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>Agreed he wouldn't want to board, but that doesn't >mean he used a battle line. More likely he would have >used the gunnery tactics the English used against the >Spanish Armada in the Channel 50 years earlier. Use >your superior maneuverablity advance to a position to >fire all your guns, bow and stern chasers and both >broadsides, before retiring to reload. As the Dutch >have superior gunnery as well this will wear down the >Spanish. > >Not as decisive, but to my mind a much more liekly >scenario, and one that would be possible with the >limited command and control availaible at the time and >without makeing a major change from the normal Dutch >desire to board. The only deifeence being that no >attempt to board is made until the enemy is severely >damaged. > >Cheers > >Cy > >>>Ruyter >>> >>>Exactly, that's the purpose of the fighting >>>instructions issued by the Generals at Sea in 1653. >To >>>try and make the English fleet fight in a line ahead. >>>However this was a very loose formation, as evidenced >>>by later orders to prevent ships firing through their >>>own sides vessels who were closer to the enemy. >>> >>>I have never been convinced by the theory that Tromp >>>used a line of battle against the Spanish, especially >>>as he was still using swarm and board tactics 15 >years >>>later. >>> >>>Cy >> >>Yes, it is hard to accept that Tromp used line tactics >>against the Spanish, but we must understand that he >>was in great numerical inferiority in the two >>engagement before the Battle of the Downs, in 1639. >>Boarding wasn't an option when you had 11 ships >>against 70 galleons, full of Spanish soldiers.

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