. She was saved only by
the extraordinary exertions of her captain, who received mortal
injury from the flames he fought so courageously.

This First Dutch War is interesting in what it reveals of the advance
in tactics. Tromp well deserves his title as the "Father of Naval
Tactics," and he undoubtedly taught Blake and Monk a good deal by
the rough schooling of battle, but they proved apt pupils. From
even the brief summary of these great battles just given, it is
evident that Dutch and English did not fight each other in helter
skelter fashion. In fact, there is revealed a great advance in
coordination over the work of the English in the campaign of the
Armada. These fleets worked as units. This does not mean that they
were not divided into squadrons. A force of 100 ships of the line
required division and subdivision, and considerable freedom of
movement was left to division and squadron commanders under the
general direction of the commander in chief, but they were all
working consciously together. Just as at Trafalgar Nelson formed
his fleet in two lines (originally planned as three) and allowed
his second in command a free hand in carrying out the task assigned
him, so Tromp and Blake operated their fleets in squadrons--Tromp
usually had five--and expected of their subordinates responsibility
and initiative. All this is in striking contrast with the practice
that paralyzed tactics in the latter 17th and 18th centuries, which
sacrificed everything to a rigid line of battle in column ahead,
and required every movement to emanate from the commander in chief.

Although details about the great battles of the First Dutch War
are scanty, there is enough recorded to show that both sides used
the line ahead as the normal battle line. It is equally clear,
however, that they repeatedly broke through each other's lines
and aimed at concentration, or destroying in detail. These two
related principles, which had to be rediscovered toward the end of
the 18th century, were practiced by Tromp, de Ruyter, and Blake.
Their work has not the advantage of being as near our day as the
easy, one-sided victories over the demoralized French navy in the
Revolutionary and Napoleonic era, but the day may come when the
British will regard the age of Blake as the naval epoch of which
they have the most reason to be proud. Then England met the greatest
seamen of the day led by one of the greatest admirals of history
and won a bitterly fought co