The Battle of the Kentish Knock was a naval battle which was fought between the Dutch and English navies on 28 September 1652 during the First Anglo-Dutch War.
Admiral Witte de With advocated for a more aggressive naval policy aimed at destroying the English fleet instead of passively defending Dutch merchant convoys against English attack. On 25 September 1652, he set out from Schooneveld to attack the English fleet at anchor at The Downs near Dover. De With's fleet joined with Michiel de Ruyter's squadron, and De With insisted on delivering a decisive battle. In the ensuing battle in the North Sea off Essex, a gale scattered the Dutch fleet, and the English admiral Robert Blake directly attacked the disordered Dutch. Ten Dutch ships from Zealand deserted the Dutch fleet due to their dislike of De With and their resentment towards Holland's domination. De Ruyter and Cornelis Evertsen persuaded a reluctant De With to retreat after the loss of two Dutch ships, and the Dutch were forced to build larger ships to take on the English and built sixty new ships. The English complacently redeployed 20 ships to the Mediterranean, leading to the defeat at the Battle of Dungeness and failing to prevent the English defeat at the Battle of Leghorn.