Naval Battles of Albrolhos and the Slaak

Strategic Context. These engagements occurred during the Eighty Years' War. The Spanish campaign in the Slaak was a reaction to a Dutch attempt to capture Dunkirk earlier in 1631. Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia ordered a Spanish army to be transported by barge to occupy the islands of Goeree and Overflakee by surprise.

Battle of Albrolhos. On 12 September 1631, a joint Spanish-Portuguese fleet under Admiral Antonio de Oquendo engaged a Dutch fleet off the coast of Pernambuco, Brazil. The Spanish-Portuguese forces defeated the Dutch after a six-hour naval battle. Oquendo had departed Lisbon on 5 May 1631 with a fleet of about 20 men-of-war.

Battle of the Slaak. The naval Battle of the Slaak took place on 12 and 13 September 1631. It resulted in a Dutch victory during the Eighty Years' War. The Spanish fleet, which was carrying an invasion force, was intercepted and almost completely destroyed by the Dutch fleet in the Slaak of Volkerak.