One mystery

I find the persistence of the Dutch in building relatively small ships for so long a mystery. I suppose that part of the explanation is that, as Carl Stapel has said, Amsterdam opposed the maintenance of a standing battlefleet. They only wanted the navy to consist of convoyers. The phenomenon was magnified for the casual observer, in that Vreugdenhil's list gave the dimensions in Maas feet of 308mm for the ships built by the Admiralty of the Maze (Rotterdam). Maas feet are approximately 1/12 larger than Amsterdam feet of 283mm. Hence, the dimensions for ships such as the Prinses Louise, Witte de With's flagship at the onset of the First Anglo-Dutch War. Vreugdenhil's dimensions for the Prinses Louise are a small 110ft x 26.5ft x 11.5ft. Dr. Weber, in his book about the Four Days' Battle, listed the correct dimensions in Amsterdam feet: 120ft x 28ft-4in x 12ft-6in. These dimensions are in Amsterdam feet of 11 inches, not the 12 inches per foot of Maas feet. These dimensions indicate that the Prinses Louise was a decent-sized ship for the period, although not of the size of the Brederode (144ft x 35ft x 14.75ft) and Aemilia (144ft x 34ft x 14.3ft). There were also a good number of 40-gun ships built to a larger charter, 128ft or 128.5ft long and about 250 lasts. The Prinses Louise was about 180 lasts. She was eventually overarmed in late 1652 with 46 guns. He sailing and seakeeping must have suffered greatly with that many guns. Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005
2. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de Geschiedenis van ons Zeewezen, Vol.III, 1925
3. Johan E. Elias, De Vlootbouw in Nederland 1596-1655, 1933
4. H.A. van Foreest and R.E.J. Weber, De Vierdaagse Zeeslag 11-14 Juni 1666, 1984
5. A. Vreugdenhil, Ships of the United Netherlands 1648-1702, 1938

We have been discussing Amsterdam's reduction to the First Anglo-Dutch War building program

In November 1652, shortly before the Battle of Dungeness, Lt-Admiral Tromp had proposed building 30 pretty large ships. Dr. Elias had the following table:

Admiralty   150ftx38ftx15ft  140ftx36ftx14.5ft  134ftx34ftx14ft

Rotterdam       1                2                  2
Amsterdam       2                4                  4
Zeeland         1                2                  2
Noorderkwartier 1                2                  2
Friesland       1                2                  2

This was quashed, mainly by the Amsterdam Board. The reasons are rather complex, but at least in part, they had a concern about being able to get large ships over the Pampus bar, at the entry to Amsterdam. The North Sea, and the coastal waters are shallow, and that might have also been a factor (by 1664, all those concerns were ignored). Carl Stapel suggested that another factor was that there was sufficient dislike of Tromp, that the immediate reaction would be to reject any suggestion that Tromp made. Carl also says that Amsterdam opposed a standing fleet and wanted only convoyers built. The senior naval officers, fortunately, embraced a battlefleet policy, such as that advocated by Mahan. There was also a continuing attachment to the frigate type that they admiralties had been building. There was a great deal of resistence to building English-style capital ships, such as the Vrijheid (which carried a lower tier of 18pdr guns, instead of 12pdrs). I have also wondered if Amsterdam was reluctant to spend money, and that might have been another factor. In the event, considerably smaller ships were included in the two 30-ship programs, at least nominally. In reality, there were a few larger ships built than had been originally authorized. Dr. Elias gave a final table, divided into four phases:

Admiralty       150ft  146ft  140ft  136ft  134ft  131.5ft  130ft

Phase I         

Rotterdam                                            1
Amsterdam                                     1      1
Zeeland                                               
Noorderkwartier                                      1
Friesland                                            1

Phase II

Admiralty       150ft  146ft  140ft  136ft  134ft  131.5ft  130ft       
                                        
Amsterdam                1      1                     
Zeeland                                       1               1

Phase III

Admiralty       150ft  146ft  140ft  136ft  134ft  131.5ft  130ft        

Rotterdam         1                           2               1
Amsterdam                       2      2                      6
Zeeland                                1                      4
Noorderkwartier                        2                      3
Friesland                              2                      3                                       

Phase III

Admiralty       150ft  146ft  140ft  136ft  134ft  131.5ft  130ft        

Rotterdam         1                                           4
Amsterdam                              4                      6
Noorderkwartier                        2                      3
Friesland                              2                      3                                       

Total             2      1      3     15      4       4      35

As you can see, a great many smaller ships and only a relatively few larger ships were built. The largest group other than the smaller, 130ft ships were those of 136ft in length. That was a newer, intermediate type. Sources:

1. Johan E. Elias, De Vlootbouw in Nederland 1596-1655, 1933

Large Dutch ships in 1652

The impression is often given that the Dutch only had small ships at the beginning of the First Anglo-Dutch War. Admittedly, most purpose-built warships were under 130ft (Amsterdam feet of 283mm), but there were many large hired ships. The largest were East Indiamen, of course, and we cannot be absolutely sure of there size, but Herbert Tomesen, from Artitec, is reasonably sure of some of their dimensions:

Adm    Name                     Guns Crew Length  Beam    Hold
M      Brederode                54   270  144ft   35ft    14.75ft
A      Vrede                    42   160  131.5ft 32.5ft  13.5ft
A      Vrijheid                 46   150  134ft   34ft    13.25ft
N      Eendracht                40   140  130ft   32ft    12ft
A-VOC  Vogelstruis              40   200  160ft   38ft    18ft
Mi-VOC Prins Willem             40   200  170ft   38ft    18ft
A-Dir  Alexander                28    95  131.5ft 27.75ft 13ft
A-Dir  David en Goliad          34   107  130ft   32ft    12ft
A-Dir  Elias                    34   112  132.5ft 30ft    13ft
A-Dir  Groote Vergulde Fortuijn 35   135  141ft   31ft    14.5ft
A-Dir  Gideon van Sardam        34   115  132ft   29.5ft  13.5ft
A-Dir  Kroon Imperiaal          34   125  130ft   30ft    12.5ft
A-Dir  Groote Liefde            38   114  132ft   29ft    13.5ft
A-Dir  Nassouw                  34   112  130ft   32ft    12ft
A-Dir  Neptunis                 36   125  138ft   32ft    13ft
A-Dir  Prins Maurits            34   116  130ft   30ft    13ft
A-Dir  Sint Francisco           28   100  133ft   28.25ft 13.25ft
A-Dir  Sint Matheeus            34   114  140ft   34ft    15ft
A-Dir  Sint Salvador            34   125  130ft   30ft    13.5ft
A-Dir  Valck                    28    95  132.5ft 26.17ft 12.75ft
A-Dir  Zwarte Leeuw             28   110  130ft   28ft    13.5ft
Ed-Dir Halve Maen               30*  110* 130ft*  28ft*   12ft*

There was also the Jaarsveld built for the Admiralty of Amsterdam in 1651. The Jaarsveld carried 44 guns, but we do not know her dimensions. Of course, in 1653, many more large ships entered service.

Documents from 1653

In one document dated 20 January 1653, a Directors' ship named St. Pieter is mentioned. The ship has specifications as follows:

St. Pieter

Length: 123ft
Beam:    28ft
Hold:    12.5ft
Height between decks: 6.5ft

Guns:

10-12pdr
 8-8pdr
 8-6pdr
 2-3pdr

28 guns

Is this the Rotterdam Directors' ship or a previously unknown Amsterdam ship? I would now guess that it is the Rotterdam Directors' ship, although we cannot be sure.

In a document dated 27 January 1653, a ship named Sampson is mentioned. This is also a Directors' ship, but we cannot be sure by which Directors the ship was hired. We do have the following specifications:

Sampson

Length: 119ft
Beam:    28ft
Hold:    13ft
Height between decks: 6.25 or 6.5ft

Guns:

10-12pdr
 8-8pdr
 8-6pdr
 2-3pdr

28 guns

I would have said that there were all Amsterdam ships, but we do not recognize them as such.

Dr. Elias on the 12 ships from the fishery protection squadron in July 1652

In Vol.II of Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Dr. Elias mentions that the Hollandsche Mercurius for 1652 gives the armaments for 12 ships on pages 71 and 81 in that section. He says that the 12 ships consisted of 1-30 guns, 2-28 guns, 7-24 guns, 1-22 guns, and 1-20 guns. Page 71 in the Hollandsche Mercurius indicates that Willem Ham's ship, the Sampson van Hoorn carried 24 guns. I have at times credited the Sampson with 26 guns, as in the English service, she carried 26 guns and had a crew of 90 men. We only know that Willem Ham's ship was the Sampson from The First Dutch War. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910
2. Pieter Casteleyn, Hollandsche Mercurius, 1650-1691
3. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.II, 1923
4. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898

We only know the dimensions of two ships hired by the Directors of the cities in the Noorderkwartier

There are only two ships in the service of the Noorderkwartier Directors for which we know dimensions. These are the Sint Jeronimus, hired by the Medemblick Directors, and the Halve Maen, hired by the Edam Directors. We know the dimensions for the Sint Jeronimus from Jan Glete's notes from his research in the Nationaal Archief in The Hague, when he was doing research for Navies and Nations. We have only an approximate idea of the dimensions of the Halve Maen in Amsterdam feet. We have the English measurements made after she was captured at the Battle of the Gabbard, and we have used our system for estimating the Dutch dimensions. This is what we know about the two ships:

Ship name          Directors  Captain                        Guns Crew Length  Beam  Hold
Sint Jeronimus  Me-Dir     Jan Pietersz Deught   30     110    116ft      28ft    11ft
Halve Maen       Ed-Dir      Hendrick Pieterszoon 30*  110*   130ft*   28ft*  12ft*

Sadly, too much of what we have listed about the Halve Maen are estimates, although the number of guns is based on an early list after she was captured by the English. Typically, upon first entering service, prizes retained their Dutch guns. The crew estimate is based on similar ships, such as the Vergulde Meerman (30 guns and a crew of 110 men), Jan Fredricksz Houcboot's ship, also hired by the Edam Directors. When first hired, Jan Pietersz Eenarm commanded the Sint Jeronimus, but he died suddenly in April 1652 and was succeeded in command by Jan Pietersz Deught, who had a similar enough name that he was not mentioned in any document or in the published literature that I have seen. We only know of the switch due to Carl Stapel's research in the "resoluties van de Staten van Holland van 1650 till 1659".

English Captain: Thomas Bedall

Thomas Bedall served in the Parliamentarian navy. In 1644, he commanded the hired merchant ship Hector (22 guns, a crew of 80 men, and 300 tons). He served in the Summer Guard for 1644. In 1645, he commanded the hired merchantship Hunter, according to Anderson. Powell still puts him in the Hector for the Summer Guard for 1645. From 1646 until 1648, he commanded the new frigate Adventure. In 1647, he was in the Western Guard. He was in the Winter Guard, as well, for 1647. 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

The July 1653 list of ships at Vlissingen: the Neptunis

There are a few ships that we can name, such as number 87 from the Admiralty of Zeeland. They had 11 ships at the Battle of the Gabbard, and one was captured by the English. Number 87 is apparently the one. This was the Neptunis, commanded by Adriaan Jansz den Oven. This was apparently the ship that had been Michiel De Ruyter's flagship in July and August 1652.

The July 1653 list of ships at Vlissingen: the Neptunis

There are a few ships that we can name, such as number 87 from the Admiralty of Zeeland. They had 11 ships at the Battle of the Gabbard, and one was captured by the English. Number 87 is apparently the one. This was the Neptunis, commanded by Adriaan Jansz den Oven. This was apparently the ship that had been Michiel De Ruyter's flagship in July and August 1652.

Amsterdam ships after the Battle of the Gabbard in July 1653

There is a document of ships at Vlissingen, Goeree, and the Texel in early July 1653. The list actually is an outline which is numbered and divided by admiralty, Directors, and Chambers of the VOC. There are notations to the side, and the list notes the ships captured or sunk at the Battle of the Gabbard. The list contains 105 entries and includes some fireships and at least one advijsjacht. I have written about this list before, but it is useful to look at it in more detail. There are 25 ships listed for the Admiralty of Amsterdam. Four are in the Texel (roads). One is at Goeree. One of the ships in the Texel is called "a small frigate", and is listed as being ready. One of the others is apparently a jacht and is listed as being ready (and in the Texel). The other two are also listed as being ready. The ship at Goeree (presumably, lying in the Goeree Gat) is listed as being ready, as well. A few ships have names attached. One is called the Leeuw, but I would suspect that it is the Leeuwarden, commanded by Govert Reael. Another is Jan Jansz de Lapper's ship, the Fazant (called here, the Phesant). Next is Gerbrand Schatter's ship, the Dolphijn (built in 1633). The next is called the "Oude Prins", and I believe that is Jan Jansz Boerman's ship, the Prins Willem. Then there is the Omlandia, which was commanded by Jacob Tronquoij (or Troncquois). Finally, there is Hendrik Kroeger's ship, the Leiden. One ship is listed as having exploded, and that was Cornelis van Velsen's ship, the Gelderland. One is listed as a fluit, lying at Vlissingen, that was unready for sea. That is a quick summary of the Amsterdam ships.

Marinus Claesz Juynbol commanded his father's ship in 1633

Claes Juynbol had commanded the Rotterdam ship Neptunis in the attack on the Spanish Silverfleet, and was killed in the fight. In 1633, Marinus Claeszoon Juynbol commanded the same ship, Neptunis, which had been built in 1623 and which had a size of 170 lasts. In 1633, the Neptunis had a crew of 85 men and carried 26 guns:

2 brass half-cartouwen 24pdr
2 brass half-cartouwen 18pdr
2 brass 12pdr
14 iron 18pdr
6  iron 6pdr

The Neptunis was stationed off the coast of Flanders when the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1633 was compiled (which is the source of this data).

The problemmatic nature of much of the information that we have from the First Anglo-Dutch War

When I first obtained volumes of The First Dutch War, from the Navy Records Society, I treated the information as being correct, as written. There were some causes for concern, such as as Allert Janszoon commanding a ship named Wapen van Hoorn, lying in the roads off Hoorn. C. T. Atkinson assumed, apparently, that Allert Janszoon was the Zeeland captain, so I dutifully included a ship named Wapen van Hoorn or Hoorn with the Admiralty of Zeeland. I am embarrassed to say that as recently as two years ago, I had one document where I had not recognized the answer. The answer is that there was a Zeeland captain named Allert Janszoon and a Noorderkwartier captain named Allert Janszoon Tamessen. Allert Janszoon Tamessen commanded the Wapen van Hoorn (30 guns and a crew of 115 men), one of the "100 ships of 1652" funded right before the war started in 1652. Allert Janszoon, the Zeeland captain, commanded the Vlissingen Directors' ship Dubbele Arend (28 guns and a crew of 110 men). I only recently acknowledged that he served the Vlissingen Directors, because I had previously assumed that since he commanded a ship named Dubbele Arend, that ship had been built for the Admiralty of Zeeland. In fact, Vreugdenhil says that it was hired by Directors from Zeeland. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910
2. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898
3. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652
4. A. Vreugdenhil, Ships of the United Netherlands 1648-1702, 1938

The Friesland States' ships in March 1653

I believe that we can safely say that we have a fairly good knowledge of the States' ships in the service of the Admiralty of Friesland in March 1653. I hope that this is not too bad of a duplication of what I might have already written. There were just four listed in the list in the appendix to Vol.I of Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen:

Ship name       Guns Crew  Commander               Length Beam   Hold
Groningen       38   110   Hendrick Janszoon Camp  132ft  31ft   14.5ft
Zevenwolden     38   140   Frederick Stellingwerff
Breda           28   110   Adriaan Bruynsvelt      120ft  29ft
Omlandia        28   110                           122ft  26.5ft 13ft

One ship missing from the list of States' ships is the jacht Graaf Willem (12 guns), commanded by Jan Coenders. This was built for the Admiralty of Friesland in 1644 and her dimensions were 74ft x 18.5ft x 7ft. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol. VI, 1930
2. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.I, 1858
3. A. Vreugdenhil, Ships of the United Netherlands 1648-1702, 1938

New construction in Friesland between 1652 and July 1654

Friesland had five new ships on strength, after war losses, in July 1654, that had been added since 1652. There is a list in the appendix of De Jonge's Geschiedinis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen. We are able to "cheat" and consult the Staet van Oorlogh te Water for the year 1654 to aid us in filling in the ship names:

Ship name            Guns Crew Length Beam Hold Captain
Oostergo               52  95  140    36   14.5 Rombout van der Parre
Westergo               44  95  134    34   14
Stad en Lande          44  95  134    34   14
Groningen              44  90  132    31   13
Prinses Albertina      44  90  130    32   13.5 Adriaan Bruynsvelt

In addition, two new ships were lost in 1653. The Kameel (42 guns) seems to have been in the service of the Groningen Directors, and was sunk at the Battle of the Gabbard, in June 1653. The Zevenwolden (38 guns and a crew of, another new ship, was in the service of the Admiralty of Friesland. The Zevenwolden was taken and sunk at the Battle of Scheveningen in August 1653. Another ship is mentioned in Vreugdenhil and in the Staet named the Groenewald. It was purchased in 1652, as part of the new construction program. As the Groenewald is not mentioned during the war, or anywhere other than the Staet, I suspect that it was renamed. There is disagreement on this point, but her dimensions are virtually identical to those of the Groningen in Dr. Weber's book about the Four Days' Battle. Sources:

1. Liewe van Aitzema, Saken van Staet in Oorlogh in ende omtrent de Vereenigte Nederlanden (7 vols. 1655-1671)
2. Dr. Carl Ballhausen, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654, 1923
3. H.A. van Foreest and R.E.J. Weber, De Vierdaagse Zeeslag 11-14 Juni 1666, 1984
4. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.I, 1858
5. Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654, 1654
6. A. Vreugdenhil, Ships of the United Netherlands 1648-1702, 1938

English Captain: George Acklam

George Acklam served in the Commonwealth navy. From 1653 to 1654, he commanded the Guinea frigate. It would seem that George Acklam commanded some ship as early as 9 June 1653 (new style), as there is a letter from that date from Robert Overton to the Admiralty Council saying that he had put sailors on board Captain Acklam's ship. On 27 December 1653 (new style), the Guinea (34 guns) was lying at Portsmouth. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. C.T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.V, 1912
3. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol. VI, 1930

The July 1654 list in De Jonge's book in Vol.I

I can imagine that there are a number of people outside the Netherlands who are familiar with the July 1654 list of Dutch ships in an appendix to Vol.I of J. C. De Jonge's book, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen. There are fewer, still, even in the Netherlands, who have seen and are familiar with the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654. The new construction ships in this list were either purchases of newly built ships, or ships constructed as part of the first phase of the war building program (30 ships). The list is somewhat misleading, as De Jonge used the dimensions for older Rotterdam ships (the Admiralty of the Maze) in Maas feet (308mm) rather than in Amsterdam feet (283mm). Vreugdenhil's list has the same issue. I only understood what was happening after seeing the dimensions for the Aemilia in Ab Hoving's book about Nicolaes Witsen, and then seeing the 26 February 1652 list of Rotterdam ships. Both Ab Hoving and Jan Glete were aware of this issue, but in the published literature, I have not seen it noted. An odd feature of the Dutch navy in July 1654 is that some of the new, 130ft ships were armed with only 32 guns. Some of the older 128ft ships also received the same armament. I can only imagine that the reason was that either there was a shortage of guns, or that the ships were intended for overseas service, and were thus more seaworthy. Sources:

1. Albert J. Hoving, Nicolaes Witsens Scheeps-Bouw-Konst open gestelt, 1994
2. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.I, 1858
3. list of ships of the Admiralty of Rotterdam dated 26 February 1652, 1652
4. Staet van Oorlogh te Water for the year 1654, 1654
5. A. Vreugdenhil, Ships of the United Netherlands 1648-1702, 1938

The Directors' ships from the cities of the Noorderkwartier

The list of ships hired by the Directors from the cities in the Noorderkwartier brings up some issue. There were seven ships hired. From the list from about June 1652 in the Hollandsche Mercurius (reprinted in The First Dutch War, Vol.I) and Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet, we seem to have a complete listing:

Rank     Commander                    Adm    Ship name      Guns Crew
kapitein Jacob Pietersz Houck         Ho-Dir Sampson          30 110
kapitein Pieter Adriaensz van Blocker Ho-Dir ?                28 105
kapitein Gijsbert Malcontent          En-Dir ?                28 110The
kapitein Jacob Claesz Duijm           En-Dir Vergulde Zon     28 108
kapitein Jan Pietersz Deught          Me-Dir Sint Jeronimus   30 110
kapitein Jan Fredricksz Houcboot      Ed-Dir Vergulde Meerman 30 110
kapitein Jacob Claesz Boot (or Boet)  Mo-Dir Zwarte Beer      32 115

The only problem is that we have other information from Vreugdenhil. He assigns the Sampson van Hoorn (24 guns) to the Hoorn Directors and the Sampson van Enkhuizen (28 guns) to the Enkhuizen Directors. He would also assign Teunis Vechterszoon's ship, the Scheletje (24 guns and a crew of 70 men) to the Enkhuizen Directors. Of course, Hendrick de Raedt's list and the list from the Hollandsche Mercurius indicate that he was associated with Medemblick. In any case, the 50 Directors ship plan only allocated 7 ships to the cities of the Noorderkwartier, and these seem to be those that I list above. So why does Vreugdenhil assign the other ships to these same Directors, as well? This same list from June 1652 leaves open the possibility that Teunis Vechterszoon also commanded a Directors' ship, as Vreugdenhil indicated (just one from Medemblick, not Enkhuizen). All indications, other than Vreugdenhil, indicate that Willem Ham's ship, the Sampson van Hoorn, was a ship hired by the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier (in fact, one of the 100 ships of 1652). There is no evidence in The First Dutch War, or any other published source, other than Vreugdenhil, regarding the Sampson van Enkhuizen. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910
2. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898
3. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652
4. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "Schepen voor aanvang van Eerste Engelse Oorlog", 2006
5. A. Vreugdenhil, Ships of the United Netherlands 1648-1702, 1938

Gijsbert Malcontent's Enkhuizen Directors' ship

Gijsbert Malcontent had commanded an Enkhuizen Directors' ship with Witte de With's fleet in June 1645. His ship was the Getrouwen Harder (34 guns and a crew of 100 men). Ship armaments could vary over time, especially as ships aged, so I would not rule out the possibility of him commanding the same ship. For this reason, I had wondered if he had commanded the Gertrouwen Harder during the First Anglo-Dutch War, up until he was killed at the Battle of Portland. He did have an intervening period when he was with Witte de With off Brazil, but he was back in the service of the Enkhuizen Directors in 1652 and early 1653. In 1652, he commanded a an Enkhuizen Directors' ship of 28 guns and a crew of 110 men. Some other captains commanded the same ship in 1645 as in 1652. An example was Gabriel Antheunissen, who was in the service of the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. He commanded the Kasteel van Medemblick (or Medemblick) in 1645 through early 1653, when he was dismissed from the service for disobeying orders from Pieter Florissen, his squadron commander. Gijbert Malcontent's ship was taken in the Battle of Portland and he died in captivity. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910
2. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898
3. W. J. van Hoboken, Witte de With in Brazilië, 1955
4. G. W. Kernkamp, De Sleutels van de Sont, 1890
5. J. C. Mollema, De Eere Rol, from Geschiedenis van Nederland ter Zee, Vol.II, 1940
6. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652

The original 24 ships hired by the Amsterdam Directors

Very good information exists about the original 24 ships hired by the Amsterdam Directors in early 1652. Sadly, little of the information appears in published sources. Largely, the information comes from documents referenced by Jan Glete in his book, Navies and Nations. He was kind enough to give me copies of his notes from when he was doing the original research as the Nationaal Archief in The Hague. Ron van Maanen had given him the original lead. One document gives the ship names, the captains, lieutenants, and "schrijvers" (writers) for the ship hired by the Amsterdam Directors. Other documents give the details of dimensions and gun lists. In some cases, they also give crew size. Gradually, over time, captains were replaced and ships disappeared. In come cases, they are known war losses. By early 1653, the Amsterdam Directors were hiring more ships, presumable as replacements for war losses, as there is no indication that the number of ships funded was increased (although it is always possible). Most of the details of the ships' service is still a mystery. Where ships were definitely lost, such as those lost at the Battle of Portland ("the Three Days' Battle"), we often have more details about their loss. The Sint Mathees listed here is not the ship captured by the English at the Battle of the Gabbard. That was another, larger ship commanded by Cornelis Laurenszoon. This is a summary of those 24 ships:

Rank      Commander                        Adm  Guns Crew Ship name                           
kapitein  Jan Maijckers                    A-Dir 28  100  Alexander           
kapitein  Dirck Pater                      A-Dir 28  105  Blauwe Arend        
kapitein  Matthijs (Matheeus) Corneliszoon A-Dir 34  120  Sint Salvador       
kapitein  Jacob Cornelisz Swart            A-Dir 28  110  Vliegende Faam      
kapitein  Abraham van Kampen               A-Dir 28  100  Arke Troijane       
kapitein  Cornelis Janszoon Poort          A-Dir 34  125  Kroon Imperial
kapitein  Cornelis Jansz Brouwer           A-Dir 28  105  Valck               
kapitein  Maerten de Graef                 A-Dir 28  110  Prinses Roijael
kapitein  Gerrit van Lummen                A-Dir 34  125  Neptunis            
kapitein  Cornelis Naeuoogh                A-Dir 34  125  Sint Mattheus       
kapitein  Nicolaes de With                 A-Dir 34  115  Prins Maurits       
kapitein  Bartholomeus Rietbeeck           A-Dir 28  105  Rozeboom            
kapitein  Bastiaen Bardoel                 A-Dir 28  110  Engel Gabriel       
kapitein  Cornelis van Houten              A-Dir 28  110  Witte Lam           
kapitein  Hector Bardesius                 A-Dir 34  120  Gideon van Sardam                                                                 
kapitein  Stoffel Juriaenszoon             A-Dir 28  105  Sint Francisco      
kapitein  Claes Bastiaensz van Jaersveldt  A-Dir 34  120  David en Goliad
kapitein  Jacob Syvertsen Spanheym         A-Dir 34  120  Elias               
kapitein  Hendrick de Raedt                A-Dir 28  130  Zwarte Leeuw        
kapitein  Sipke Fockes                     A-Dir 28   96  Sint Maria          
kapitein  Bruijn van Seelst                A-Dir 38  135  Groote Liefde       
kapitein  Lambert Pieterszoon              A-Dir 34  130  Nassouw             
kapitein  Frederick de Coninck             A-Dir 35  135  Groote Vergulde Fortuijn
kapitein  Frederick Bogaert                A-Dir 28  115  Engel Michiel       

A question about hired Friesland ships in March 1653

I have been working, occasionally, on the March 1653 list of the Dutch fleet, based on an appendix to Vol.I of J. C. De Jonge's Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen. The work is not complete, yet because of some outstanding issues. One is with regard to ships hired by the Admiralty of Friesland:

Hired ships

Rank        Name                   Adm/Dir guns Sailors Ship                  
kapitein    Jan Reyndersz Wagenaar F       30   110     Graaf Hendrik         
kapitein    Tijmen Claeszoon       F       30   110     Westergo
kapitein    ?                      F       26    90     ?
kapitein    Isaak Codde            F       24    90     Postpaert
luitenant   Hasselgants            F       24    90     Sarah
kapitein    Oosteroon              F       16    60     Waterhond

This issue in this case is the identity of the 26-gun ship listed third, had her captain. There are some candidates, such as the Hector van Troijen (24 guns and a crew of 70 men). There is no evidence to show that she was still in service at this date. Her captain was disgraced after the Battle of the Kentish Knock, and was court martialed.

More about the 50 Directors' ships of 1652

The breakdown, by admiralty for the 50 Directors' ships hired in 1652 really only reflects the situation in that year:

Rotterdam                      7 ships
Amsterdam                     24 ships
Zeeland                        9 ships
Cities of the Noorderkwartier  7 ships
Friesland                      2 ships
Groningen                      1 ship

Even in June 1652, there were losses, and there were more as the war progressed. Most were lost either at the Battle of Portland, or the Battle of the Gabbard, in 1653. As more ships were hired by the Directors, it is unclear if they remained within the numbers, by just hiring replacement ships for he losses. In the storm in late 1653, Directors' ships were particularly vulnerable, as they were not as well equipped with anchors and cables. They were also not as strongly built as warships.

The Dutch fleet in early 1652

The Dutch were preparing for war, in early 1652, with just 87 ships, of which 41 were convoyers (largely, the ships funded at the peace in 1648), 36 cruisers funded in 1651, and 10 ships for Brazil. Almost immediately, two Amsterdam ships were sold. These were the Nassau and the Overissel, a veteran of the Battle of the Downs in 1639, and one of the ships sent to Brazil with Witte de With in late 1647. The situation was radically transformed, when on 3 March 1652, the Extraordinary Equipage was enacted, whereby 150 ships were to be hired and fitted for war. These included 50 ships hired by the established city Directors and 100 hired and fitted out by the five admiralties. While the 50 Directors' ships were successfully hired, but only 38 of the planned 100 ships could be initially hired. Sources:

1. Johan E. Elias, De Vlootbouw in Nederland 1596-1655, 1933

The 50 Directors' ships funded in 1652

As part of the preparations for war that were instigated in 1652 by the Dutch, the Directors of the various ports were to hire ships for use a warships. They generally were either Straatsvaarders or West Indiamen. When hired, they had guns on board that could be augmented or changed. Dr. Elias, in Vol.II of Schetsen, points out that all 50 were probably not hired very quickly, as there were not enough suitable ships in some places, especially Rotterdam. J. C. De Jonge has a list of ships in service in the Dutch navy in March 1653, and he blithely assumes that the number 50 had significance, and that since 8 Directors' ships had been lost that there were 42 ships left. One variance from that is while there was a great hiring of ships, starting in March 1652, that hiring continued through 1653. We know that ships were hired from January to April 1653, for example. I am working on trying to put together a list that corresponds to the March 1653 list, and it is largely complete, but the Directors' ship list is a problem.

Carl Stapel's notes from the Resoluties van de Staten van Holland

Carl Stapel shared with me his notes from the Resoluties van de Staten van Holland. There are some interesting entries there:

1. Albert 't Jonge Hoen, on the Prinses [Prinses Roijael], is ready to sail for the Mediterranean under the command of Joris van Cats--22 December 1651
2. Jan Pietersz Deught was chosen as captain of the Directors' of Medemblick ship Sint Jeronimus, in place of Jan Pietersz Eenarm, who had suddenly died--23 April 1652
3. Jan Jansz van Nes had brought on board 20 soldiers while in the Meuse--24 July 1652
4. Dirck Jansz Somer and Hendrick Claasz van Sheick were appointed as captains by the Amsterdam Directors--7 April 1653

We know that on 4 April 1653, two new ships were listed: the Keurvorst van Keulen (34 guns) and the Schacht den Harculus (28 guns). We do not know their captains' names, so perhaps these two men were appointed to command them (although we would not know to which ship they were appointed).

The first English Captain: Valentine Tattnell

The first Valentine Tattnell served in the Commonwealth navy. He commanded the Dutch prize Rosebush (the ex-Amsterdam Directors' ship Rooseboom) from 1653 until 1654. In September 1653, the Rosebush was listed as carrying 24 guns and with a crew of 130 men. In December, the Rosebush was listed as carrying 34 guns, but this may have been in error. Still, Frank Fox credits her as carrying 34 guns. Brian Lavery says that she carried 30 guns in 1664 (12-12pdr, 8-8pdr, 8-6pdr, and 2-3 or 4pdr). The Rosebush's Dutch dimensions were:

• 118ft x 27ft x 12.5ft.

Her English dimensions were:

• 84ft on keel x 24.6ft outside of the planking x 11.5ft at the center

      Dutch   English   Factor  My standard factor
Length 118ft   84ft      1.405   1.33 (indicates a lot of rake)
Beam    27ft   24.5ft    1.102   1.13 (indicates thin planking)
Depth   12.5ft 11.5ft    1.087   1.13 (perhaps a lot of camber)

In 1656, Valentine commanded the Old President, a former 5th Rate which had been purchased in 1646. In 1656, the Old President served as a fireship. 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. Frank Fox, Great Ships: The Battlefleet of King Charles II, 1980
4. Brian Lavery, The Arming and Fitting of English Ships of War 1600-1815, 1987.

English Captain: Richard Lucas

Richard Lucas served in the Parliamentarian navy. In 1642, he commanded the hired merchant ship Exchange (a crew of 89 men and a 325 tons). He served in the Summer Guard, under the command of the Earl of Warwick. In 1643, he commanded the Golden Angel (26 guns, a crew of 102 men, and 431 tons). He served in the Summer Guard for 1643, as well. He is not mentioned after 1643. 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

More about Cornelis Adriaansz. (Arentsz) Cruyck

Even though Dr. Elias, and others, had listed Cornelis Adriaanszoon (Arentsz) Cruijck as having been killed at the Battle of Portland ("the Three Days Battle"), he infact survived, as Carl Stapel has already pointed out. Cornelis Arentszoon Cruijck was one of the candidates being considered for appointment in October 1653. The list of candidates included:

1. Michiel Adriaansz. de Ruyter
2. Pieter Dircksz. Roothooft, burgemeester van Purmerend and old kapitein-ter-zee
3. Pieter Florissen (Florisz.)
4. Hendrik Gerritsz.
5. Cornelis Tromp
6. Hector Pietersz., merchant from Amsterdam and director of the Extraordinaris Equipage at Amsterdam, and old kapitein-ter-zee
7. Jacob Cornelisz. de Boer, captain under the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier
8. Cornelis Arentsz. Cruijck, in the service of the East Indian Company, and commander of the Vogelstruis from November 1652
9. Marinus Juynbol, who hhad commanded the ship Schiedam in February 1652. His brother Dirck Juynbol, his lieutenant had been given command of the ship
10. Jan Gideonsz. Verburgh, captain under the Admiralty of Amsterdam
11. Dirck Quirijnsz. Verveen, also a captain under the Admiralty of Amsterdam
12. Andries Sijbrantsz., of Hoorn

On 28 August 1653, in place of Verveen and Sijbranstz., a VOC captain was chosen, Cornelis van der Lijn, at Alkmaar. From the list of candidates, a Vice-Admiral and Schout-bij-Nacht would be chosen for each of the three Holland admiralties (Amsterdam, the Noorderkwartier, and the Maze).

Captain Cruijck had commanded the Amsterdam VOC ship Vogelstruis from November 1652 until her capture on the first day of the Battle of Portland. His crew was largely from Schiedam, and many of the them were killed in the battle.

Sources:

1. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.VI, 1930

Bastiaan Centen (or Centsen) and the capture of the Hercules

Bastiaan Centen (or Centsen), who Frank Fox had suggested was an ex-partriate Scot, was employed through the duration of the First Angl0-Dutch War, starting from just prior to the Battle of the Kentish Knock. He commanded a Vlissingen Directors' ship that Dr. Elias calls the Haes, but which may have been the ship Haes in 't Veld (30 guns), previously commanded by Leendert den Haen. Bastiaan Centen chased and took the English hired ship Hercules on 24 December 1652. The Hercules had been run ashore and had been deserted by her captain and crew in a most disreputable manner. Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005
2. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de Geschiedenis van ons Zeewezen, Vol.IV, 1927
3. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996
4. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.II, 1900

Some gunpowder data from the Battle of Scheveningen

There is a report on condition of ships belonging to the Admiralty of Amsterdam (and possibly, the Amsterdam Directors) after the Battle of Scheveningen. The report is dated 12 August 1653 and appears in Vol.V of the That is the one source that I have seen about gunpowder carried and used (at any time). I have written about this list before, but not with this focus. To some degree, having the starting amount, expended, and remaining is redundant, but we have the numbers for consistency. The list gives the numbers as either used or remaining:

                                           Gunpowder barrels
Ship           Guns Crew Commander            start   Used Remaining
Zeelandia        36 120  Nicolaes Marrevelt     70    16   54
Prins Willem     28 100  Jan Jansz Boermans     ?     ?    ?
Jonas            ?  ?    Joris Caulerij         52    13   39
Gouda            28 100  Jan Egbertsz Ooms      36     8   28
Pelikaan         ?  ?    Capt. Overcamp         50    10   40
Vrijheid         46 170  Abraham van der Hulst  ?     ?    ?
Groningen        42 140  Gillis Thyssen Campen  ?     ?    ?
Campen           42 140  Willem van der Zaan    94    28   66
Engel Gabriel    ?  ?    Adriaan van den Bosch  30    10   20
Vrede            44 160  Gideon de Wildt       114    64   50
Zutphen          26 120  Hillebrandt Jeroensz   ?     ?    ?
Goude Reael      28 110  Adriaan van Loenen     31     5   26
Morgenstart      ?  ?    Captain Quaeff         ?     ?    16
Edam             28 100  Barent Cramer          ?     ?    ?
Overijssel       28 100  Jan van Campen         ?     ?    ?
Brak             18  70  Poppe Brinckers        30    12   18
Westfriesland    28 140  Hendrik Huyskens       48    20   28
Amsterdam        50 ?    Paulus Egbertsz Sonck  50    31   19
Windhond         18  70  Jan Admirael           ?     ?    22
Leeuwarden       36 140  Govert Reael           85    39   46
Leiden           28 100  Hendrik Kroeger        50    24   26
Hoop             ?  ?    Dirk Pater             ?     ?    30
Fazant           32 120  Jan de Lapper          52    24   28
Hollandsche Tuin 32 ?    Joris Jansz Block      70    16   54

Although there are indications that Paulus Egbertsz Sonck commanded the brand new ship Amsterdam (50 guns), the powder carried seems more consistent with the older, smaller ship. This list is also useful in that we know all these ships fought in the Battle of Scheveningen.

The Zierikzee Directors' ship

We apparently know more information about the single Zierikzee Directors' ship. The captain is sometimes called Cornelis Rocuszoon Teincen, but from handwritten documents, it is apparent that his correct name is Cornelis Rocuszoon Fincen. That is the name listed in Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet, as well. He commanded a ship that carried 34 guns and had a crew of 110 men. The ship was apparently named the Liefde, which is the real news.

Named ships from the July 1653 list at Vlissingen (also, Goeree and the Texel)

Very few ships in the July 1653 list are named. Those that are, are often referenced by a shortened version of the name or a nickname. This is a summary of the named ships:

Admiralty of Amsterdam

Leeuwarden
Phesant (Fazant) (Jan de Lapper)
Dolphijn (Gerbrandt Schatter)
Oude Prins (Prins Willem) (Jan Jansz Boermans)
Omlandia (Jacob Troncquoij)
Leiden (Hendrik Kroeger)

Rotterdam Chamber of the VOC

David en Goliat (Jan Adriaansz van den Werff)

Zeeland Directors (Vlissingen, Middelburg, Zierikzee, Veere)

Vlissingen  Jan Pouwelszoon
Eendracht   Andries Fortuijn, a fluit

The captains in parentheses are those known to command the ships. Those without parentheses are actually named in the document.

I continue to wonder about the old Amsterdam ship Achilles

I have previously written about the first ship in Vreugdenhil's list. This ship is called the Achilles by Vreugdenhil and in the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654. Vreugdenhil makes the claim that the Achilles carried 40 guns later in the First Anglo-Dutch War. The problem is that there is no obvious evidence of the Achilles in the published literature (or anywhere else), other than the Staet and Vreugdenhil. I just did some looking in the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1633, and could not find a reference to the Achilles, although I may have missed it. I thought that I had looked at every page referencing an Amsterdam ship. I have been hoping that Vreugdenhil's notes might resolve this issue, but that has not happened, to date.

More about Dirk Vijch (or Vijgh) and 22 July 1652

Carl Stapel says that Dirk Vijch commanded the ship Kalmar Sleutel (22 guns and a crew of 80 men) with the squadron protecting the Enkhuizen herring buses on 22 July 1652. The Kalmar Sleutel was a ship hired by the Admiralty of the Maze. His ship was taken by the English and he was taken prisoner. I had known that he had been taken prisoner at some point, and that he was released in September, as that was noted in Vol.II of Schetsen uit de Geschiedenis van ons Zeewezen. The biography of Cornelis Tromp is not particularly reliable, but it gives the names of two more captains from the fishery protection squadron, as I have previously written:

• Gerrit Janszoon Schuimer
• Captain Luitje

There are three ships for which we do not know captains:

• Arke Noach
• Sint Jan Baptist
• Zwaan

Dr. Elias actually seems to indicate that there were 15 ships in the fishery protection squadron, so there may be more ships and captains yet to be discovered.

English Captain: John Mucknell (Muckrel or Muckeral)

John Mucknell (Muckrel or Muckeral) served the Royalist cause. In 1645, he commanded the John, an East Indiaman that had been seized by the Royalists. In 1650, he commanded the ship Mary (24 guns). He was with Prince Rupert's fleet at Lisbon in late March 1650. Sources:

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

English Captain: Francis Parke (Park)

Francis Parke (Park) served in the Commonwealth navy. From 1653 until 1655, he commanded the 4th Rate President. He fought in the Battle of the Gabbard, in June 1653, where he was assigned to Rear Admiral John Lawson's division in the Blue Squadron. He probably fought in the Battle of Scheveningen in August. His ship is listed on 13 September 1653 as being with the fleet. On 27 December 1653 (new style), he was engaged in protection of the collier trade. In 1656, he commanded the Dutch prize Matthias. From 1659 until 1660, to the Restoration, he commanded the 4th Rate Centurion. 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. C.T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.V, 1912
4. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol. VI, 1930

English Captain: Thomas Cheyney (or Cheney)

Thomas Cheyney (Cheney) served in the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth navies. In 1646, he commanded the hired ship Exchange. He served in the Summer Guard for 1646. He commanded the Exchange, again, from 1649 until 1650. In 1653, he commanded the hired ship Culpepper (30 guns). He was in Blake's squadron that arrived on the second day of the Battle of the Gabbard in June 1653. He probably also fought in the Battle of Scheveningen. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. R. C. Anderson, "English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938
3. J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962