Dutch Captain: Jan Heck

Jan Heck served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. He started the First Anglo-Dutch War in command of the hired ship Adam en Eva, which was serving as fishery protection convoyer. The Adam en Eva (24 guns) was captured in July 1652 when Robert Blake's fleet attacked the Dutch fishing busses and their convoyers. In 1652, the English had not started their collection of captured Dutch captains, so Jan Heck was quickly repatriated. He was given command of the Eenhoorn, to which The First Dutch War referred as a hired ship, one of the 100 ships hired in 1652. Since in July 1654, the Staet van Oorlog te Water for 1654 clearly indicates that the ship was the ship built in 1625 (which has been called the "patriarch" of the Dutch navy, due to its age), this must have been the States' ship. There is a note that says that in the spring of 1653, the Eenhoorn had been damaged in the last battle, which almost certainly was the Battle of Portland. We next see Jan Heck mentioned in 1666, when he commanded the Caleb (47 guns) in the St. James's Day Battle. In 1667 and 1672, he commanded the Justina van Nassau. He took part in the Raid on Chatham in May 1667. He also took part in the Raid on Harwich in July. In 1672, he commanded the Justina van Nassau in the Battle of Solebay. In 1673, he was the oldest captain serving the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. He commanded the Westfriesland in the Schooneveld battles and the Battle of the Texel. Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript “Dutch Captains”, 2005.

2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005.

3. Gerard Brandt, Het Leven en Bedryf van den Heere Michiel De Ruiter, 1687.

4. Jaap R. Bruijn, De Oorlogvoering ter zee in 1673 in Journalen en Andere Stukken, 1966.