Dutch Captain: Willem Claeszoon Ham

Willem Claeszoon Ham served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. At the beginning of the First Anglo-Dutch War, he commanded the bus convoyer Sampson (24 guns). His ship is sometimes called the Sampson van Hoorn. He apparently had a foot shot off at the Battle off Dover on May 29, 1652. He was sent back to the Texel with Joris van der Zaan, to finish convoying the merchant vessels home, along with taking home Sipke Fockes' mastless ship, the Sint Maria (28 guns). They also took all the wounded men who needed more attention than could be given in the fleet. Willem Ham's ship was one of those 12 ships taken by Blake's fleet on August 2, 1652, while they were convoying fishing ships (busses). The ships taken were 1 30-gun ship, 2 28-gun ships, 7 24-gun ships, 1 22-gun ship, and 1 20-gun ship. Willem Ham was later given command of the ship Tobias. The Tobias was one of the 100 ships hired in 1652 by the admiralties. Apparently, the Tobias carried 26 guns and had a crew of 90 men. This is all that I have been able to find about Willem Ham. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910.

2. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.II, 1923.

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

4. A. Vreugdenhil, Ships of the United Netherlands 1648-1702, 1938.