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Thursday, December 23, 2004

English Captain: Bartholomew Kitcher (or Ketcher)

In the list of English captains, R. C. Anderson spells the name Bartholomew Ketcher. In an earlier article, R. C. Anderson said that Bartholomew Kitcher probably had fought at the Battle of Scheveningen in the Half Moon (30 guns). Captain Kitcher commanded the Half Moon from 1653 to 1654, and commanded the Great Charity in 1659. Both of these ships were Dutch prizes. The Dutch name for the Half Moon was Halve Maan. The ship had been hired by the Monnikendam Directors. Her Dutch captain was Hendrick Pieterszoon. The ship was captured at the Battle of the Gabbard in June 1653. The Great Charity was an Amsterdam Directors' ship, the Groote Liefde (38 guns), captured at the Battle of Portland in February 1653. Her Dutch captain was Bruijn van Seelst. He commanded the ship from early 1652 until the Battle of Portland. She was was a large ship, 132ft x 29ft x 13.5ft (Amsterdam feet). Sources:

  1. R. C. Anderson, "English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938.
  2. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
  3. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1620-1700", 2004.

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