In 1664, it became known in the Republic that the English had captured some WIC forts on the African coast, as well as New Netherland, i.e. the WIC territory in North America. It prompted raadpensionaris De Wit to order a fleet led by Michiel de Ruyter to sail to these areas and recapture these possessions.
At the time, Michiel de Ruyter was on his way to the Mediterranean Sea for a campaign against the Barbary Sea pirates, and received his new instructions in Cadiz, Spain, on 1 September. On 5 October, he was ready to sail towards the African coast with his 12 ships. In the following months, he managed to drive the English off the island of Gorée off the Senegalese coast, destroyed and plundered English possessions such as Freetown on the coast, recaptured the WIC fort Witsen, visited Dutch Elmina and captured the English fort Cormatine (later renamed Amsterdam). From this, the fleet crossed the Atlantic to do all possible damage to the English, first in the Caribbean, and then on the north-east coast of America. No territories were retaken or conquered in the process: however, a large number of English ships were captured and a small English settlement on Newfoundland was attacked and destroyed.
These battles between the English and the Dutch were the opening moves of the Second Anglo-Dutch War, which also erupted in European waters from 1665 onwards.
