The Zwarte Beer: so much for my theory

Carl Stapel pointed out that after March 1653, when Jacob Claeszoon Boet died, the Staten van Holland appointed Jan Cornelisz Oly to command the Zwarte Beer, so the ship had obviously not been captured. The English prize Bear was some other Dutch ship, apparently, named Beer (perhaps a Straatsvaarder or West Indiaman).

A theory about the English ship Bear, a Dutch prize

A Dutch ship had been taken by the English, and was to be in service by mid-February 1653 and was renamed the Bear. We also know that Jacob Claeszoon Boet's ship, the Zwarte Beer, was missing and unaccounted for in January 1653. My theory is that the Zwarte Beer was taken by the English and entered their service, shortly afterward. The Bear was only given to the Ordnance Office for disposal in 1665. We know the English dimensions:

Bear, 44 guns

Length on the Keel:         106ft
Beam outside the planking:   26ft-6in
Depth in hold at the center: 12ft

From that, we can estimate the original Dutch dimensions in Amsterdam feet (283mm):

Zwarte Beer, 32 guns and a crew of 115 men

Length from stem to sternpost: 140ft
Beam inside the planking:       30ft
Hold at the side:               13.5ft

The Zwarte Beer had been hired by the Monnikendam Directors in early 1652 and served the rest of the year. The ship took part in Tromp's voyage to the Shetlands in July and August 1652. She also fought in the Battle of Dungeness in December. Dr. Ballhausen credits her with fighting in the Battle of Portland, but what he cites as evidence does not support the conclusion. He cites the report that she was missing in January as evidence that she fought in the battle in late February to early March 1653.

The ship Dolphijn or Gulden Dolphijn

The Admiralty of the Maze's ship, the Dolphijn, or Gulden Dolphijn is interesting, in that there are at least two sets of conflicting information about her characteritics. One is from the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654, and is what was apparently used by Vreugdenhil for his list, published in 1938. The other is from the document dated 26 February 1652 that says it was written for the "Admiraliteit van Rotterdam" (the Maze). The data from the Staet van Oorlog te Water is as follows:

Gulden Dolphijn, 32 guns
built in 1634

Dimensions: 
Maas feet (308mm):      116ft x 25ft x 12ft
Amsterdam feet (283mm): 127ft x 27ft x 13ft

Guns: 
Brass  4-chambered 24pdr, 2-chambered 5pdr
Iron   16-12pdr, 8-6pdr, 2-4pdr

The data from the 26 February 1652 document is as follows:

Dolphijn, 28 guns

Dimensions:
Maas feet (308mm):      110ft x 25.5ft x 12.5ft
Amsterdam feet (283mm): 120ft x 27ft x 13.5ft

As you can see, they differ considerably. They apparently describe the same ship, however! This just reiterates the lesson that "there are no mystery ships". If you think that there is a mystery ship, you just don't know enough, yet. On the other hand, a great number of Amsterdam Directors' ships escaped being included in Vreugdenhil's list, when they could easily have been, as the documents listing them were in the Nationaal Archief in The Hague. They were mostly just missing details such as ship name, dimensions, and a listing of guns. They largely were included in the listing in The First Dutch War, Vol.I.

Allert Janszoon's ship in November 1652

In a note on page 87 of vol.III of Dr. Elias's book, Schetsen uit de Geschiedenis van ons Zeewezen, it says that Allert Janszoon's ship was the Dubbelden Arent. I had always assumed that this was the ship belonging to the Admiralty of Zeeland, although all these other lists had included him as being in the service of the Vlissingen Directors.

The Seventeenth Century Dutch practice of dropping the last name caused authors problems

Both Dr. Carl Ballhausen and C. T. Atkinson, the editor of the latter editions of The First Dutch War, were both affected by the Seventeenth Century Dutch practice of omitting a captain's last name. The example which arose today, was that of Allert Janszoon and Allert Janszoon Tamessen. Allert Janszoon, in 1652, was in the service of the Vlissingen Directors, while Allert Janszoon Tamessen was in the service of the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. Allert Janszoon was with Tromp's fleet in May 1652, and was sent into the Downs with Isaak De Jongh to request the return of Bastiaan Tuyneman's ship, the Sint Laurens. The Sint Laurens had been taken by the English on 29 May 1652, in the fight between the English and Dutch fleets under Blake and Tromp, in the seas off Dover. We don't know the name of the Zeeland captain, Allert Janszoon, although we know that later, he commanded the Zeeland ship Dubbele Arend (28 guns). Allert Janszoon Tamessen commanded the Wapen van Hoorn (or Eenhoorn), a vessel of 30 guns and a crew of 115 men. In late March or early April 1653, Allert Jansz. Tamessen's ship was lying in the roads off Hoorn. His ship was one of the 100 ships of the "extraordinary equipage" hired in 1652, while Allert Janszoon's was one of the 50 Directors' ships hired in 1652.

So what were the 7 Zeeland Directors ships with Jan Thyssen in May 1652?

I was curious to see if we could tell what the seven Middelburgh and Vlissingen Directors' ships were with Jan Thyssen, when he joined Tromp's fleet in late May 1652 (circa 20 May). We should at least be able to come close:

Middelburg Directors:

Captain                 Ship            Guns Crew
Jan Le Sage             Vergulden Haan  30   105
Jacob Penssen           Gouden Leeuw    30   110
Joannes van Regermorter ?               30   105
Bastiaan Tuyneman       Sint Laurens    30   105*

Vlissingen Directors:

Captain                 Ship            Guns Crew
Jan Thyssen             Witte Lam       32   110
Cornelis Evertsen de Jonge Vlissingen   26   110
Allert Janszoon         Dubbele Arend?  28   110

Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet agrees that Allert Janszoon is listed as a captain in the service of the Vlissingen Directors. The Dubbele Arend is thought to be his ship, but we don't think that it was a Directors' ship, but was a ship belonging to the Admiralty of Zeeland.

Quirijn van den Kerckhoff commanded the Maria

Quirijn van den Kerckhoff commanded the hired fluitschip Maria in 1652. Dr. Elias, in De Vlootbouw in Nederland, described a letter of the Admiralty of the Maze, dated 17 October 1652, that says that captains Quirijn van den Kerckhoff, De Bertry, and De Haes commanded the hired fluits Maria, Holandia, and Gulden Beer, which were lying at Amsterdam at that date.

A minor revelation

I am working on a list of ships in Michiel De Ruyter's fleet that was employed as convoyers in the Channel in the late summer of 1652. That fleet also fought a defensive battle against Sir George Ayscue's fleet off Plymouth, on 26 August 1652, and kept them at bay. Of course, Sir George's tactics left something to be desired: he charged the Dutch fleet without establishing any order. He employed the same sort losing tactics that Blake used at the Battle of the Kentish Knock and on the first day of the Battle of Portland. The minor revelation I had was when I looked at the Rotterdam ship Sint Pieter (28 guns and a crew of 122 men), commanded by Jan Janszoon van der Valch, and realized that this was the Rotterdam Directors' ship. The Sint Pieter's commander had been Sijmon Corneliszoon van der Meer, but he was ill, and was replaced by his lieutenant. Sijmon Corneliszoon van der Meer had apparently reassumed command of the Sint Pieter by the summer of 1653.

A piece of information from Dr. Elias about Directors' ships

Dr. Elias, in Vol.II of Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, says that Directors' ships were intended to carry a crew of 85 officers and sailors and 25 soldiers, for a total crew of 110 men. That was the crew size for a large number of ships, so we now have a good idea of how many soldiers were intended to be carried. I had not seen a figure for Directors' ships before this.

A "might have been ship" from Dr. Ballhausen

On page 558 of Dr. Ballhausen's book, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654 (1923), he says that at the Two Days' Battle of Nieuwpoort, Adriaan Jansz. den Oven commanded a ship named Vrede (about 56 guns and a crew of about 200 men). In this battle, he was acting as De Ruyter's Vice-Admiral. However, we have a piece of contradictory information: in Note 3, on page 94, in Vol.V of Dr. Elias' book, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen (1928), there is a notation that Adriaan Jansz. den Oven commanded the ship Neptunus, which was lost in the battle. From here, we need to examine Dr. Ballhausen's sources. He gives two sources. One I have, an article in the Oud Holland volume from 1899. The other, Whitelocke's Memorials of the English Affairs, I don't have ready way to see this book. I had hoped that Google Book Search might have it, but they do not. However, the reference to page 41 of the the article about Willem van de Velde de Oude, is readily considered. This is my paraphrase, in English, of the text:

"The two day struggle is commonly known as the sea battle near Nieuport and has a pen drawing on canvas by W. van de Velde the Elder that he drew in 1654 that is found in the sea navigation training school in Amsterdam.

There, the wind is shown blowing from the left hand side, somewhere near the known position of what the fleet's West wind meant, if this represented an historical position relative to the subsequent struggle on the 13th. There is nothing that can be seen that would cause this to be characterized as an historical document. Two commander's ships are situated in the foreground, fighting. The English could be the James of Penn, however the other is the Gorinchem, not the Brederode. We can also see the ships of Vice-Admiral De With and of Commandeur De Ruijter approaching the fighting, although the English Vice-Admiral came to assist. The fleets lay, one by the other, one to the left, in a half circle, while they fought in pairs. Behind the ship of the English Vice-Admiral, we can see a Dutch ship in flames, however it is not the ship of Captain Schellinger [Stad Medemblik], because it is situated in the middle of English ships. Several Dutch ships are recognizable, the Fortuijn, the Vrede, the Star, the Dolfijn, the Maag van Enkhuizen, the Zeelandia, etc. However, not one is the known position at the indicated historical moment, and on the right we see in the foreground several English ships which left the battle. This would indicate the piece is an imaginary version, subsequently represented. In the oldest inventory of the training school, dated 1843, states--similarly, Mr. Beels also shared my opinion--about this piece mentioned as being the "Four Days sea battle", as it carried the date 1654. In the inventory report, where the giver is not mentioned, a search for the piece: "gift" of the Admiralty of Amsterdam from Willem van der Zaan, about 1669, had nothing to support it, while it is known that due to the lady, the widow Van Dam, great-granddaughter of Willem van der Zaan presented three golden chains to the training school.

From this, we can see the mention of a ship named Vrede, but there is nothing to associate the Vrede with Adriaan Jansz. den Oven. Perhaps there is something in Whitelocke, but I am skeptical. Typically, these sorts of works are very general and lack any useful detail.

By July 1654, Witte de With was in his favorite ship, the Brederode

By the time the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654 was compiled in July 1654, Witte de With flew his flag from his favorite ship, the Brederode. Tromp had been an interloper, and had only had the Brederode for a relatively short time. Maarten Tromp was intended to take the Brederode to the Mediterranean Sea in early 1652, and to command the squadron there. Tromp fell ill, and the Mediterranean command fell to Joris van Cats, who did not last long. After Tromp was shot and killed by a musketeer at the Battle of Scheveningen, Tromp's flag captain, Egbert Meeuwssen Kortenaer was given command over a squadron and had the Brederode as his flagship. He was eventually reassigned as Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam's flag captain on the brand new Eendracht, the newly completed fleet flagship. The Brederode reverted to Witte de With, and he passed the fine new Huis te Zwieten to his colleague, Michiel De Ruyter. De Ruyter passed his ship, the Huis te Kruiningen to Cornelis Tromp. Sources:

1. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.VI, 1930
2. Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654, July 1654
3. list of ships in service for the Admiralty of Rotterdam on 26 February 1652, 1652

Michiel Adriaansz De Ruyter raised his flag on the Huis te Kruiningen on 10 September 1653

The Huis te Kruiningen was a new ship, recently purchased for the navy from Genoa, along with her half sister, the Huis te Zwieten. The Huis te Kruiningen was the smaller of the two ships. Witte de With and Michiel De Ruyter had hoped to have the two ships ready for the next battle, but they were forced to shift back to older ships for the Battle of Scheveningen. Michiel De Ruyter finally raised his flag on the Huis te Kruiningen on 10 September 1653. The next day, the fleet, under the command of Witte de With, set sail from the Vlie, bound for Norway. We have a translation done by C. T. Atkinson of De Ruyter's journal for this period. There were initially just 42 warships, but they were eventually augmented up to 70 or 72 ships. Witte de With had counseled against such a late season voyage to such northern latitudes, but the wealth on the ships lying in Norwegian harbours was thought to make the venture necessary. At least, that was the thoughts of the decision-makers (their High Majesties). By the evening of 12 September, they had progressed to a distance of about 23 or 24 miles from the Vlie. The fleet eventually arrived in Norwegian waters, although they had taken some storm damage on the voyage. We know a good bit about the Huis te Kruiningen, in this period. We have her dimensions: 140ft x 34ft x 13.5ft. We also know her armament, as of July 1654, just a few months later. She carried: 6-brass 18pdr, 6-brass 12pdr, 8-brass 6pdr drakes, 18-iron 18pdr, and 16-iron 8pdr, for a total of 54 guns. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol. VI, 1930
2. Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654, July 1654

Harsh sentences given to officers after the Battle of Scheveningen

Further courtmartials were held after the Battle of Scheveningen. Captain Adriaan Houttuyn of the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier was initially sentenced to be keel-hauled three times and then imprisoned for life. Hendrick Hey, the lieutenant of Captain Streeck, was also sentenced to be keel-hauled three times and then imprisoned for 20 years. Captain Peereboom, of the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier, was sentenced to be imprisoned for 4 years and the lieutenant of the Captain Huyskens (of the Admiralty of Amsterdam), Anthony Fappenthey, was sentenced to three years. Captain Oly (who we know served the Monnikendam Directors), was sentenced to having his sword broken at his feet, and to be kicked. This is derived from information from Dr. Elias, which I attempted to translate. If needbe, I will make corrections. We have further information about men and ships. Adriaan Houttuyn, who commanded the Kasteel van Medemblik (28 guns), continued in the service of the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier into the Second Anglo-Dutch War. He obviously was not imprisoned, after all. Hendrick Claesz. van der Streeck commanded the Amsterdam Directors' ship Blauwe Arend (28 guns) at the Battle of Scheveningen. Hendrick Huyskens had commanded the Westfriesland (28 guns) through the First Anglo-Dutch War. He continued in the service through 1658, at least. Tijs Tijmensz. Peereboom had commanded the ship named for him (the Peereboom, 24 guns) through most of the First Ango-Dutch War, including the Battle of Scheveningen. We are reasonably sure that he and the lieutenants were punished. Anthony Fappenthey probably was the actual commander of the Blauwe Arend at Scheveningen, as he was mentioned as the commander by Michiel De Ruyter, in his instructions prior to the battle. Sources:

1. C.T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.V, 1912
2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005
3. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.VI, 1930

Teunis Vechterszoon's ship

Carl Stapel has copies of many of A. Vreugdenhil's notes for his list of ships. They have been further annotated, after the publication of his list in 1938. One open question has been the name and characteristics of Teunis Vechterszoon's ship. Teunis Vechterszoon served with the fleet in the summer, fall, and winter of 1652 and into 1653. He sailed with Tromp's fleet to the Shetlands in July and August 1652. He was assigned to Witte de With's squadron at that date. He also seems to have fought in the Battle of the Kentish Knock, at Dungeness, and the Three Days Battle (Portland), although I have not listed him as being there. Vreugdenhil apparently does, however. Teunis Vechterszoon's ship is said to be named Scheletje (Carl says it means Little Bell). There are good references giving his ship's crew as 70 men, and an armament of 24 guns is very plausible. His ship was paid off after Portland. Carl says that the Scheletje was a ship hired by the Enkhuizen Directors, although I had always credited the ship with being hired by the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet is of no help, as he listed Teunis Vechterszoon as serving Medemblick. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910
2. Dr. Carl Ballhausen, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654, 1923
3. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Battle of the Kentish Knock (28 September 1652)", 2004
4. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Battle of Portland-28 February 1653 to 2 March 1653", 2003
5. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.II, 1900
6. Dr. S. R. Gardiner, and C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.III, 1906
7. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652
8. Carl Stapel, personal communication "the ship of Teunis Vechterszoon", 2006

English Captain: Henry Powell

Henry Powell served in the Commonwealth navy. In 1655, he commanded the 5th Rate Selby. He seems to have been in the West Indies in 1655. Both the Selby and Portland were there at the time. From 1656 until 1657, he commanded the 4th Rate Portland. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 1966
3. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898

The 120ft x 27ft x 11ft Noorderkwartier ships

In the 1630's and 1640's, the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier built a series of ships to the same dimensions:

frigate Medemblick, 28 guns  built 1640
Guns:
2-brass 6pdr
10-iron 12pdr
8-iron 8pdr
6-iron 4pdr
2-iron 3pdr

frigate Hoorn, 32 guns built 1636
Guns:
2-brass 6pdr
6-iron 12pdr
20-iron 8pdr
2-iron 6pdr
2-iron 4pdr

Kasteel van Medemblick, 28 guns  built 1640
Guns:
2-brass 6pdr
10-iron 12pdr
8-iron 8pdr
6-iron 4pdr
2-iron 3pdr

All this data is from the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654 (the date is July 1654).

A new piece of information about the Halve Maan

The Halve Maan had been commanded by Hendrick Pieterszoon at the Battle of the Gabbard, where the ship was captured. We know that when the ship first entered service with the English, she carried 30 guns. It seems a safe guess that the ship had carried 30 guns at the Battle of the Gabbard. There are numerous instances of Dutch ships taken by the English that carried the same guns, when the first entered the English service. In case you wondered, the Halve Maan in English service initially had a crew of 110 men, a familiar number. For example, Jan Fredrickszoon Houcbout's ship, the Sampson, carried 30 guns and had a crew of 110 men. The Sampson was a Edam Director's ship. We know the English measurements, which were:

Length of Keel:              97ft
Beam outside the planking:   25ft
Depth of Hold at the center: 10ft-8in

From that, we can estimate the Dutch dimensions in Amsterdam feet:

Length from stem to sternpost: 130ft
Beam inside the planking:       28ft
Hold at the deck edge:          12ft

Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol. VI, 1930
2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005
3. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships and the Relationship Between English and Dutch Measure", 2003
4. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.V, 1928
5. Frank Fox, Great Ships: The Battlefleet of King Charles II, 1980

From the July 1653 list

We have this list of ships nominally at Vlissingen in July 1653. Actually, there are a few ships at Goeree and a larger number in the Texel roads after the Battle of the Gabbard. The list is largely an outline, but a few ships are named, and fewer still captains are mentioned. This is from part of that list:

The Directors of Hoorne

no. 64  An unready ship: the Sampson (30 guns), 
              commanded by Jacob Pieterszoon Houck

The Directors of Edam

no.65  Captured: The Zon (28 guns), 
                   commanded by Jacob Duijm

Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier

No.66  Ready, for a Commandeur: 
           perhaps the Monnikendam (38 guns),
           flagship of Pieter Florissen

No.67  Ready; in fact very ready

No.68  Ready

No.69  Ready

No.70  Ready

No.71  Ready. Sails well. Small

No.72  Captured: the Stad Medemblik (30 guns), 
                commanded by Pieter Schellinger

No.73  Ready

No.74  Unready

No.75  Very unready. A fluit.

Directors of Monnikendam 

No.76  Captured: the Halve Maan, 
               commanded by Hendrick Pieterszoon

No.77  A good ship, but has damage. A very large ship:
             the ship of Jacob Claeszoon Boot

East India Company at Hoorne

No.79  Unready: 
        perhaps the Profeet Samuel, 
        commanded by Reynst Corneliszoon Sevenhuysen.
        He eventually was ordered to move his crew to 
        the Mars (46 guns), a ship apparently owned by the 
        Enkhuizen Chamber of the VOC.

We know many of the Noorderkwartier ships, but it seems impossible to say to which the numbers referred.

English Captain: Lewis (Lodwick) Dick

Lewis (or Lodwick) Dick served in the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth navies, holding one appointment in each. In 1644, he commanded the hired merchantman Golden Lion (30 guns, a crew of 135 men, and of 450 tons). He was assigned to the Summer Guard for 1644. From 1653 to 1654, he again commanded the Golden Lion. Perhaps he was her merchant captain. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962

Dutch Captain: Yde Hilkeszoon Kolaert

Yde Hilkeszoon Kolaert served the Admiralty of Friesland. In August 1665, he commanded the Postiljon van Smirna (38 guns) in De Ruyter's fleet. He was assigned to the Fourth Squadron commanded by Tjerk Hiddeszoon de Vries. In June and July 1667, he commanded the Klein Frisia, and participated in the operations in the Channel. In 1671, he commanded the Westergo (56 guns) in Lt-Admiral Bankert's squadron with De Ruyter's fleet. Sources:

1. Gerard Brandt, Het Leven en Bedrijif van den Heere Michiel de Ruiter, 1687
2. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996

You can now get a small, color Brederode poster

Sorry for the commercial announcement, but I have wanted to have color posters for five years. Only now have I found a way to do that. This is only a small start, but we now have a store at CafePress.com where one of the products that is available is the small Brederode poster of the painting (or at least, one alternative of that). There are other products, as well, but I really wanted a Brederode poster to see how it would be. The nice thing is that the price is pretty low, although it is quite small, as well. I apologize again, as I will be cross-posting this announcement, as well.

English Captain: Thomas Plunkett

Thomas Plunkett served in the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth navies. From 1642 to 1643, he commanded the Crescent (a crew of 50 men and 12 guns). In the summer of 1643, he was with the Irish Guard. In 1644, he commanded the Providence, but was suspended. From 1645 to 1646, he commanded the hired merchantship Discovery. In 1646, he was assigned to the Summer Guard. From 1646 to 1648, he commanded a Parliamentarian privateer. He apparently switched sides, for from 1649 to 1651, he commanded a Royalist privateer. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962

English Captain: William Hazard

William Hazard served in the Parliamentarian navy. In 1644, he commanded the Spy shallop (6 guns, a crew of 20 men, and of 40 tons) and served in the Summer Guard. From 1645 until 1647, he commanded the Dove pink (6 guns), a Royalist prize. In the Summer Guard for 1645, he was assigned to the Guernsey Squadron. In the 1645 Summer Guard, he continued to be assigned at Guernsey. He continued on with the Winter Guard for 1646. By the summer of 1647, he had been relieved in command by William Nixon. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962

So, who commanded the Zeeland ship Meermin in the First Anglo-Dutch War?

The ship Meermin (often written as Meerminne), of the Admiralty of Zeeland, was built in 1641. The ship was 130ft long and carried 34 guns. The ship is mentioned by Vreugdenhil, in his list, in the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654 (dated July 1654), and in a similar list published by Dr. Elias for the year 1655. Nowhere does either The First Dutch War, or Dr. Elias's books, mention the Zeeland Meermin. There are only three obvious candidates who might have commanded the Meermin. They are

• Daniel Corneliszoon Brackman
• Jan Duijm
• Jacob Wolfertszoon

Jan Duijm's ship must have been substantial, as she towed Michiel De Ruyter's flagship, the Witte Lam (40 guns) through the last two days of the Battle of Portland. Of the others, we really have no useful information. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910
2. Johan E. Elias, De Vlootbouw in Nederland 1596-1655, 1933
3. A. Vreugdenhil, Ships of the United Netherlands 1648-1702, 1938
4. Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654

English Captain: Henry Stradling

Henry Stradling had served in the Royal Navy prior to the Civil War and then went over to Royalists. In 1631, he commanded the Tenth Whelp. In 1635, he commanded the Swallow. In 1636, he commanded the Bonaventure. In 1637, he commanded the Dreadnought. In 1638, he commanded the Leopard. In 1639, he commanded the Antelope. In 1640, he commanded the Convertine. In 1641, he commanded the Lion. He was back in command of the Bonaventure from 1641 to 1642. In 1642, he commanded the Bonaventure in the Royalist fleet. By 1649, he commanded the Royalist ship James (ex-Exchange) (29 guns), captured at Kinsale. The ship was last mentioned in 1650 and its fate is unknown. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 1966
3. J. R. Powell, Ed., The Letters of Robert Blake, 1937

Spanish Armada guns

Anyone who would like to wargame the Spanish Armada should be aware of I. A. A. Thompson's articles on the subject. There is one published in the 1975 Mariner's Mirror, page 355 in the bound volume (Mariner's Mirror, Vol.61, No.4, November 1975) title "Spanish Armada Guns". He also has a more recent paper, a chapter entitled "Spanish Armada Gun Procurement and Policy" in P. Gallagher & D. W. Cruickschank, God's Obvious Design: Papers for the Spanish Armada Symposium, Sligo, 1988. These are the most accessible sources (if you can call them that) of Dr. Thompson's research results on the subject. There may be more, as he had a PhD thesis on the subject and may have published more, in recent years. I was not able to find anything with Google, however. There is also Michael Lewis's book Armada Guns (1961), but it is only good for the English guns, as Dr. Thompson has effectively demolished Lewis's theory about Spanish guns. Still, the book is a good read.

English Captain: William Whitehorne

William Whitehorne served in the Commonwealth navy. William Whitehorne commanded the prize Little Charity (32 guns) in 1653, and he fought in the Battle of Scheveningen. Later in 1653 until 1654, he commanded the 4th Rate Pelican (42 guns).In December 1653 he ship was lying with the ships in the "Ellence Roads". From 1655 to 1656, he commanded the 4th Rate Gainsborough. In 1658, he commanded the 3rd Rate Speaker, and was commander-in-chief in the Downs. Later in the year, he commanded the 2nd Rate London, still as commander-in-chief. In 1659, he commanded the 3rd Rate Gloucester. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, "English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938
2. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
3. R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 1966
4. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol. VI, 1930

Dutch Captain: Jacob Cleijdijck (Cleydyck or Kleijdijck)

Jacob Cleijdijck served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier for the last part of Witte de With's relief expedition to Brazil. Jacob Cleijdijck relieved Lieven de Zeeuw in command of the Wapen van Nassau (38 guns), perhaps in November 1649. He left Brazil on 9 December 1649. He was courtmartialed, as he was one of the five captains considered to be accessories to mutiny. In the arming prior to the First Anglo-Dutch War, Jacob Cleijdijck was employed again, this time by the Rotterdam Directors. He was given command of the ship Meerman, which was a 30-gun ship with a crew of 120 men. He took part in Tromp's voyage to the Shetlands in July and August 1652, and then fought in the Battle of Dungeness, in early December. He also fought in the Battle of Portland, where his ship, the Meerman, was sunk. He survived and was given command of the late Corstiaen Corstiaenszoon's ship, apparently named the Prins te Paard (38 guns). He apparently fought in the Battle of the Gabbard in June 1653 and in the Battle of Scheveningen, in August. In July, he had served on a court martial board for captains accused of disobedience at the Battle fo the Gabbard. In June 1665, he commanded the Rotterdam ship Dordrecht (46 guns) at the Battle of Lowestoft. He was assigned to Jan Evertsen's Second Squadron. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910
2. Dr. Carl Ballhausen, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654, 1923
3. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996
4. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898
5. Michael S. Robinson, Van de Velde Paintings, Vol.I, 1990
6. M. S. Robinson, R. E. J. Weber, The Willem van de Velde Drawings in the Boymans-Van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam, 3 Vols, 1979

English Captain: Benjamin Sacheverelli

Benjamin Sacheverelli served in the Commonwealth navy. He died in 1656. From 1654 to 1655, he commanded the 5th Rate Pearl (22 guns). He was with the fleet commanded by Robert Blake that was dispatched to the Mediterranean Sea in 1654. In 1655, he commanded the 5th Rate Norwich, a new ship. In July 1655, Robert Blake had Benjamin Sacheverelli take a dispatch to England. Blake was in the 2nd Rate George near Cape St. Vincent. In 1656, he commanded the 4th Rate President. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898
3. J. R. Powell, Ed., The Letters of Robert Blake, 1937

English Captain: Shadrach Blake

Shadrach Blake served in the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth navies. He was Benjamin Blake's father-in-law. In 1646, he commanded the hired ship William and John, which had been readied, but was in reserve, in case more ships were needed in the active fleet. In 1653, he commanded the hired merchantship Samaritan. He fought in the Battle of the Gabbard, where he was assigned to John Lawson's division in the Blue Squadron. Presumably, he also fought in the Battle of Scheveningen. From 1653 until 1654, he commanded the hired ship Industry (32 guns). In December 1653, his ship was lying in the "Ellence Road". In September 1656, the Spaniards took him prisoner at Vigo, when war was declared. Richard Beach, the Royalist privateer (Blake called him a pirate) had gone to Spain, and was at St. Sebastian, where Shadrach Blake was imprisoned. Blake's papers indicated that Richard Beach was Shadrach Blake's jailer. He was only released in August 1657. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. J. R. Powell, Ed., The Letters of Robert Blake, 1937

"Captain Volderij" is actually Joris Caulerij

The First Dutch War, Vol.V, has a list of ship, showing their remaining gunpowder and damage after the Battle of Scheveningen. The list is called "Report on Condition of Ships", and addresses ships belonging to the Admiralty of Amsterdam. One entry has the name "Captain Volderij". I was suspicious of the name, and sure enough, I found that the captain of the Jonas was Joris Caulerij (Colerij). One list in The First Dutch War calls him "Joris der Taullerye". His name seems to have been frequently mangled in the process of transcription from handwritten documents, in the preparation of The First Dutch War, particularly by C. T. Atkinson. By the way, the entry in the list says that the Jonas had two men killed and two wounded in the battle. The ship lost her foresail yard ("shot to pieces") and had a damaged mizzen mast. The ship was leaky, and taken three shots below the waterline. She also must have lost her rudder, as she had to be steered by her sails. She had fired off 1,300 lbs. of the 5,200 lbs. that she had at the start of the battle. That would be about 13 barrels of powder, as one keg was 100 lbs. according to one source. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910
2. C.T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.V, 1912

Dutch Captain: Claes Arentszoon Sloot (Sloodt)

Claes Arentszoon Sloot (Sloodt) served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. In August 1658, he commanded the Wapen van Monnikendam (often simply called the Monnick). He fought in the Battle of the Sound, in November 1658, where he was assigned to Vice-Admiral Pieter Florissen's rear squadron. He survived the battle, but Vreugdenhil suggests that his ship was that captured in 1659. I believe that was Pieter Florissen's old flagship, instead. From a list dated 8 August 1658, we see that Claes Arentsz Sloot's ship carried 26 guns, while Jan Sampson's ship, the Monnikendam, carried 32 guns. I think that it is pretty definitive, as the ship lost was the 32-gun ship. The ship that survived until May 1665 had 30 guns by that date. This is a period where many ships had their armaments augmented with additional guns. I have not seen any other mention of Claes Arentszoon Sloot, except during this period. Sources:

1. unpublished manuscript from the Nationaal Archief, Staten Generaal 1.01.06, inventory number 13580.16, a list of ships with van Wassenaer's fleet, 8 August 1658
2. R. C. Anderson, Naval Wars in the Baltic, 1910
3. G. L. Grove, Journalen van de Admiralen Van Wassenaer-Obdam (1658/59) en De Ruyter (1659/60), 1907
4. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.I, 1858

English Naval Officer: Prince Maurice

Prince Maurice was brother to Prince Rupert. He served in the Royalist navy as a Vice-Admiral. From 1648 to 1650, he commanded the Convertine (presumably the former Destiny). The ship was eventually sold in Portugal, as there was no way to make repairs. In 1648, the Royalist fleet sought shelter at Hellevoetsluis. They were blockaded by a squadron commanded by the Earl of Warwick. Prince Rupert commanded the Royalists with his brother Maurice as his Vice-Admiral. They eventually sailed from Hellevoetsluis. The Royalist "fleet" consisted of Prince Rupert's flagship, the 2nd Rate Constant Reformation (60 guns), Prince Maurices's ship Convertine, Rear-Admiral Sir John Mennes' ship the Swallow, and the James (a prize), the Charles, Roebuck, Pelican, and the Guinea frigate. From 1650 to 1651, Prince Maurice commanded the Swallow. In November 1650, Prince Rupert and Prince Maurice chased and captured the Marmaduke, which eventually was taken and served in the Commonwealth and Restoration navies. In 1651, he briefly commanded the Revenge, and then from 1651 to 1652, he commanded the prize Defiance. Prince Maurice was eventually drowned when his ship sank in a storm in the West Indies. Only the Constant Reformation and the Swallow survived the storm. His ship sank somewhere close to the southern shore of Anagada. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898