enhanced an admiral's authority over his fleet. The victory gave the Dutch temporary control of the English Channel and so control of merchant shipping. A legend says that Tromp attached a broom to his mast as a sign that he had swept the sea clean of his enemies, but in his book The Command of the Ocean, N.A.M. Roger doubts the legend as such a boasting action would have been out of character for Tromp. Additionally, at the time, a broom attached to a mast was the way of showing that a ship was for sale. Also, Dutch contemporaneous sources make no mention of it. Ships England (Blake) The Netherlands (Tromp) Tromp squadron Brederode 56 (flag, Admiralty of the Maze) Vrede 44, (flag of acting Vice-Admiral Gideon de Wildt, Admiralty of Amsterdam) Campen 40 (A) Wapen van Holland 39 (M) Prins 38 (flag of Rear-Admiral Corstiaen Corstiaenszoon de Munnick, Rotterdam Directors) Groote Liefde 38 (Amsterdam Directors) Engel Gabriel 36 (A) Burgh 34 (AD) Gideon 34 (AD) Hollandia 32 (A) Hoorn 32 (Admiralty of the Northern Quarter) Rotterdam 30 (M) Amsterdam 30 (A) Sint Pieter 28 (RD) Star 28 (A) Gouda 28 (A) Vergulde Pelicaen 28 (Harlingen Directors) Sint Maria 28 (AD) Hollandia 26 (RD) De Ruyter squadron Vrijheid 46 (Amsterdam, flag of acting Vice-Admiral Augustijn Balck) Witte Lam 38 (Admiralty of Zealand, flag of Commodore Michiel de Ruyter, acting squadron commander replacing Vice-Admiral Witte de With) Sint Mattheeus 34 (AD) Croon Imperiael 34 (AD) Meerman 32 (RD) Zeelandia 32 (A) Schiedam (= Gelderland) 30 (R) Graaf Hendrick 30 (F) Leyden 28 (A) Achilles 28 (A) Arke Troyane 28 (AD) Frisia 28 (F) Breda 28 (F) Sphera Mundi 26 (R) Gulden Beer 24 (R) Overijssel 22 (R) Evertsen squadron Hollandia 38 (Zealand Admiralty, flag of Vice-Admiral Johan Evertsen, flag captain Adriaan Banckert) Wapen van Veere 38 (Veeren Directors) Princes Louise 36 (acting Vice-Admiral Johan de Liefde, former flag of De With) Gulden Haen 36 (Middelburg Directors) Wapen van Zierikzee 34 (Zierikzee Directors) Faam 30 (Z) Gouden Leeuw 30 (MD) Gouden Leeuwin 30 (MD) Haes 30 (Flushing Directors) Zeeuwsche Leeuw 28 (Zealand Admiralty, flag of Commodore Cornelis Evertsen the Elder) Zeeridder 28 (Z) Neptunus 28 (Z) West Capelle 28 (Zealand Admiralty, captain Cornelis Evertsen the Younger) Goes 26 (Z) Liefde 26 (Z) Eendraght 24 (Z) Sint Joris 23 (Z) Liefde 23 (Z) Eendraght 18 (Z) Florisse squadron Monnickendam 36 (Northern Quarter, flag