The action occurred while the "Mary Rose" was returning from a diplomatic mission to Mulay Rashid (referred to as "Tafiletta" in early English sources), the sultan of Morocco, that had been conducted by Lord Henry Howard, with Hollar accompanying him in order to complete some drawings and maps of Tangier that he had begun some years earlier. The frigate was towing a merchant ship, the "King David", that Kempthorne had recaptured from Barbary pirates, and was accompanied by five other vessels. The convoy encountered a group of seven pirate ships on 18 December 1669, with six attacking the "Mary Rose" while one pursued the "King David" that Kempthorne had cut loose. The pirates withdrew as night fell, resuming their attack on the morning of the 19th. Despite the "Mary Rose" sustaining damage to all three masts, she held off the attack, and the pirates withdrew, capturing only the "King David". After repairs at Cádiz the "Mary Rose" returned to England in April 1670, and Kempthorne was knighted for "his very great valour". A version of Hollar's engraving of the battle was done by Willem van de Velde the Younger.