Holmes's Bonfire
| Holmes's Bonfire | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Second Anglo-Dutch War | |||||||
'Holmes's Bonfire' by Willem van de Velde the Elder | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| England | Dutch Republic | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Robert Holmes | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 8 ships |
2 ships 150 merchant vessels | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
6 killed 24 wounded |
2 ships destroyed 140 merchant vessels destroyed | ||||||
_-_'Holmes's_Bonfire',_the_burning_of_Dutch_Merchant_Ships_between_Terschelling_and_Vlieland,_19th_August_1666_-_RCIN_406560_-_Royal_Collection.jpg){kind=link}
Holmes's Bonfire was a raid on the Vlie estuary in the Netherlands, executed by the English Fleet during the Second Anglo-Dutch War on 19 and 20 August 1666 New Style (9 and 10 August Old Style). The attack, named after the commander of the landing force, Rear-Admiral Robert Holmes, was successful in destroying by fire a large merchant fleet of 140 ships. During the same action, the town of West-Terschelling was burnt down, which caused outrage in the Dutch Republic.