The Battle of Solebay, 7 June 1672, was the first naval battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War. A fleet of 70 ships of the United Provinces, commanded by Admiral Michiel de Ruyter, surprised a joint English-French fleet at anchor in Solebay , Suffolk, on the east coast of England.

The Duke of York and Vice Admiral Comte d'Estrees planned to blockade the Dutch in their home ports and keep the North Sea free from Dutch shipping. The English and French fleets put in at Solebay to refit. There was some confusion when the Dutch fleet appeared on the horizon, and the French fleet, whether through accident or design, fled south and took no part in the battle.

This left de Ruyter with a large advantage in numbers, and the English were hard pressed. The Duke of York had to move his flag twice as his ships were taken out of action. The flagship of Admiral Lord Sandwich, HMS Royal James , was heavily attacked by fire ships. She sank two, but the third, commanded by Jan van de Rijn, set her on fire. She burned and Sandwich drowned trying to escape.

Losses were heavy on both sides: two Dutch ships were destroyed and two captured. The battle ended inconclusively at sunset. Both sides claimed victory, the Dutch with the most justification as the English-French plan to blockade the Dutch was abandoned.

The fleets met again at the Battle of Schoneveld in 1673.

See also

• Seven ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Solebay after the battle.