The defeat removed De With from command and brought Tromp and Johan Evertsen back with the concessions they had sought. Dutch leaders also authorized a sixty-ship programme because Kentish Knock had exposed how easily even a light Commonwealth frigate could outgun the average Dutch warship. Orangeist publicity contrasted Tromp's respectful treatment of sailors with De With's insults, turning leadership style into a political explanation for defeat. The Commonwealth drew the opposite lesson and divided its fleet for Mediterranean commitments, surrendering the concentration that might have imposed a blockade and opening the way to Dungeness and Leghorn.
Chapter · 2:46:12-2:50:28
The battle's aftermath: Dutch reform and Commonwealth overconfidence
Kentish Knock removed De With, recalled Tromp, prompted a Dutch heavy-ship building programme, and encouraged the Commonwealth to overestimate its strategic margin.