Dutch Captain: Dirk Vijch

Dirk Vijch served the Admiralty of the Maze. He was captured by the English on the morning of 22 July 1652. He was commander of the Enkhuizen fishing busses. The biography of Cornelis Tromp seems to confirm that (page 50). He was repartiated in September and relieved Cornelis Engelen Silvergieter as captain of the small frigate Overijssel (22 guns). In December, he fought in the Battle of Dungeness, where he was in De With's squadron (although Michiel De Ruyter was acting commander in De With's absence). Following that, he was engaged in convoying. In the period following the Battle of Portland, there was a great deal of trouble with mutinies, and Dirk Vijch's crew seems to have mutinied at the end of March 1653. In April 1653, he was operating independently off the English coast, presumably looking to disrupt shipping. Dr. Ballhausen says that Dirk Vijch fought in the Battle of the Gabbard (Nieuwpoort) in June. The First Dutch War, Vol.IV seems to support that assertion. If we can rely upon the Staet van Oorlog te Water for 1654, Dirk Vijch still commanded the Overijssel in July 1654. Sources:

1. anonymous, unpublished manscript "Staet van Oorlog te Water voor den Jaere 1654", 1654.
2. Dr. Carl Ballhausen, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654, 1923.
3. Lambertus van den Bosch, Leven en Bedryf van den Vermaarden Zeeheld, Cornelis Tromp, 1692.
4. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.II, 1923.
5. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.IV, 1927.
6. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.V, 1928.