Upon the Restoration in 1660 Charles II appointed his brother, James (Duke of York and later James II), to the position of Lord High Admiral, in which capacity he commanded the Royal Navy during the Second (1665-7) and Third (1672-4) Anglo-Dutch Wars (the First (1652-4) took place in Cromwell’s time). In 1675 he commissioned from the recently-arrived Dutch artists (Van de Veldes, father and son) a set of large canvases depicting episodes in these two conflicts and the ongoing struggle against the Barbary Corsairs. Previous commissions of this type had been for tapestries, like the famous Armada set hanging at this date in the House of Lords. This is one of several of the paintings in this series which have the character of tapestries, with high view points and a crowding of incidents (as opposed to the sea-level, atmospheric view of their other oil paintings).

The Barbary Corsairs or Pirates operated out of the principal Mediterranean ports of North Africa - Tripoli, Tunis and Algiers - terrorising all shipping in the region and mounting raids against coastal settlement throughout Europe in search of slaves. During their wars against Spain (1568-1648) the Dutch used Barbary bases against Spanish shipping and shared technology with their hosts. Other European sea-powers similarly connived with the pirates when campaigning against each other. Thus encouraged, the menace reached its peak about the mid-point of the seventeenth century. Under Charles II the Royal Navy mounted a systematic campaign against the corsairs, enforcing treaties on each major port in turn. The threat was not however entirely eliminated until 1830.

In a rare moment of European collaboration in August 1670 the Dutch under Willem Joseph, Baron van Ghent, and the English under Sir Thomas Allin engaged a squadron of six ships from Algiers, which had been prowling near the straits of Gibraltar. A further squadron under Commodore Richard Beach cut off their retreat to Algiers and the surrounded Algerine ships were forced aground near Cape Spartel (opposite Gibraltar) on the 27 August. The crews escaped; some slaves were liberated, and the ships burnt.

Van de Velde depicts an encirclement of English ships (in the foreground), Dutch ships (to the right), while the Barbary ships are seen burning in the distance with Cape Spartel on the left. At anchor in the centre is 'The Portsmouth'; ahead of her is 'The Hampshire', firing her guns and flying a pendant.

Signed on the reverse (presumably copied onto the lining canvas from an original inscription): 'W V Velde / Ao 1677'.