequently wrecked on the Dutch coast Advice boat 6 Lieutenant Hartingveld UnknownTotal casualties: 540 killed, 620 wounded
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