[3] The English fleet had 100 ships commanded by Generals at Sea George Monck and Richard Deane and Admirals John Lawson and William Penn.

The Dutch had 98 ships under Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp and Vice-admiral Witte de With, divided in five squadrons.

His ships were crewed with a much greater proportion of soldiers for that purpose than the English, whose methods employed the use of superior heavy guns and with musketry fire.

[5] On 3 June the English were joined by Admiral Robert Blake, but Tromp decided to try again a direct attack though his ships were practically out of ammunition.

The battle ended with the Dutch losing a total of twenty ships, of which nine were sunk and eleven captured.