Naval boarding cutlass (sailor's cutlass)

Timeline

1. 1672–1674North Sea (Solebay, Schooneveld, Texel) · North SeaDuring the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672–1674), boarding melees occurred in three major naval battles: Solebay (June 1672), Schooneveld (May and June 1673), and Texel (August 1673). The British Royal Marines (raised in 1664) and Dutch sailors fought at close quarters with cutlasses, axes, and pistols after close-range bombardment; the cutlass became the preferred fighting weapon for its high maneuverability among the ship's rigging and gun carriages.
2. 1660–1680British and Dutch weapons workshops · Western EuropeIn the mid-to-late 17th century the British Royal Navy gradually established specifications for the cutlass: a blade about 60–70 cm long, weighing about 0.6–0.8 kg, slightly curved for slashing, with a sturdy iron semi-cup guard protecting the hand holding the sword from blows. Because of the narrow deck space on wooden ships of the line, the short blade and the fact that no precise thrusting was needed made it far more suited to close combat at sea than contemporary infantry swords; the Dutch and French navies adopted similar forms, though with slight differences in guard and blade curvature.
3. 1674–1678Franco-Dutch naval battlefields in the Mediterranean and Atlantic · Atlantic OceanAfter Britain withdrew from the war, Franco-Dutch naval confrontation continued in the Mediterranean and Atlantic until 1678. The French navy grew rapidly under Colbert's naval expansion program, and boarding melees between French and Dutch sailors still occurred from time to time; cutlass issue in the French navy (Marine royale) increased accordingly, making it an indispensable close-quarters weapon in the Atlantic sea-power competition of the sailing era.