English Captain: Jonas Poole

Jonas Poole served in both the Commonwealth and Restoration navies. He died in 1666. He was brother-in-law to William Penn, and served as his flag captain on the expedition to the West Indies in 1654 to 1655 (Pepys Diary). In 1652, he commanded the hired merchantman Mary Rose. From 1652 to 1653, he was temporarily in command of the 3rd Rate Leopard. From 1654 to 1655, he was flag captain to William Penn on the 2nd Rate Swiftsure. From 1656 to 1657, he commanded the 2nd Rate Unicorn. From 1658 to 1659, he commanded the 4th Rate Centurion. From 1659 to 1660, he commanded the 4th Rate Leopard (which took the name of the captured 3rd Rate). He continued in command after the Restoration. In 1661, he took command of the 3rd Rate Anne. In 1662, he commanded the Newcastle. In 1664, he commanded the Dover and London. In 1665, he commanded the 2nd Rate Vanguard at the Battle of Lowestoft. He cashiered after the battle, as it was thought that he had not fought hard enough and his ship had too little damage. Additional Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
2. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.
3. Brian Lavery, The Ship of the Line, Vol.I, 1983.
4. J.R. Tanner, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts in the Pepysian Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Vol.I, 1903.