A fleet of Dutch ships is shown assembled off the Straits of Dover in choppy seas. In the central foreground is the 'Amelia', a man-of-war launched in 1632. The 'Amelia' was Maerten Tromp's flagship at the Battle of the Downs between the Dutch and the Spanish in 1639. The decoration of the taffrail is recorded by Nooms with characteristic attention to detail; the carved coat of arms on the stern of the ship belongs to Prince Frederick Hendrickof Orange-Nassau.
Reinier Nooms, known as Zeeman, was born and died in Amsterdam. As his name suggests, he spent his early life at sea, and he painted in the Dutch Realist style with a lively palette. The artist has dated the work indistinctly on the spar in water on the right.
In the collection of van de Velde drawings in the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam (see "The Willem van de Velde drawings in the Boymans-van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam, Vol I, p.91), is one showing the 'Amelia' from the port quarter (MB1866/T216). The decoration of the tafferel is described in its catalogue as follows: "... the arms of Prince Frederik Hendrik surrounded by a wreath and with full-length figures of angels sounding trumpets as supporters."