Naval expeditions against these centres were carried out by various European nations from the seventeenth century. This is one of van de Velde’s most dramatic battle scenes and is painted in an unusually flamboyant manner. It is believed to depict an action which took place after the burning of the ships in Tripoli on the night of 14–15 January 1676, before Sir John Narborough's departure for Malta in early February. However while many of van de Velde’s paintings depict clearly identifiable events, such as the battles of the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch Wars, a large proportion of his paintings of English ships fighting Barbary opponents have defied historical identification. This suggests that he never intended them as literal depictions. Barbary subjects, with their strong suggestion of the exotic and oriental, gave van de Velde the opportunity to show off his skills as a painter. Such subjects freed him from the constraints which accompanied the more usual battle scenes painted for his English patrons. This painting has a dramatic composition and colouring, a strong sense of rhythmic movement across the picture surface as well as a freedom of handling.