 The castle only saw action once in its history, during the Dutch Raid on the Medway in June 1667, part of the Second Anglo-Dutch War.The Dutch, under the nominal command of Lieutenant-Admiral Michiel de Ruyter, bombarded and captured the town of Sheerness, sailed up the Thames to Gravesend, then up the Medway to Chatham.They made their way past the chain that was supposed to block the river, sailed past the castle, and towed away HMS "Royal Charles" and "Unity", as well as burning other ships at anchor.