Dutch Captain: Jacob Dirkszoon Boom

Jacob Dirkszoon Boom commanded the Amsterdam frigate IJlst during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. We first see him in the published literature serving in De Ruyter's fleet in August 1665. In 1666, he fought in the Four Days' Battle and the St. James's Day Battle. In the Four Days' Battle, the IJlst had five killed and 11 wounded. The IJlst was a relatively new ship, having been completed about 1663. Her dimensions were 114ft x 28ft x 11ft. In August 1665, she carried 36 guns. At the Four Days' Battle, she carried 34 guns. On the lower tier, she carried 6-12pdr and 12-8pdr. On the upper tier, she carried 12-6pdr. On the quarterdeck, she carried 4-2pdr. Her crew at the Four Days' Battle was about 116 sailors and 20 soldiers. She suffered heavily in masts and spars, and was heavily engaged for a time. She was attached to Cornelis Tromp's squadron in both the Four Days' Battle and the St. James's Day Battle. Sources:

1. Gerard Brandt, Het Leven en Bedryf van den Heere Michiel De Ruiter, 1687.
2. H.A. van Foreest and R.E.J. Weber, De Vierdaagse Zeeslag 11-14 Juni 1666, 1984.
3. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.