Amsterdam60 Counter decoration of the English man-of-war Royal Charles, 1650 In June 1667 Admiral Michiel de Ruyter entered the Thames estuary with 80 ships and sailed up the River Medway towards Chatham, where part of the English fleet lay at anchor. At low tide a group of light Dutch ships began the attack. The chain across the river was broken, two English ships were captured, six set on fire, and the flagship Royal Charles was taken back to Holland in triumph. The attack came as a complete surprise. London was in panic; people fled the city and hid their valuables. The victory at Chatham meant the end of the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1665-1667). The motto "Diev et mon droit" is French for "God and my right".