The Cannon Shot was painted c 1680, but depicts a scene of 1672 by Willem van de Velde, the younger. It is a companion piece to the gust.

The painter studied under his father who painted portraits of ships, the younger followed in his footsteps. This ship is a Dutch man-o-war (jargon for a powerful warship).

The shot depicted here is a salute, rather than an attack. The ship is not firing at another, even though one can be seen in the background with it’s sails up - it is also Dutch.

The relative calm of this piece starkly contrasts it’s companion; the chaotic Gust of Wind, in which a ship - British - is caught in a storm.

Both pieces were painted in England as painters of the court of Charles II. In 1673, French French-English attempted invasion of The Netherlands. The attack destabilized the economy, and the painter and his father moved to England to stay in employment.

Sources: https://www.wga.hu/html_m/v/velde/willem/cannonsh.html