The Burning of the Andrew by the Dutch frigate 'Fortuin' at the Battle of Scheveningen, also know as the battle of Texel or the Battle of Ter Heijde, August 1653, Willem van de Velde the Younger

The burning of the andrew at the battle of scheveningen, by willem van de velde the younger wlc p77 the picture illustrates an incident from the battle of scheveningen (or ter heide) which took place between 31 july and 10 august 1653 and formed the last engagement of the first anglo-dutch war (1652–1654). In the foreground, the dutch fireship, the 'fortuin' ('fortune'), is about to ram the andrew, commanded by the english rear-admiral of the white squadron, thomas graves. Fireships operated like floating bombs. They were crammed with combustible material and carried cannon rigged to explode simultaneously. The fireship would set course to intercept an enemy ship, the crew igniting the charges and abandoning ship at the last moment. Here the english crew escapes the impending danger in a rowboat on the left, while the crew of the 'fortuin' escapes on the right. Van de velde ii, willem; the burning of the 'andrew' at the battle of scheveningen; the wallace collection; http://www. Artuk. Org/artworks/the-burning-of-the-andrew-at-the-battle-of-scheveningen-209712 mediumː oil on canvas measurementsː h 84. 6 x w 108. 1 cm accession numberː p77 acquisition methodː acquired by richard seymour-conway, 4th marquess of hertford, 1865; bequeathed to the nation by lady wallace, 1897 painting. Object Type: painting. Genre: marine art. Date: between circa 1653 and circa 1654. Dimensions: height: 85 cm (33.4 in) ; width: 108 cm (42.5 in). Medium: oil on canvas. Collection: The Wallace Collection. The Burning of the 'Andrew' at the Battle of Scheveningen, by Willem van de Velde the younger WLC P77-001