Mr. Van Dongen's paper about Witte de With

I have enjoyed reading Mr. Antoine van Dongen's paper about the life of Witte de With. Witte de With had been Piet Hein's flag captain for the capture of the Spanish silverfleet, but when Piet Hein was appointed as luitenant-admiraal, he chose Maarten Tromp as his flag captain. It was on the Groene Draeck (26 guns) that Piet Hein was killed in action by a 6pdr shot in an action with Spanish Dunkirkers during 1629. After Piet Hein was killed, both Witte de With and Maarten Tromp left the navy for a period. Witte de With was successful with a fish business, while Tromp was "director of a ship's wharf". When Witte de With returned to the navy in 1637, he found that Tromp had been appointed as luitenant-admiraal. Very soon, after Witte de With had been blockading Dunkirk, Tromp had him brought before a courtmartial, in a proceeding where the witnesses committed perjury. Witte de With was acquitted, and it could not have helped the relationship in the future. Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005
2. Antoine Francois van Dongen, "Making Waves": the life and times of Admiral Witte de With (1599-1658), 2005