Capture of the Dutch fleet at Den Helder

Capture of the Dutch fleet at Den Helder
	Part of the Low Countries theatre of the War of the First Coalition
	; The prize of the Dutch fleet, stopped by ice in the Texel sea in the winter of 1795, Charles Louis Mozin
Date	23 January 1795
Location	Near Den Helder, Dutch Republic52°57′30″N 4°45′32″E / 52.9583°N 4.7589°E
Result	French victory
Belligerents
France	Dutch Republic
Commanders and leaders
Jan Willem de Winter ; Louis Lahure	Hermanus Reintjes
Strength
1 hussar regiment ; 1 infantry battalion	5 ships of the line ; 3 frigates ; 6 corvettes ; 4 cutters
Casualties and losses
None	5 ships of the line captured ; 3 frigates captured ; 6 corvettes captured ; 4 cutters captured
	Location within Europe

The capture of the Dutch fleet at Den Helder on the night of 23 January 1795 presents a rare occurrence of an interaction between warships and cavalry, in which a French Revolutionary Hussar regiment came close to a Dutch fleet frozen at anchor in the Nieuwediep, just east of the town of Den Helder. After some of the Hussars had approached across the frozen Nieuwediep, the French cavalry negotiated that all 14 Dutch warships would remain at anchor. A capture of ships by horsemen is an extremely rare feat in military history.

The French units were the 8th Hussar Regiment and the Voltigeur company of the 15th Line Infantry Regiment of the French Revolutionary Army. Jean-Charles Pichegru was the leader of the French army that invaded the Dutch Republic. The Dutch fleet was commanded by Captain Hermanus Reintjes. The action happened during the War of the First Coalition, which was part of the French Revolutionary Wars.