A 1637 naval ambush off the English coast decimated a vital merchant convoy
A devastating Spanish naval ambush off the coast of Cornwall in 1637 crippled a massive Anglo-Dutch merchant fleet, proving that even domestic waters were not safe during the Eighty Years' War.
During the Eighty Years' War, the waters of the English Channel became a dangerous battleground for global trade. In 1637, a Spanish fleet intercepted an Anglo-Dutch convoy of 44 merchant vessels near the English coast. Despite an escort of six warships, the Spanish decimated the fleet, capturing or sinking 20 ships.
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