Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
". . . the battles of the Anglo-Dutch Wars (1652-54, 1665-67, and 1672-74) saw two giant fleets of capital ships, strung out in a single line for 5 miles or more, locked in a deadly artillery duel that could last for days. The three naval battles fought in the North Sea during the summer of 1673 between the Dutch and English fleets, for example, each involved between 130 and 150 capital ships--now known as 'ships of the line'--with a combined firepower of between 9,000 and 10,000 guns." [Cambridge Illustrated History of Warfare, p. 127] The Anglo-Dutch wars . . . were a series of conflicts . . . They were predominantly fought in the second half of the 17th century, mainly over trade and overseas colonies. Almost all the battles were fought at sea. . . . By the middle of the 17th century, the Dutch had largely replaced the Portuguese as the main European traders in Asia. . . . Soon the Dutch had Europe's largest mercantile fleet . . . [Wikipedia]