one o’clock
Duncan 's own ship , the _ Venerable _ , the leading ship of the starboard division , marked out the _ Vryhide _ , De Winter 's flagship , as his own antagonist . The Dutch ship _ States-general _ , the flagship of their rear-admiral , seeing his design , pressed so close up to his chief that the British admiral was compelled to change his course and pass astern of her ; but as he did so he poured so terrible a fire into her stern that she was glad to fall back and leave the _ Venerable _ free to attack the _ Vryhide _ . Others of our ships followed the example of their chief , breaking the Dutch line at several points . At one o'clock the battle became general , and was carried on with unsurpassed courage on both sides . The two biggest Dutch frigates , which carried as heavy guns as the British line-of-battle ships , crept forward into the fight and fought gallantly , the _ Mars _ raking the _ Venerable _ severely while she was engaged with no fewer than three Dutch line-of-battle ships . The crew of the _ Venerable _ had been particularly anxious to fight , their ship having been for the past five months engaged in the dreary work of blockading the Texel ; and when they had seen the Dutch with their topsails bent , as if intending to come out , they had offered to advance into the narrow entrance to the Texel , and in that position stop the way against the whole fleet , or at least fight their ship till she sank . Now they proved that their offer had been no empty boast , for , although fighting against overwhelming odds , they stuck to their guns with unexampled devotion .