An engagement between Spanish and Dutch ships, with a small yacht on the far left flying the States General flag. Next to it is a Dutch ship in starboard-bow view, flying the Dutch flag from the foremast and the mizzen mast. A number of figures can be seen on deck; a man in the stern blows a trumpet to sound the action and a figure next to him stands brandishing a sword. She is engaged in gunfire with the larger ship, half-visible behind in port-quarter view, which is flying an unidentified flag, probably Spanish, at the stern. This ship bears a crest containing a figure carved on the stern and also a flag depicting Christ, or John the Baptist, from the mizzen mast. Troops on the deck are firing towards the smaller Dutch ship. To the right of centre is a Dutch flagship in starboard and stern view. She bears the arms of Haarlem on her stern which may indicate the name and identity of the ship as the 'Haarlem'. Several men also stand in the stern playing trumpets and the starboard side of the deck is lined with men firing their guns down on to the deck of her antagonist, which has men on deck returning the fire as both vessels also engage with their main broadside guns. This opponent is the smaller ship in the foreground on the far right, in broad port-bow view. She flies a flag on the stern with a red diagonal cross on a white background and also showing a figure of Christ. This is probably an ensign of the Spanish Netherlands. She also flies a white saltire cross on blue at the foremast. Wreckage can be seen in the foreground including two flags to indicate a ship in the central position that has sunk. Other shipping is visible in the distance.

It is possible that the picture represents an engagement during the Eighty Years War, 1568-1648 which resulted in the separation of the Netherlands from the Holy Roman Empire. The action was formerly identified as the Battle of the Downs, 1639, but this has been discounted since the artist died some years previously. He was born and died in Haarlem and was believed to have been a pupil of Hendrick Vroom, the artist generally perceived as the inventor of marine painting as a specific genre. The artist has placed his monogram 'C.V.B.H' on the Dutch flag on the Dutch flagship's mainmast.