English Naval Officer: Barron Wilde (or Wild)

Barron Wilde (or Wild) served in the English navy. He was appointed as a lieutenant on the Oxford on 2 June 1683 by the Commissioners. He was promoted to Captain on 23 February 1684 (they called it 1683, in the old style). The Lord Dartmouth appointed him to command the Drake. On 25 September 1688, the King appointed him to command the Merlin yacht. Syrett and DiNardo have rather different dates. They say that he was appointed as a lieutenant on 2 January 1683 and to Captain on 25 February 1694. He fought in the Battle of Velez Malaga on August 13, 1704. He commanded the Ferme (70 guns). The Ferme had 25 killed and 48 wounded in the battle. In 1707, in command of the Royal Oak (76 guns), he fought in an action against Forbin. The Royal Oak was heavily damaged, but was saved. The Hampton Court and Grafton were taken by the French. Still in the Royal Oak, he fought an action with other convoyers with De Quay Trouin and Forbin. Captain Wild (or Wyld) again survived the battle, but was accused of misbehavior. Ultimately, he was restored to the service, but this is the last incident that I know about him. Andrew says that he died in 1733, when he was a Rear-Admiral. Sources:

1. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898
2. J.R. Tanner, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts in the Pepysian Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Vol.I, 1903

A list of Zeeland ships from 17 August 1653

Witte de With's journal, dated about 17 August 1653, has a list of ships for the Admiralty of Zeeland. At least one or two of these identifications could be controversial. These ship names are based on what is in Witte de With's journal, later, dating from September-October 1653. I have omitted names which had no guns or crew mentioned:

Adm    Ship                 Guns Crew Commander
Z      Amsterdam            32   116  kapitein Adriaen Kempen
Z      Vlissingen           34   134  kapitein Jan Pouwelszoon
Z      Lieffde              23    93  kapitein Dingeman Cats
Z      Goes                 26   110  kapitein Cornelis Kuijper
Z      Zeeridder            30   124  kapitein Gilles Janszoon
Z      Wapen van Ceulen     30   120  kapitein Frans Mangelaer
Z      Salamander           34   130  kapitein Pieter Marcuszoon
Z      Milde Maerten        26   110  kapitein Jan Matthijszoon

Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2006
2. Witte de With, journals from 1652 to 1658, Archive E8812 from the Riksarkivet, Stockholm

Ship dimensions from David de Wildt's list

David de Wildt prepared a list of ships that might be suitable for hiring as warships. Two ships are prominently featured: the Engel Michiel (or Aarstengel Michiel) and the Grote Sint Matheeus:

Engel Michiel

143ft x 32-3/4ft x 15ft x 7ft

Sint Matheeus

144ft x 36ft x 15ft x 7ft.

There are others, as well:

Faem

116ft x 28ft x 11ft x 7ft

Blauwen Arent

127ft x 28-1/2ft x 14-1/2ft x 6-3/4ft

Sint Vincent

113ft x 26ft x 12ft x 6ft

Groote Vergulde Fortuijn

141ft x 31-1/2ft x 14-1/2ft x 7ft

Kroon Imperiael 

125ft x 29ft x 12ft x 7ft

Gulden Beer

120ft x 25-1/2ft x 11-1/2ft x 6ft

Calmer Sleutel

103ft x 25ft x 11ft x 6ft

A list that includes ships lost already from 28 November 1652: Rotterdam ships

In a package that I received yesterday, there is a list dated 28 November 1652. The list has many names for ships, the guns, and the commanders. The list includes some ships that had already been lost, but is still useful. This is the list of Rotterdam ships (the list names the Admiralty of Rotterdam):

Convoyers (ships of 1648):

Adm Ship                Guns Commander
R   Gorcum              30   Willem Adriaensz Warmont
R   Rotterdam           30   Jan Aertsz Vehaeff
R   Gelderlandt         30   Dirck Juijnbol
        or Schiedam
R   Gelderlandt         24   Aert Jansz van Nes
R   Dordrecht           26   Sier de Lieffde
R   (Nijmegen)          26   Paulus van den Kerckhoff

Of the 36 (of 1651):

R   Brederode           54   lt-admiraal Tromp
R   Gelderlandt         40   Michiel Fransz van de Berg
R   Princesse Louijse   36   Vice-Admiraal Witte de With
R   Hollandt            30   Hendrick de Munnick
R   Princesse Roijalle  36   Joost van Colster
R   Wapen van Rotterdam 26   Jacob van Boshuijsen

Of the 100 (of 1652):

R   Overijssel          22   Dirck Vijgh (formerly Cornelis Engelen Silvergieter)
R   Utrecht             22   Leendert Haexwandt
R   Roscam              26   Corstiaen Eldertszoon
R   Hollandia           24   Hendrick Ernestus de Bartrij
R   Beer                24   Jan de Haes
R   Maria               24   Krijn van den Kerckhoff
R   Sphaera Mundi       26   (Marinus de Clercq)
R   Calmer Sleutel      24   Dirck Vijgh

As I said at Anglo-Dutch Wars: give me a good subject line, in your email

This is what I said at Anglo-Dutch Wars, but it needs to be said here, as well: Gmail's spam filter is pretty aggressive, so if you send me mail, and you do not give a good subject line, your mail may be caught in the spam filter and be deleted. It is very easy to not spot a good mail, because I did not recognize that it was a mail that I would want to read.

So what was Joris Collerij's ship in May 1653?

I noticed, in Witte de With's letters from May 1653, that Joris Collerij commanded a 26 gun ship with a crew of 110 men (page 116 of E8811). I could not remember, for sure, what that ship was. I had to "cheat" and look at Carl Stapel's list for 20 June 1653. He shows that the ship was the Jonas, a ship hired by the Admiralty of Amsterdam. Carl gives the Jonas's crew on 20 June 1653 as 90 men. I noticed, in his list, the phenomenon that I had seen before, that ships were called by slightly different names than is shown in published sources. For example, Jan Boermans' ship is called the "Oude Prins", instead of the Prins Willem (at least that is what the handwritten list from July 1653 calls the ship). Another example is the "Princes", which is the "Prinses Aemilia" or "Princesse Amelia", which in the list from the Wrangell Collection is called the Amelia. Sources:

1. list of Amsterdam hired ships from the Wrangell Collection, Riksarkivet, Stockholm
2. Staten Generaal 1.01.04 Inv. Nr. 5556, "List of ships at Vlissingen on 2 July 1653", 1653
3. Witte de With, letters from 1653 to 1658, Archive E8811 from the Riksarkivet, Stockholm

Directors' ships in September 1652

I continue to be interested in this one document from September 1652 that lists captains and ship names of ship hired by Directors of seaports. This list has a particular spelling of names that confirms some of those in published sources, such as Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet, and which I have reproduced for both ship names and captains:

Adm    Ship                 Captain
A-Dir  Blauwen Arent        Dirck Pater
A-Dir  Fortuijn             Frederick de Coninck
En-Dir Vergulde Sonne       Jacob Claesz Duijm
Ho-Dir Sampson              Jacob Pietersz Houck
Ed-Dir Vergulde Maen        Jan Fredericksz Houckboot
Ha-Dir St. Vincent          Andries Douwesz (Pascaert)
Ha-Dir Vergulde Pelicaen    Aries Heeres Cleijntje

I do not have the Nationaal Archief reference, but that is where the document is from.

So Pieter Allertszoon commanded the Burcht van Alkmaar at Dover?

Carl Stapel says that he found a reference that shows that Pieter Allertszoon commanded the ship Burcht van Alkmaar at Dover on 29 May 1652. This is another case where captains were moved around between different ships, so just because in one action or operation, a captain commanded one ship, that does not mean that he commanded the same ship in other actions or operations in the First Anglo-Dutch War. He may well have, but you cannot assume that fact. Presumably, the Burcht van Alkmaar is that ship that was lost in the Battle of the Kentish Knock on 8 October 1652.

So what do we know about the old ship Overijssel?

Ron van Maanen breaks what I believe are all references to the same ship named Overijssel into three entries. He says that the length of the ship was 120ft. There are some other references to the Overijssel in the published literature:

Dr. M. G. De Boer, Tromp en de Armada van 1639 (1941)
   page 68    The ship Overijssel: 24 guns and a crew of 100 men
              in Witte de With's squadron in September 1639. 
              The captain was Jacques Forant.

Dr. Johan E. Elias, De Vlootbouw in Nederland 1596-1655 (1933)
   Page 84 and Note 6  At least two ships were sold, namely the
              Overijssel and Nassau, both of the Admiralty of Amsterdam.
              Resolutions of the States General on 11 April and 23 May 1652.
   Page 79 Note 5 says that the Nassau was sold on its return from Brazil
              The Nassau (36 guns) was from 1636 and had dimensions 132ft x 32ft.

W. J. Hoboken, Witte de With in Brazilie 1648-1649 (1955)
   page 309   The ship Overijssel, 28 guns, commanded by 
              Dirk Crijnen Verveen, and Steven Cuyper on the
              return voyage. This says that the Overijssel was
              sold on return for f 2000.

A. Vreugdenhil, Lists of Men of War 1650-1700, Part IV Ships
              of the United Netherlands 1648-1702 (1938)
   Page 5, ship number 50 Overijssel, sold in 1652.

All this seems to indicate to me that Abraham van der Hulst's ship was not the Overissel, as the ship was sold too early in 1652.

Abraham van der Hulst's ship in the spring and summer of 1652

After looking at the options, I suspect that Abraham van der Hulst's ship from June to August 1652 was the old Amsterdam ship Overijssel. My current thinking is that there was no Achilles built in 1644, as listed in Vreugdenhil's last as ship number 2. The only Achilles was ship number 1, which was still in existence up to 1655. Ron van Maanen lists both ships, but the dimensions for the ship supposedly built in 1644 are the same as the other ship, except for the length. Since we have not seen any evidence of two ships named Achilles, I suspect that the ship supposedly built in 1644 did not exist. The old ship Overijssel, sold sometime in 1652, seems like the most obvious candidate to me. Abraham van der Hulst commanded a Landsschip, which the Overijssel was. A likely scenario was that the ship was damaged in the storm off the Shetlands and was sold afterwards, as not being worth repairing. Many ships either foundered, were wrecked, or were heavily damaged and discarded after the storm. Perhaps this would have been the reason that the ship was sold. The Overijssel (28 guns) had been in service since at least the 1630's and had spent time operating off Brazil, from the latter 1640's. The Overijssel had fought in the Battle of the Downs in 1639, and had continued in service. I find the listing of Abraham van der Hulst's ship as having 26 guns and a crew of 100 men consistent with what we know about the Overijssel. Ron van Maanen says that the ship was 120ft long, so the ship was substantial. The only problem is that we have not been able to find any references that give the name of Abraham van der Hulst's ship during this period. By September, he was captain of the 40 gun ship Groningen and was with Witte de With. Carl Stapel had suggested the Overijssel, and that seems very plausible, as I was thinking along similar lines.

Dutch ships operating in the Baltic in December 1652

Carl Stapel says that there were 15 Dutch ships operating in the Baltic in December 1652. He provided with the names of six Amsterdam Directors' ships that were there. There is also a list in The First Dutch War, Vol.III, that names some captains. Putting the two lists together, I have 11 of the 15 ships:

Adm   Ship                     Guns Crew Captain
A-Dir Roosenboom               28   105  Gerrit Schuyt
A-Dir Vergulde Valck           28   105  Cornelis Jansz Brouwer
A-Dir Groote Vergulde Fortuijn 35   135  Frederick de Coninck
A-Dir Engel Gabriel            28   110  Bastiaen Bardoel
A-Dir Swarte Leeuw             30   130  Hendrick de Raedt
A-Dir Blauwe Arend             28   105  Dirck Pater
A     Edam                     28   100  Barent Cramer
A     Brak                     18    70  Pieter van Zalingen
A     Dolphijn                 26    95  Gerbrand Schatter
A     Westfriesland            28   100  Hendrick Huyskens
A     Phesant                  32   120  Jan Jansz Lapper

Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Admiralty of Amsterdam ships on 5 August 1652", 2006
2. Dr. S. R. Gardiner, and C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.III, 1906
3. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652
4. Carl Stapel, personal communication "a-dir in de Sont", 2006

Allert Janszoon and the council of war on August 6, 1652

I had thought that the Noorderkwartier captain Allert Jansz. Tamessen had been at the council-of-war on Tromp's flagship Brederode on 6 August 1652, but I now believe that it was the Zeeland captain Allert Janszoon, captain of the Vlissingen Directors' ship Dubbele Arend. Given the similarity of names and the propensity of the Dutch to omit the last name in many cases, I had jumped to the conclusion that this was the Noorderkwartier captain, not the Zeeland captain. Page 393 of The First Dutch War, Vol.I, has the list of captains who attended the council-of-war:

Adm    Ship               Guns Crew Commander
R      Brederode          54   270  luitenant-admiraal Maarten Harpertsz Tromp
                                   vlag-kapitein Abel Roelanstz Verboom
R      Prinses Louise     36   162  vice-admiraal Witte de With
A      Hollandia          32   130  kapitein Albert Claesz de Graeff
A      Zeelandia          36   120  luitenant-commandeur Nicolaes Marrevelt
A      ?                  26   100  kapitein Abraham van der Hulst
A-Dir  Gideon             34   120  kapitein Hector Bardesius
R      Prins              38   120  kapitein Corstiaen Corstiaensz de Munnick
Z      West Cappelle      26   100  kapitein Adriaan Banckert
A      Campen             38   130  kapitein Joris van der Zaan
A      Leiden             28   100  kapitein Cornelis Hoola
Mi-Dir Leeuwinne          30   105  kapitein Johannes van Regermorter
A-Dir  Vliegende Faem     28   105  kapitein Jacob Andriesz Swart
A-Dir  Sint Francisco     28   100  kapitein Stoffel Juriaenszoon
Vl-Dir Dubbele Arend      28   100  kapitein Allert Janszoon
                                   schipper Teunis Post
A-Dir  Arke Troijane      28   100  kapitein Abraham van Campen
Ho-Dir Liefde             28   105  kapitein Pieter Adriaansz van Blocker
N      Vergulde Schel     24    70  kapitein Teunis Vechterszoon
Mi-Dir Gouden Leeuw       30   110  kapitein Jacob Adriaansz Penssen
N      Eenhoorn           24   100  kapitein Pieter Aldertszoon
Z      Eendracht          18   100  kapitein Lambert Bartelszoon
Z      Hollandia          38   160  vice-admiraal Johan Evertsen
                                   vlag-kapitein Philips Joosten
N      Stad Monnikendam   32   120  Schout-bij-Nacht Pieter Florissen
A      Vrede              42   160  commandeur Gideon de Wildt
Z      Zeeuwsche Leeuw    30   120  commandeur Cornelis Evertsen de Oude
N      Stad Medemblick    26   100  kapitein Pieter Schellinger
N      Monnikendam        24    95  kapitein Arent Dirckszoon
Z      Amsterdam          30   120  kapitein Adriaen Nicolaesz Kempen
R      Gorcum             30   130  kapitein Jan van Nes
Z      Sandenburgh        24    85  kapitein Pieter Gorcum
A      Star               28    95  kapitein Jacob Paulusz Cort
N      Wapen van Enkhuizen 30  110  kapitein Gerrit Femssen
N      Wapen van Alkmaar  24    95  kapitein Gerrit Nobel
Mo-Dir Zwarte Beer        32   115  kapitein Jacob Claesz Boot
En-Dir Maagd van Enkhuizen 28  110  kapitein Gijsbert Malcontent
A-Dir  Witte Lam          30   110  kapitein Cornelis van Houtten
A      Gouden Leeuw       24    80  kapitein Gillis Matthijsen Campen
R-Dir  Hollandia          26   105  kapitein Ruth Jacobsz Buys
Z      Zeeridder          28   100  kapitein Gillis Janszoon
Z      Offerande Abrahams 24   100  kapitein Daniel Cornelisz Brackman

Sources:

1. James C. Bender, "The Dutch Fleet on 4 August 1652 as listed in Hendrik de Raedt’s pamphlet", 2006
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

The Zeeland ship Agatha

The Agatha was a ship originally belonging to the Hoorn Chamber of the VOC which served the Admiralty of Zeeland in 1665 and into 1666. The Agatha served as a three-masted jacht. In 1665, the Agatha was armed with 4-12pdr, 10-8pdr, 10-4pdr, 4-3pdr, 2-2pdr, and 2-1pdr guns. The Agatha was eventually sold to Denmark, probably in 1666. This is based on information from Ron van Maanen's unpublished manuscript "ZEELAND" (undated).

The Amsterdam ship Gouda (1656)

Ron van Mannen has some of the details of the Amsterdam ship Gouda, built in 1656. Ron says that the ship had a long service life, as the ship was finally sold at auction in 1685. The Gouda was a veteran of all the wars along the way. The Gouda (or Stad Gouda) had dimensions: 130ft x 32ft x 12ft. A subset of the 130ft Amsterdam ships were built to these dimensions. Many others had a 13-1/2ft depth, but there were some built with a 12ft hold, much as some of the Noorderkwartier ships, such as the Jupiter. Ron says that on 31 March 1665, the Gouda carried an armament consisting of 4-18pdr, 18-12pdr, 20-8pdr, and 6-3pdr guns. At varying points in the Gouda's service, the guns carried varied between 42 and 52 guns. The crew varied between 125 and 209 men. Sources:

1. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "ZEELAND", undated

One of Johan Evertsen's greatest personal incidents

At the Battle of Dungeness, on 10 December 1652, two English ships, the Garland and teh Anthony Bonaventure had come alongside Lt-Admiral Maarten Tromp's flagship, the Brederode, and might have taken the Brederode. At the critical moment, Johan Evertsen had his flag captain, Adriaan Bankert, take their ship, the 120ft long Hollandia (36 or 38 guns) alongside and together, Tromp and Evertsen took the Anthony Bonaventure (36 guns), and then took the Garland. Tromp had originally engaged the Garland, thinking that his 54 gun ship outmatched the 44 gun ship. When the Anthony Bonaventure came alongside, unexpectedly, that upset his calculations, and was being pressed hard. On page 230 of The First Dutch War, Vol.III, Johan Evertsen, in his journal, describes the action. The Dutch had lost Dirk Juynbol's ship, the Schiedam, which was destroyed when its gunpowder had caught fire.

A ship named Amsterdam mentioned by Ron van Maanen

Ron van Maanen lists two ships named Amsterdam that were built for the Admiralty of Amsterdam. One was built in 1652 and had dimensions 120ft x 29ft x 11ft and a height between decks of 6-3/4ft. The armament in 1651 was 18-12pdr, 10-6pdr, and 2-4pdr. Ron says that he armament on 16 November 1652 was reduced to 10-12pdr, 8-8pdr, 8-6pdr, and a 4-3pdr. The crew varied between 100 and 120 men. In November 1653, the ship carried 18-12pdr, 10-6pdr, and 2-4pdr. I suspect that Ron confuses multiple ships, as he did not pay attention very closely to captains. Ron mentions as second ship of the same name and characteristics that he says was wrecked. I have a hard time telling what ship either one was supposed to be, since there is no indication about who commanded either ship, if there were in fact two ships. Sources:

1. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated, but circa 1992

The jacht Brak (1653)

Ron van Maanen lists an Amsterdam jacht Brak built in 1653. It seems very similar to the Brak of 1649, but here is what Ron has:

The jacht Brak, kapitein Dirck Pieterse Berthiens

Length from stem to sternpost: 115ft
Beam:                           25ft
Hold:                            9ft
Height between decks:            6ft

18 guns (5 April 1653):
4-8pdr, 12-4pdr, and 2-3pdr

Crew: 70 to 90 man

Sources:

1. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated, but circa 1992

The Eendracht and the Groot Hollandia are not quite the same dimensions

I guess that I had known that the Groot Hollandia (built somewhere in the 1654 to 1655 period) and the Eendracht (built during 1653 or 1654 and beyond) were not quite the same dimensions, despite them being nominally the same (150ft x 38ft x 15ft in Amsterdam feet). The Eendracht was 137-1/2ft x 34-1/4ft x 13-1/2ft (in Maas feet of 12 inches), while the Groot Hollandia was 135ft x 34ft x 13-1/2ft (in Maas feet). A quick way to convert Maas feet to Amsterdam feet is to multiply the dimensions in Maas feet by 12/11, and the answer will be pretty close. Sources:

1. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Oorlogsschepen" van de admiraliteit van de Maze in de zeventiende en achttiende eeuw, undated

My theory about Abraham van der Hulst's ship in early 1652

I have written about this before, but I wanted to say that one issue that remains is to verify what ship Abraham van der Hulst commanded at least in June to August 1652. As I have written before, the list in the Hollandsche Mercurius for June 1652 and Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet, for 4 August 1652, list Abraham van der Hulst as commanding a "landsschip" with 26 guns and a crew of 100 men. The unnamed ship is one which belonged to the Admiralty of Amsterdam. I assume that this ship was damaged in the storm in the Shetlands in early August and was paid off or discarded, rather than being repaired.

We know that by September 1652, Abraham van der Hulst commanded the 40-gun ship Groningen, did until about April 1653, when he was appointed to command the large Amsterdam ship Vrijheid. One suggestion has been that he, in fact, commanded the Groningen in June to August 1652, and that the lists are mistaken. I am less inclined to believe that, simply because the lists have proven to be almost completely correct, although the Hollandsche Mercurius list is riddled with typgraphical errors and misspellings. Until this issue is resolved, we still don't have a complete picture for this period, although we are closer than we have ever been, before.

Fireships from Vlissingen on 11 July 1652

There were five fireships ("branders") listed as being "of Vlissingen" with the fleet on 11 July 1652:

Adm    Ship               Captain
Z      Samaritaen         kapitein Lisagie
Z      Oostende           kapitein Cornelis Tiebie
Z      ter Tholen         kapitein Jacob Willeboortsz alias Boese
Z      Eenhoorn           kapitein Laurens Josiasz
Z      Wassende Maen      kapitein Gerrit Bosse

Zeeland Landsschepen with the fleet on 11 July 1652

The document that I received yesterday has a fleet list dated 11 July 1652. The Zeeland Landsschepen (purpose-built warships) only have the captains and admirals' names, but we know what the ships were:

Adm    Ship                Guns Crew Commander
Z      Hollandia           38   160  vice-admiraal Jan Evertsz
                                    kapitein Philip Joosten
Z      Zeeuwsche Leeuw     30   120  kapitein Cornelis Evertsz (de Oude)
Z      Amsterdam           30   120  kapitein Adriaan Kempen
Z      Zeeuwsche Jager     14    56  kapitein Adriaan Jansz den Oven
Z      Middelburg          26   110  kapitein Claes Jansz Sanger
Z      Zeeridder           28   100  kapitein Gillis Janssen
Z      West Capelle        26   100  kapitein Adriaen Banckert

Sources:

1. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652
2. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "Lijst van Nederlandse schepen in maart 1653", 2006
3. list of ships with the fleet on 11 July 1652 from the Nationaal Archief Inv. Nr. 5549

List of ships in Witte de With's journal in April 1653

On page 80 of Witte de With's journal for April 1653, he has listed some ships, with their guns, crew, victuals and water. We are in a good position to supply the ship names:

                                                                Weeks of Weeks of
Adm   Ship              Guns Crew Commander                     Victuals Water
A-Dir Vergulde Valck    28   111  Cornelis Jansz Brouwer          6      13
A-Dir David en Goliat   34   125  Claes Bastiaensz Jaersvelt      5.5    13
A-Dir Sampson           28   110  Cornelis Cornelisz de Groot     6      13
A-Dir Engel Michiel     28   110  Frederick Bogaart               5.5    13
A-Dir Sint Pieter       28   109  Gerrit Schuyt                   6      13
A-Dir Blauwe Arend      28   110  Lt-Cdr Hendrick Hendricksz Heij 5.5    13
R     Utrecht           22    98  Leendert Haexwant               3.5     6
R     Overijssel        24    98  Dirck Vijgh                     3       6
R     Gulden Beer       23    94  Lt-Cdr Pieter Jacobsz Regenboog 2.5     7
A-VOC Huis van Nassau   34   112  Jan Pietersz van Strijp         6      13
N     Prins Maurits     32    97  Cornelis Taenman                3      13

Sources:

1. Carl Stapel, personal communication "M Pieter Jacobsz", 2006
2. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "Schepen die op 10 april 1653 uit Texel zijn gezeild (onder bevel van V.A. Witte de With)", 2006
3. Witte de With, journals from 1652 to 1658, Archive E8812 from the Riksarkivet, Stockholm

The two Friesland Directors' ships with Tromp's fleet on 4 August 1652

This is not particularly news to anyone, but as I am publishing the entire list of ships with Tromp's fleet on 4 August 1652, from Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet, I am including the two Friesland (actually, Harlingen) Directors' ships:

Directors’ ships of Friesland

Rank       Name                         Adm/Dir  guns crew Ship              
kapitein   Andries Douweszoon Pascaert  Ha-Dir   28   105  Sint Vincent      
kapitein   Ariaen Heeres Kleijntje      Ha-Dir   28   100  Vergulde Pelicaen

Sources:

1. list of the fleet 19/20 September 1652 from the Nationaal Archief
2. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652
3. Witte de With, journals from 1652 to 1658, Archive E8812 from the Riksarkivet, Stockholm

The 30 April 1653 list of Witte de With's squadron

I have thought that Witte de With's squadron, as listed on 30 April 1653, in his letters (E8811 page 70) was a pretty potent striking force. Witte de With was the senior officer who was trusted to handle these special assigments. That had been true since the 1640's. We don't have the gun lists for all the ships, but for quite a few:

Adm    Ship          Guns Crew Commmander                   Gun list
A      Leeuwarden    34   158  vice-admiraal Witte de With  4-18pdr,14-12pdr,16-6pdr
Vl-Dir Witte Lam     38   168  vice-commandeur de Ruyter   
R      Utrecht       22    98  commandeur Leender Haexwant  6-12pdr,10-8pdr,2-6pdr,
                                                             4-4pdr
A      Vogel Phesant 32   110  vice-commendeur de Lapper    18-12pdr,14-6pdr
A      Bommel        30   120  kapitein Pieter van Braeckel 20-12pdr,2-6pdr,8-4pdr
Z      Neptunus      30    85  kapitein Adriaan den Oven    2-18pdr,4-12pdr,2-10pdr,
                                                             6-9pdr,5-8pdr,11-6pdr
A      Omlandia      32   109  kapitein Maarten Schaeff     12-12pdr,6-8pdr,
                                                             10-6pdr,2-3pdr
A      Graaf Willem  40   155  kapitein Verburgh            4-18pdr,16-12pdr,
                                                             16-8pdr,4-6pdr
R      Overijssel    22   100  kapitein Dirck Vijgh         4-24pdr,2-12pdr,
                                                             4-8pdr,12-6pdr
N      Prins Maurits 32    97  kapitein Taenman
Z      Amsterdam     32   116  kapitein Kempen              2-20pdr,8-12pdr,
                                                             2-10pdr,14-?pdr,6-?pdr
F      Postpaert     30   106  kapitein Isaac Kodde         10-12pdr,8-8pdr,
                                                             10-6pdr,2-3pdr
Z      Hollandia     36   127  kapitein Adriaan Banckert    4-24pdr,4-18pdr,2-15pdr,
                                                             16-12pdr,10-6pdr
Mi-Dir Gouden Leeuw  30   110  kapitein Jacob Penssen       4-24pdr,4-12pdr,14-8pdr,
                                                             6-6pdr,2-4pdr
Ha-Dir Sint Vincent  28   110  kapitein Kleijntje
A-VOC  Gerechtigheid 34   105  kapitein Evert Swart
En-Dir Vergulde Zon  28   115  kapitein Jan Duijm           4-18pdr,8-12pdr,6-8pdr,
                                                             6-6pdr,2-4pdr,2-2pdr

Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Witte de With's fleet in April 1653", 2006
2. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated, but circa 1992
3. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Zeeland", undated
4. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "Lijst van Nederlandse schepen in maart 1653", 2006
5. Witte de With, letters from 1653 to 1658, Archive E8811 from the Riksarkivet, Stockholm

Zeeland Directors' ships with Tromp on 4 August 1652

These are the Zeeland Directors' ships in Hendrick de Raedt's list that mainly reflects the ships with Tromp's fleet on the voyage to the Shetlands. The list is from 4 August 1652:

Directors’ ships of Middelburg

Rank        Name                     Adm/Dir  guns crew Ship
kapitein    Jan le Sage              Mi-Dir   30   105  Vergulde Haan
kapitein    Jan Penssen              Mi-Dir   30   110  Goude Leeuw
kapitein    Johannes Regermorter     Mi-Dir   30   105  Leeuwinne                   

Bastiaan Tuyneman’s ship had been captured.

kapitein    Bastiaan Tuyneman        Mi-Dir   30   105  Sint Laurens
kapitein    Jan Thijssen             Vli-Dir  32   110  Witte Lam


Directors’ ships of Vlissingen

Rank        Name                       Adm/Dir  guns crew Ship
kapitein    Cornelis Evertsen de Jonge Vli-Dir  26   110  Vlissingen
kapitein    Allert Janszoon            Vli-Dir  26   110  Dubbele Arend


Directors’ ship of Zierikzee

Rank        Name                     Adm/Dir  guns crew Ship
kapitein    Cornelis Rocusz Fincen   Zi-Dir   34   110  Wapen van Zierikzee


Directors’ ship of Veere

Rank        Name                     Adm/Dir  guns crew Ship
kapitein    Jan Olivierszoon         Ve-Dir   38   125  Wapen van der Vere

Amsterdam Ships with Tromp's fleet on 4 August 1652

I have updated my annotated list of ships with Tromp's fleet on the voyage to the Shetlands (Hitland) in July-August 1652. The list is based on Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet. These are the list of Amsterdam ships not in Witte de With's squadron:

Admiralty’s ships of Amsterdam

Rank               Name                             Adm/Dir  guns crew Ship                
commandeur         Gideon de Wildt                  A        42   160  Vrede               
kapitein           Abraham van der Hulst            A        26   100  Achilles            
kapitein           Gerbrandt Schatter               A        26    95  Dolphijn            
kapitein           Jacob Paulusz Cort               A        28    95  Star                
kapitein           Govert Reael                     A        36   140  Leeuwarden          

Joris de Colerij’s ship is to be deducted from the hundred.
kapitein           Joris de Colerij                 A        28   100  Hoop                

kapitein           Joris van der Zaan               A        38   130  Campen              
commandeur         Nicolaes Marrevelt               A        36   120  Zeelandia           
kapitein           Barent Pieterszoon Dorrevelt     A        34   125  Amsterdam           
kapitein           Cornelis Hoola                   A        28   105  Leiden              

Jan ter Stege’s ship is to be deducted from the hundred
kapitein           Jan ter Stege                    A        26   100  Keijser             

 
Directors’ ships of Amsterdam

Rank               Name                             Adm/Dir  guns crew Ship                
kapitein           Jan Maijckers                    A-Dir    29   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 Imperiael
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           Gerrit Schuyt                    A-Dir    28   105  Rozeboom            
kapitein           Bastiaen Bardoel                 A-Dir    28   110  Engel Gabriel       
kapitein           Cornelis van Houten              A-Dir    28   110  Witte Lam           raedt, dir-1, dir-5
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        

Sipke Fockes’ ship is lying mastless in the Texel.
kapitein           Sipke Fockes                     A-Dir    28    96  Sint Maria          

kapitein           Bruijn van Seelst                A-Dir    38   135  Groote Liefde       

Due to a leak, he was forced to leave.
kapitein           Lambert Pieterszoon              A-Dir    34   130  Nassouw van den Burgh

kapitein           Frederick de Coninck             A-Dir    35   135  Groote Vergulde Fortuijn
kapitein           Frederick Bogaert                A-Dir    28   115  Engel Michiel       

I am more convinced than ever that Dr. Ballhausen is wrong about Cornelis Jol and Cornelis Hoola being the same man

In his book, Dr. Ballhausen seems to assume that Cornelis Hoola, commander of the Leiden in 1652, and Cornelis Cornelisz Jol were the same man. The reason why that cannot be true is that in early 1652, Cornelis Cornelisz Jol was lieutenant of Bastiaan Bardoel's ship, the Engel Gabriel. The Engel Gabriel was one of the 27 original ships hired by the Amsterdam Directors in about March 1652. I believe that Cornelis Hoola commanded the Leiden from at least February 1652. There is no way that they could be the same man, given that we know all this.

I just updated the Wikipedia page for the battle on 29 May 1652 off Dover

I just updated the Wikipedia page that calls itself "the Battle of the Goodwin Sands" on 29 May 1652. I used the latest information that Carl Stapel found, as well as a bit that I found in Witte de With's journal. I may update some of the other pages for the First Anglo-Dutch War, as well. The bad news is that Carl says that the list from Dr. Ballhausen is mistaken about 12 ships and captains for the Dutch (and I do not have access to the correct list).

The Groot Hollandia (1654) measurements

Ron van Maanen has the actual measurements, built, for the Rotterdam ship Groot Hollandia (1654). He also has the nominal dimensions in Maas feet:

The ship Groot Hollandia, built at Rotterdam in 1654

Nominal dimensions in Amsterdam feet: 150ft x 38ft x 15ft
Actual measured dimensions as built: 147ft-3in x 37-1/2ft x 14ft-8in
                                      height between decks: 7ft-7in
Nominal dimensions in Maas feet: 135ft x 34ft x 13-1/2ft

Amsterdam feet are 283mm and are divided into 11 inches
Maas feet are about 308mm and are divided into 12 inches

Sources:

1. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated but circa 1992

Maas feet and Amsterdam feet: some dimensions in both

Ron van Maanen has both the dimensions in Maas feet and in Amsterdam feet for a few ships:

The Prinses Louise (1646), 36 guns

Dimensions in Maas feet:      110ft x 26-1/2ft x 11-1/2ft height between decks=6ft-6in
Dimensions in Amsterdam feet: 120ft x 28ft-4in x 12ft-6in

The Gorinchem (or Gorcum) (1639), 30 guns

Dimensions in Maas feet:      106ft x 25ft x 9-1/2ft height between decks=6ft-6in
Dimensions in Amsterdam feet: 115ft-7in x 27ft-3in x 10ft-10in

The Eendracht (1653), 72 guns

Dimensions in Maas feet: 137-1/2ft x 34-1/4ft x 14ft-8in
Dimensions in Amsterdam feet: 152ft x 37ft-4in x 15ft-3in  height between decks=7ft-9in

Sources:

1. Ron van Maanen, "De Dutch in Danish Waters", undated
2. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated, but circa 1992

Ron van Maanen says the the Rotterdam ship Maria was hired in Amsterdam in 1652

Ron van Maanen says that Quirijn (or Crijn) van den Kerckhoff's ship Maria was hired in Amsterdam in 1652. The ship seems to have been pretty badly damaged in the Three Days Battle, and may have been discarded after that battle. There had been speculation in correspondence by officers such as Johan Evertsen that Captain van den Kerckhoff had been killed, but we know that was not the case. Given that an inventory was made of suitable merchant ships at Amsterdam prior to the start of the war, perhaps the dimensions might be found. Sources:

1. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Oorlogsschepen" van de admiraliteit van de Maze in de zeventiende en achttiende eeuw, undated

My updated list of Zeeland ships from 1652

Had I updated this list?

Adm   Ship               Guns Crew  Commander
Z     Hollandia          38   127   vice-admiraal Johan Evertsen
Z     Zeeuwsche Leeuw    30   120   commandeur Cornelis Evertsen de Oude
Z     Meerminne          28   100   kapitein Gillis Janszoon
Z     Middelburg         26   110   kapitein Claes Jansz Sanger
Z     Amsterdam          30   110   kapitein Adriaan Kempen
Z     West Cappelle      26   100   kapitein Adriaan Bankert
Z     Zeeuwsche Jager    14    56   kapitein Adriaan Jansz den Oven
Z     Eendracht          18   100   kapitein Lambert Bartelszoon
Z     Haze               20   100   kapitein Johannes Michielszoon
Z     Sint Joris         28    85   kapitein Jacob Wolphertszoon
Z     Abrahams Offerande 24   100   kapitein Daniel Cornelisz Brackman
   (or Offerhande Abrahams)
Z     Dolfijn            24    85   kapitein Dingeman Cats
Z     Sandenburgh        24    85   kapitein Pieter Gorcum

Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2006
2. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated, but circa 1992
3. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652
4. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "Lijst van Nederlandse schepen in maart 1653", 2006
5. Witte de With, journals from 1652 to 1658, Archive E8812 from the Riksarkivet, Stockholm

A glaring hole: Abraham van der Hulst's ship up to August 1652

Given how much we have learned, the one really glaring hole in our knowledge is not knowing which ship Abraham van der Hulst commanded in 1652, up to August. The available lists, which may all be based on the same source, show that he commanded a 26 gun ship with a crew of 100 men. The ship appears to have been a regular warship owned by the Admiralty of Amsterdam. We know that by September, Abraham van der Hulst commanded the 40 gun ship Groningen and commanded it until March or April 1653, when he took command of the big 44 gun ship Vrijheid. Given that the rest of Hendrick de Raedt's list seems accurate, I have difficulty in believing that the 26 guns and crew of 100 men is an error. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910
2. Pieter Casteleyn, Hollandsche Mercurius, 1652
3. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898
4. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652
5. Witte de With, journals from 1652 to 1658, Archive E8812 from the Riksarkivet, Stockholm

Another writing project for someone

A writing and research project for someone would be to produce a book, somewhat along the lines of Frank Fox's book, Great Ships: the Battlefleet of King Charles II. The differences would be that the new book would be about Dutch warships in the 17th Century and perhaps beyond, and would be a combination of Frank Fox's book and David Lyon's book, The Sailing Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy: Built, Purchased and Captured, 1688-1860. Alternatively, the Dutch warship history could be divided into periods and separate volumes, published over time. That is what Rif Winfield is doing for the English and British navies. Rif's first book in the series is titled: BRITISH WARSHIPS IN THE AGE OF SAIL 1793-1817 Design, Construction, Careers and Fates.