The
Capture of the Dutch fleet at Den Helder or the
Battle of Texel occurred in the night of the 23 January 1795, and presents a rare occurrence of a "naval" battle between warships and cavalry; a French Hussar regiment surprised a Dutch fleet frozen at anchor between the port of
Den Helder and the island of
Texel. After an extraordinary charge across the frozen
Zuiderzee, the French cavalry captured 14 Dutch ships and 850 guns. This capture of ships by horsemen is a unique feat in military history.