The Burning of the Andrew at the Battle of Scheveningen

This picture illustrates an incident from the Battle of Scheveningen, which took place between 31 July and 10 August 1654 and formed the last engagement of the first Anglo-Dutch War (1652-4). In the foreground the Dutch fireship, the Fortuin (Fortune) is about to ram the Andrew, commanded by the English Rear-Admiral, Thomas Graves. Fireships operated like floating bombs. They were crammed with combustible material and carried rigged to explode simultaneously. Although the Andrew survived the engagement, the Dutch, in an otherwise crushing defeat, claimed her burning as their one success.