I worked with some Dutchmen, who also kept reminding me that Medway was one of the worst ever British naval defeats.
Caution; Humour?
I too worked with many Dutchmen over the years, and in one job had reason to visit Den Helder Naval Base, to be told it "was one of the largest naval bases in Europe, with a long, proud tradition"
On return to UK, I was discussing my visit with my then-boss (A retired senior RN Officer) who pointed out, words to the effect....
"At the start of WW2 the Dutch had five cruisers, eight destroyers, 24 submarines, and smaller vessels, along with 50 obsolete aircraft.
During the Second World War, the Dutch Navy was based in Allied countries after the Netherlands was conquered by Nazi Germany in a matter of days: the Dutch Navy was permitted to move its headquarters to London, England..."
(credit to Wikipedia, for the quote - I couldn't recall such detail)
Looks like it all turned out OK for the UK, and for the RN in the end?
no offence etc....