Battle of Sluys

Timeline

1. 1340mouth of the Zwin · Low CountriesEdward III led the English fleet out from Low Countries ports, intending to cut off French reinforcements to Flanders and contest control of the English Channel. French admirals Hugues Quiéret and Nicolas Béhuchet anchored some 190 warships near the river mouth, chaining their vessels together in a defensive line against an English attack.
2. 1340offshore from Sluys · BelgiumThe English broke through the French chain defense with archers and boarding actions, routing the French fleet within hours. Many French ships were sunk or captured; Quiéret and Béhuchet were captured and then executed. This was the first large-scale naval battle of the Hundred Years' War, and the English won a decisive victory.
3. 1340Flanders coast · BelgiumFrench naval power was devastated, and England temporarily controlled Channel shipping and the supply route to Flanders. Edward III was able to consolidate his Low Countries allies, advance the siege of Tournai, and force King Philip VI of France onto the defensive on land until the Truce of Esplechin.