On This Day ... in 1666 & Others
First day of the Four Days Battle. George Monck, Duke of Albemarle, chose to attack de Ruyter's Dutch fleet of 85 ships anchored off the North Foreland in the Channel, despite only having 54 ships - Prince Rupert's squadron was off hunting a rumoured French force - and suffering from a strong wind which prevented the English ships from opening their lower gun ports and thus robbed them of their usual advantage in armament over the Dutch. The Dutch were caught somewhat by surprise, several ships having to cut their anchor cables in the confusion, and the first part of the battle proved an English success, but then their ships had to put about to avoid shoals off the Dutch coast and the Dutch regained the initiative, capturing three English ships, including one of the flagships. The action continued on 2 June, 3 June and 4 June.
1705: The first pensioners arrived at the Royal Hospital Greenwich.
1794: "The Glorious First of June" Admiral the Earl Howe, with 25 ships, defeated Rear-Admiral Villaret de Joyeuse with 26 ships of the line, west of Ushant. "Black Dick" Howe had manoeuvred carefully for three days, despite rain and fog, to gain the advantage of the wind, and confidently refused battle on the afternoon of 31 May in order to be certain of having a full day's combat in which to secure victory. Howe chose to break the traditional line of battle, ordering his ships, once the French had been overhauled, to each turn and break the enemy line. In the event, thanks to good formation keeping by the French, only seven ships were able to penetrate their line, but this proved enough. Six French ships were captured, and another sunk. Villaret, however, showed notable skill in extricating the remains of his fleet.
1813: The US frigate Chesapeake encountered the HMS Shannon off Boston. After a heavy exchange of fire, the vessels closed and Captain Broke of the Shannon successfully boarded Chesapeake and captured her, the US captain, Lawrence, having been mortally wounded. Broke was himself severely wounded, and suffered severe pains for the rest of his life. He was noted for the especial care he had devoted to training his crew in gunnery, which is generally believed to have been the deciding factor in the duel with Chesapeake.
1940: Over Dunkirk, the Luftwaffe mounted exceptionally heavy attacks. The RAF fighter response was limited, following the losses and damage from the previous five days, and the German aircraft scored heavily, sinking four destroyers and ten other ships. The patrol aircraft of Coastal Command, despite being desperately unsuitable for air-to-air combat, nevertheless attacked the German bomber concentrations several times, claiming several victories.