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Monday, May 30, 2005

Dutch Captain: Jan Richewijn

Jan Richewijn served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. In 1652, he commanded Ter Goes (40 guns). Ter Goes (or Goes) was a rather small 40 gun vessel. She was only 125ft x 29ft x 11-1/2ft. He was in the Mediterranean Sea for the first year of the First Anglo-Dutch War. In 1656, he commanded the Leiden (28 guns) in Lt.-Admiral van Wassenaer's expedition to Danzig. In 1659, he was with De Ruyter's fleet that was dispatched to the Baltic. He commanded the Zuiderhuis (40 guns).

Jan Richewijn and Jan Roetering were ordered to the Mediterranean Sea on 26 July 1652. Jan Richewijn had been assigned to Jan Gideonszoon Verburgh's squadron in De Ruyter's fleet. On January 30, 1653, while in company with Johan van Galen, in the Jaarsveld (44 guns), Ter Goes ran aground. The Jaarsveld was wrecked at the same time, having run into uncharted rocks 16 miles from Livorno, but Ter Goes was refloated. On 14 March 1653 (new style), Jan Richewijn fought in the Battle of Livorno. After Livorno, he returned to the Netherlands with most of the fleet. He was with Witte de With and Michiel De Ruyter on the operation to convoy merchantmen from Norway in October 1653. Ter Goes was dismasted in the storm that they encountered when almost home.

Sources:
  1. R. C. Anderson, "The First Dutch War in the Mediterranean," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.49, No.4, November 1963.

  2. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol. VI, 1930.

  3. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1620-1700", 2004.

  4. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898.

  5. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.II, 1900.

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