June 24, 1340 · Flanders Theater
June 24, 1340
The first major engagement of the Hundred Years' War was fought entirely at sea in the harbor of Sluys off the Flemish coast. Edward III's English fleet caught the larger French fleet anchored in formation and devastated it with volleys of arrows before boarding. The French ships were chained together — a defensive measure that turned into a death trap, preventing any escape. Nearly the entire French fleet was destroyed.
Commanders