 Because supply routes for cities in the area controlled by both the Spanish and the Dutch almost exclusively went through the Zuiderzee, Dutch rebels (calling themselves "de Geuzen") attempted to disturb this route as much as possible in small skirmishes and raids against Spanish ports.In 1573 the Spanish Governor Maximilian de Henin Count of Bossu sent a fleet consisting of about 30 ships with a crew of over 1,300 people with the prerogative to halt the attacks and destroy the enemy force.This fleet also included his flagship, the "Inquisition".