Editing Four Days' Battle (section)

===First day, morning===
[[File:Four Days' Battle.svg|thumb]]
[[File:De krijgsraad aan boord van de 'De Zeven Provinciën', het admiraalschip van Michiel Adriaensz de Ruyter, 10 juni 1666 (Willem van de Velde I, 1693).jpg|thumb|''Battle council on the [[Dutch ship De Zeven Provinciën (1665)|De Zeven Provinciën]]'' by [[Willem van de Velde the Elder]], 1666]]
[[File:Veroverde Engelse schepen na de Vierdaagse Zeeslag Rijksmuseum SK-A-439.jpeg|thumb|HMS ''Swiftsure'', ''Seven Oaks'' and ''Loyal George'' captured and flying Dutch colours, by [[Willem van de Velde the Younger]]]]
Albemarle reorganised the squadrons of his fleet on account of the detachment of Rupert's ships and made the consequent changes in flag-officer appointments at a council of war in 30 May.<ref>Fox, p. 182</ref> The next day, when the Dutch fleet was north of [[Nieuwpoort, Belgium|Nieuwpoort]], de Ruyter also called his captains to his flagship to receive their final orders.<ref>Fox, p. 189</ref> When the Dutch fleet anchored that evening, it was only 25 miles from the English fleet. On the morning of 1 June, both fleets set sail early and, around 7am, some Dutch ships were sighted by the English fleet. During the course of the morning it became clear to Albemarle that there were at least 80 Dutch warships: he consulted his flag-officers and they decided that, as it would be difficult to withdraw into the Thames estuary with the Dutch in close pursuit, they would have to fight.<ref>Fox,  pp. 190-2</ref> However, as the high winds and rough sea were disadvantageous for fighting, they expected to do so only after the weather improved. Albemarle also sent a message to Rupert by the ''Kent'' to rejoin him if possible.<ref>Fox, pp. 193-4</ref>

The weather conditions in the morning had caused the Dutch fleet to anchor, and around noon Albemarle, realising that the Dutch fleet was at anchor and unprepared, decided to exploit the opportunity to attack the Dutch rear squadron under Lieutenant-Admiral [[Cornelis Tromp]] despite the adverse weather, in the hope it could be crippled before the Dutch centre and van could intervene.<ref>Fox, p. 195</ref> The English fleet was not in regular battle order, but at 12.30 Albemarle ordered it to attack, with his red squadron and [[George Ayscue]]'s white squadron mixed together in the lead and [[Thomas Teddiman]]'s blue squadron forming the rear.<ref>Fox,  pp. 195-6</ref> De Ruyter, who did not expect the English fleet would attack in wind and sea conditions in which many of its ships could not safely operate their lower gun batteries,<ref>Van Foreest and Weber, p. 9</ref> was taken completely by surprise by this attack, but Tromp who was closest to the English fleet ordered his ships to cut their cables, and they sailed to the south-east, followed by the rest of the Dutch fleet.<ref>Fox, p. 197</ref>

The Dutch fleet had been anchored in a line running north east from Tromp in the rear to its [[Vanguard|van]] under [[Cornelis Evertsen the Elder]], so only 30 or 40 ships of its rear under Tromp and some from its centre under de Ruyter could initially form a battle line against the whole English fleet.<ref>Fox,  pp. 198, 200</ref> As the English fleet held the [[weather gage|weather gauge]], it could have pressed an attack on the initially outnumbered Dutch but many English ships failed to come into close action. This failure, and Tromp's prompt action in getting his division [[underway]], frustrated Albemarle's attempt to put Tromp's squadron out of action. After three hours during which neither side inflicted much damage in the other, Evertsen's squadron started to come into action and, by sailing through gaps in the English blue squadron or crossing its wake, gained the weather gauge against that part of the English fleet.<ref>Fox, pp. 201-3</ref>