A viewer question moves from Kentish Knock to Blake's 1655 campaign against the Bey of Tunis. Blake demanded the return of an English merchant ship and prisoners, then divided his force so smaller ships could board and burn the corsair vessels while larger warships suppressed the forts. The action inflicted modest Commonwealth casualties and is presented as an early recorded case of ships overcoming shore fortifications without an accompanying army. Blake's Civil War experience both defending and conducting sieges may have given him an unusual understanding of how to attack positions commonly regarded as secure against warships.
Chapter · 1:35:29-1:39:11
Blake carries Commonwealth sea power against Tunis
Blake's later Tunis operation combined attacks on anchored shipping and coastal forts, demonstrating how his experience with sieges translated into naval warfare.