The Spanish fleet carried a tercio under Pedro de Sarmiento for the Eighty Years' War, which the Dutch attempted to intercept and destroy.

Zubiaur managed to break through overwhelming numerical superiority with a few of his ships and take refuge in Dover, England.

The battle was the last deployment of Zubiaur, who died in Dover from his wounds, after which the remaining troops reached their destination in Dunkirk in English ships.

Learning about Willem's presence, four additional Spanish galleons were sent from Dunkirk to link with Zubiaur and arrived in time.

[1] Witnessing the disproportion of strengths, Zubiaur ordered the Spanish carriers to head for the allied English port of Dover while he performed a diversionary attack with his own flagship and several other ships readied to fight.