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Wednesday, January 31, 2007

A Friesland ship named Hollandia from 1665

Ron van Maanen lists a Friesland ship named Hollandia that was in service in 1665. This seems to be the ship commanded by Joost Michielsz Kuik in June and August 1665. This was a ship armed with 40 guns and with a crew of 186 men in June and 136 sailors, 33 marines, and 30 soldiers in August. Ron has the dimensions (in part): 129ft x 29ft x ?, with a height between decks of 6-1/2ft. That is the extent of what I know. Sources:
  1. Gerard Brandt, Het Leven en Bedrijif van den Heere Michiel de Ruiter, 1687
  2. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated but circa 1992

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Carl Stapel says that Adriaen Kempen had commanded the ship Meermin

Carl Stapel had sent me his document about the Zeeland ship Meermin (Meerminne). Adriaen Kempen, who served during the First Anglo-Dutch War, had commanded the Meermin from 1641 until the peace in 1648. In 1648, many ships were inactivated, as the peacetime fleet was limited to 10 ships sent to Brazil and 40 convoyers. Only by 1651 were more ships activated, when there seemed to be an increasing threat of war with England. In 1651, funding was provided to fit out, provide crews, and provisions for 36 cruisers. Many of these were sent to the Mediterranean Sea, while others operated in the North Sea. More funds were voted in early 1652 to provide for another 150 ships. 100 were to be provided by the five admiralties and 50 by the Directors of the various seaports. We now find that many of the ships provided by the admiralties were warships, either recently completed or activated from the reserve. Everyone had assumed that all 100 ships were hired merchantmen.

Monday, January 29, 2007

A Zeeland ship named Meermin

Ron van Maanen continues the story about the Zeeland ship named Meermin that was 130ft long and which was mentioned between 1641 and 1655. Carl Stapel says that the Meerminne (the old spelling) was another name for Gillis Janszoon's ship, the Zeeridder. Carl says that the Meerminne is the feminine spelling, while Zeeridder is the masculine. Vreugdenhil, in his list, though, mentions the Meermin with the characteristics given my Ron van Maanen. I suspect, although I do not remember for sure, that Dr. Elias's book De Vlootbouw in Nederland, in a table in an appendix, lists the Meermin in 1655 with this length. Ron gives the armament as 34 guns and the size as 300 lasts. That is a bit small for a 300 last ship, but possible. 300 last ships were usually at least 132ft long, if not larger than that. On the other hand, in Dr. Simon Hart's papers, he shows a 200 last ship of 128ft x 25-1/2ft x 11ft. The formula is "lasts = length x beam x hold / K, where I can vary above or below 200. In this case, K=179.52. A 300 last ship with dimensions of 130ft x 32ft x 13.5ft would have K=187.2. Still, we have not seen any sign of the ship mentioned by Vreugdenhil and Ron van Maanen.

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Andries Douwesz Pascaert

Given that Andries Douwesz Pascaert commanded the Harlingen Directors' ship Sint Vincent from the start of the war up through the Three Days Battle (the Battle of Portland), he may well have commanded the ship in the Battle of the Gabbard on 12 June to 13 June 1653. That is something of a stretch, as they lists in Witte de With's journal show Jacob Kleijdijck as captain in May 1653. The fact that Andries Douwesz Pascaert was convicted in a courtmartial shows that despite the lists, he was in the battle.

A mystery from June 1653

On 18 June 1653, a courtmartial was held for three officers: luitenant-commandeur Ulrich de Jager, Andries Douwesz Pascaert, and Cornelis Naeuoogh (or however his name was spelled). They were all convicted of disobediance or other misbehavior in the last battle. On 19 June, Jan Fredericksz Hoeckboot was tried and acquitted. One mystery is that the lists that I have from May and June 1653 do not list either Cornelis Naeuoogh, unless his middle name was Laurenszoon, or Andries Douweszoon Pascaert. The list of Amsterdam Directors' ships lists Cornelis Laurenszoon, commanding a ship with 42 guns and a crew of 155 men. This seems to have been the ship Sint Matheeus that was captured by the English at the Battle of the Gabbard. The ship that was captured had dimensions of 144ft x 36ft x 15ft x 7ft. The ship that Cornelis Naeoogh commanded up to the Three Days Battle had dimensions of 140ft x 34ft x 15ft x 7-1/3ft and carried 34 guns up to November 1652. I am open to the possibility that they were the same ship, with different dimensions reported. David de Wildt's list of ships that might be suitable for service as warships includes the larger Sint Matheeus as the second entry. There is no other Sint Matheeus listed. If that is the case, why was Cornelis Naeuoogh not an English prisoner after the battle? Usually, captains of captured Dutch ships were prisoners of the English.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Jeroen Adelaer's ship Middelburg (30 guns)

Jeroen Adelaer's ship Middelburg was taken by the English while returning from Nantes. The Middelburg, a ship of the Admiralty of Amserdam, was apparently one of the 40 convoyers, probably built as a warship. The 28 November 1652 list gives the armament as 26 guns. Ron van Maanen has the dimensions: 120ft x 28ft x 10-1/2ft, with a height between decks of 6-3/4ft. Ron gives the armament as 30 guns and the crew as 120 men. Sources:
  1. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated, but circa 1992
  2. lijst van schepen in dienst van de Staedt der Veenichde Vaderlanden, 28 November 1652

Friday, January 26, 2007

A good resource: a list of Dutch naval officers and seaman who died in the service of their country

I found an interesting resource for Dutch naval officers and seamen. I was looking in Google Book Search with "1652 zeewezen" as the search string. I found an article, in a volume from 1859, called "Beknopte Alphabetische Naamlijst van eenige Nederlandsche Zeehelden en Zeelieden die in 's lands dienst voor het vaderland zijn gesneuveld of gestorven", by J.P.C. van der Mark. This article is part of a book Berigten betrekkelijk Zeewezen, de Zeevaartkunde en de daarmede in varband staande wetenschappen, apparently edited by Jacob Swart, and published in Amsterdam in 1659. The entire book is downloadable as a PDF file.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

How to find The First Dutch War and Granville Penn's book on Google Book Search

Google makes it harder than it should be to get to where you can view and download books. I suspect that is by design, given the law suit against them. Still, students of 17th Century naval history would like to have the PDF files, so I can give some guidance. You would need to first get to Google Book Search: http://books.google.com/. The rest just involves selecting a workable search string, but you do need to have the "Full view books" radio button selected. To find Vol.I of The First Dutch War, use the search string "Robert Blake 1652". The top result, at least today, is the right book. Click on that, and you then can both view the book and download the PDF file. To find Vol.II, I used the search string "Witte de With 1652". Vol.II showed up as the second to last item on the page. To find Vol.III, I used "Tromp November 1652". Vol.III appeared as the first item in the search results. I found Granville Penn's book with the search stgrin of "sir william penn 1652". The book, Memorials of the Professional Life and Times of Sir William Penn ...: From 1644 to 1670, was the first item in the search results.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Charnock's Biographia Navalis

You can now download the PDF file from Google Book Search for John Charnock's book Biographia Navalis. This is the full reference: Charnock, John Biographia Navalis; or Impartial Memoirs of the Lives and Characters of Officers of the Navy of Great Britain from the Year 1660 to the Present Time (6 Vols.). Google is constantly adding material to what can be downloaded, so you need to keep checking. I thought it too bad that they have not added John Thurloe's State Papers, yet. The copy they have seen is under copyright, but the original is from the early 1700's. The James Ford Bell Library, at the University of Minnesota has a very nice copy. I must admit that lower cost electronic version can be purchased from TannerRitchie Publishing. The original copy that is currently available for sale is priced out of reach of most people, above $5,000.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

The Amsterdam frigate Beschutter

Ron van Maanen has the details of the Amsterdam frigate Beschutter, built at the naval shipyard in Amsterdam in 1692 by Hendrik Cardinaal. The Beschutter was broken up for parts in 1717. These is the information from Ron:
The frigate Beschutter

Dimensions:
best figures seem to be: 125ft x 32-1/2ft x 13ft
alternate figures: 115ft x 32ft x 13ft

34-38 Guns:
16-8pdr, 16-6pdr, and 6-3pdr guns

Crew: 150 to 195 men

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

Monday, January 22, 2007

An early 1700's Dutch ship Huis te Warmelo

I am not very familiar with Dutch warships in the period 1700 to 1740. In looking for the Huis te Neck, I saw the Noorderkwartier ship Huis te Warmel. Ron van Maanen has some of the details about the ship, which was built at Medemblick in 1708. The Huis te Warmel was wrecked in 1715. This is the information that I have:
The frigate Huis te Warmel
  built by Cornelis Willemsz Blaauwvlag
    at Medemblick in 1708, on contract

Dimensions: 125ft x 35-1/4ft x 15-1/4ft

40 to 44 guns

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

Sunday, January 21, 2007

The Dutch fleet at the Battle of Nieuwpoort (the Gabbard)

I can quite easily give the outline of the numbers of Dutch ships that fought in the Battle of the Nieuwpoort (the Gabbard), although I would guess that there are a few mistakes in the list:
Ships of the Admiralty of Amsterdam:  25 ships
Ships of the Amsterdam Directors:  18 ships
Ships of the Amsterdam Chamber of the VOC: 3 ships
Ships of the Admiralty of Rotterdam: 9 ships
Ships of the Rotterdam Directors: 4 ships
Ships of the Rotterdam Chamber of the VOC: 1 warship 
                  one advijsjacht, and two fireships
Ships of the Edam Directors: 1 ship
Ships of the Admiralty fo the Noorderkwartier: 10 ships
Ships of the Monnikendam Directors: 2 ships
Ships of the Hoorn Chamber of the VOC: 1 ship
Ships of the Admiralty of Zeeland: 12 ships
Ships of the Admiralty of Friesland: 4 ships
Ships of the Harlingen Directors: 1 ship

A valiant attempt, but with errors

The Dutch Wikipedia page for the Two Days' Battle of Nieuwpoort, called the Battle of the Gabbard by the English, is a valiant attempt at a Dutch order of battle. Sadly, there are some significant errors. Some of the list is obviously derived from some of my previous writings, some of which were in error. For example, the Vergulde Meerman is actually derived from my misreading of the Vergulde Maen, also called the Vergulde Halve Maen. I have since corrected that, but the Wikipedia page still has the error. In fact, they have essentially listed the ship twice, with two different captains. The Vergulde Halve Maen was, in fact, a ship of the Edam Directors, despite some references that say Monnikendam Directors. Another error, that I don't know the source, is to say that Andries Douwesz Pascaert was in the battle, which he was not, and that he commanded the ship Groningen. That is incorrect. He had commanded the ship Sint Vincent, but at the Battle of Nieuwpoort, the Sint Vincent was commanded by Adriaen Heeres Kleijntje. Spellings of captains' names are difficult, as different sources give different spellings. I am not in a position to correct the list, as I lack the diffinitive references. I probably can come close to a correct list, mostly due to Witte de With's journal and his letters. Carl Stapel has a list, but I do not have the sources he used, yet. I would start with the outline list of ships at Vlissingen in early July 1653, and start filling in captains and ships into the outline.

Witte de With apparently was keeping useful journals for a long time

I realized that Witte de With was keeping a journal with ship names, guns, crew, and captains for longer than just 1652 to 1653. The basis for the list in the book, De Sleutels van de Sont was Witte de With's journal from 1645. This same list appeared, in a less useful form, in R. C. Anderson's book Naval Wars in the Baltic. He had commanded the fleet convoying a large number of merchant ships into the Sound, past the Danes, who normally collected tolls. If the Danish fleet had contested operation, they would have been defeated, in all likelihood, but the strong Dutch fleet. One of the ships of the New Directors of Amsterdam, the Abrahams Offerande, commanded by kapitein Reyndert Claesz., had listing of guns or crew. There was a footnote indicating that these were "not filled in, in the journal of De With". Sources:
  1. R. C. Anderson, Naval Wars in the Baltic, 1910
  2. G. W. Kernkamp, De Sleutels van de Sont, 1890

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Dutch frigates built in 1653 and 1654

They were not included as part of the two 30-ship building programs, but the Dutch completed a number of frigates in 1653 and 1654, presumably to replace warlosses. The ships included:
Adm   Ship         Guns Crew Dimensions
A     Harder       28   140  114ft x 28ft x 11-1/4ft
A     Harderin     34   148  118ft x 29ft x 12ft
F     Klein Frisia 34   135  120ft x ?    x 11-1/4ft
R     Vrede        30   125  111ft x 27ft-3in x 12ft x 6ft-6in
Z     Zeeridder    28        116ft x 28ft x 11-1/2ft x 6-1/2ft

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

Friday, January 19, 2007

Jan Jansz Lapper's ship Phesant

Jan Jansz Lapper, sometimes called Jan de Lapper, commanded the ship Phesant (or Fazant or Vogel Phesant). The Phesant had rather modest dimensions: 120ft x 29ft x 12ft, with a height between decks of 6-3/4ft. The Phesant was built in 1646 and was charted to Denmark from 1666 to 1667. We know the guns carried by the Phesant at various dates:
16 Nov   1652:  18-12pdr and 10-6pdr
1 April 1653:  18-12pdr and 14-6pdr
  April 1655:  18-12pdr, 12-6pdr, and 2-drakes
1  April 1665:  18-12pdr, 16-6pdr, and 4-3pdr

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

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Dutch warships on 29 April 1653

Witte de With's journal has the following information, dated 29 April 1653. I have annotated it with ship names:
Adm    Ship             Guns Crew Commander
Vl-Dir Haes             30   120  kapitein Bastiaen Centsen
Z      Westcappel       28    95  kapitein Cornelis Evertsen de Jonge
Z      Eendracht        18    90  kapitein Lambert Bartelszoon
Z      Haze             20    90  kapitein Jan van Hoesen
Mi-Dir Gecroonde Liefde 36   142  commandeur Michiel de Ruijter
                                  vlag-kapitein Marcus Hartman

Sources:
  1. Witte de With, journals from 1652 to 1658, Archive E8812 from the Riksarkivet, Stockholm

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Admiralty of Friesland ships in the 28 November 1652 list

The 28 November 1652 list says that there were two Friesland convoyers and two cruisers in the 1651 group. They are not listed explicitly, however. The rest of the ships are part of the 100 ships of 1652, hired by the admiralties. There is one mystery 36-gun ship that is unnamed, without the captain listed, either. There is just a dotted line and 36, for the number of guns. I suppose that might be one of the 36 ships. Perhaps the Westergoo (28 guns) and the Frisia (28 guns) are the two convoyers. Then the Breda (28 guns) and the unnamed 36 gun ship would be of the 36 ships. The rest would be funded as part of the 100 ships. Hendrick Jansz Camp's ship, the Wapen van Nassauw (36 ships), is apparently one of the 100 ships, and is different from the other 36 gun ship. Sources:
  1. lijst van schepen in dienst van de Staet der Vereenigde Nederlanden, 28 November 1652

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

The 28 November 1652 list on the Zeeland contingent of the 36 ships

The 28 November 1652 list from the Collection Johan de Witt is really useful. Most of the questions about the 40 convoyers of 1648, the 36 ships of 1651, and the 100 ships of 1652 are answered there. They have the list of Zeeland ships that are part of the 36 ships:
Adm  Ship               Guns  Commander
Z    Hollandia          36    vice-admiraal Johan Evertsen
                              vlag-kapitein Adriaan Bankert
Z    Zeelandia          32    kapitein Andries Pietersz den Boer
Z    Zeelandia          32    kapitein Johan Naelhout
Z    Zeeridder          28    kapitein Gillis Jansz
Z    Neptunis           25    kapitein Jan Pauwelsz
Z    Vlissingen         32    kapitein Cornelis Mangelaer

The other ship previously listed was one of the 40 convoyers of 1648

Z    Wapen van Zeeland  34    kapitein Joost Willemsz Block
                        
Sources:
  1. lijst van schepen in dienst van de Staet der Vereenigde Nederlanden, 28 November 1652

Monday, January 15, 2007

Some of the Zeeland ships in the First Anglo-Dutch Wars

After seeing a lot of the other sources for Zeeland ships in 1652 to 1654, the Staet van Oorlog te Water makes much more sense. The Staet helps to match ships against captains mentioned in other lists:
Adm  Ship              Guns Captain              Length
Z    Wapen van Zeeland 32   Joost Willemsz Block 118ft
Z    Zeelandia         32   Jan Naelhout         118ft
Z    Zeelandia         32   Adriaan den Boer     122ft

This was still difficult to match to ships, as there are three
complete sets of dimenisions, two of which are 116ft long, not 118ft:

Adm  Ship              Guns Dimensions
Z    Wapen van Zeeland 27   116ft x 29ft x 10-1/2ft
Z    Zeelandia         32   118ft x 28ft x 11-1/2ft
Z    Zeelandia         32   116ft x 28-1/2ft x 11-1/2ft

Sources:
  1. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated, but circa 1992
  2. Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654, 1654
  3. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "Staet van de monture van de schepen anno april 1655", from Nationaal Archief, Staten Generaal, Lias Admiraliteiten 1.01.04 inventaris 5563 (April 1655)

Sunday, January 14, 2007

The Hazewind is probably the jacht also called Windhond

I wasn't thinking clearly. Carl Stapel reminded me, after I had also realized that the Hazewind jacht was probably the jacht also called Windhond. I have seen several sets of dimensions for the Windhond. They all differ on the hold depth:
The jacht Windhond (or Hasewindt)

Dimensions (Amsterdam feet):
115ft x 23ft x 10-1/2ft
              10-1/3ft
           or 10-3/4ft
or even larger at 116ft x 24ft

18 guns:
March 1653: 4-8pdr, 12-4pdr, and 2-3pdr
April 1655: 4-8pdr, 12-4pdr, and two drakes (probably 3pdr)

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

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Isaac Sweers in the Mediterranean Sea in June 1651

Isaac Sweers, later an admiral, was on board the ship Gelderlandt in June 1651. He was Cornelis van Velsen's lieutenant. The Gelderlandt was in Gidion deWildt's squadron. I received a copy of his journal from this period from Rick van Velden, back in early 2003. There were four ships and a jacht in the squadron:
Adm   Ship        Brass Guns  Iron Guns  Crew
A     Vrede       14          26         130
A     Morgenstar  12          16         100
A     Gelderlandt 10          16          90
A     Leeuwarden  14          20         115
A     Hasewindt    8          10          80

Sources:
  1. Isaac Sweers, journal kept by Isaac Sweers, initially on the warship Gelderland, starting in June 1651 and continuing until 1653, Nationaal Archief, Admiralty Collection Sweers 1.01.47.16, Inv. No. 2

Friday, January 12, 2007

I am curious as to how all these fluits were employed

This document that I have, from the Admiralty of Rotterdam, dated 7 March 1652, has the list of warships in service, with dimension, guns, and captain listed, the fishery protection ships, not listed by name or captain, but with dimensions and number of guns, and then a long list of fluits, with captain, dimensions, and numbers of guns. One of the ships listed was the Blompot, the ammunition fluit commanded by schipper Coolbrandt. There are many others in the list, such as the Wassende Maen. All dimensions are in Maas feet, rather than Amsterdam feet. Many have the ship name listed, but they often do not. The Wassende Maen was large enough, and well-armed enough to be suitable as a warship, although the deck height was rather low:
The fluit ship Wassende Maen, of Claes Fuddinckburgh
Dimensions:
Maas feet:  112-1/2ft x 22-1/2ft x 9-1/2ft x 4-1/2ft
Amsterdam feet: 122ft-8in x 24ft-6in x 10ft-4in x 4ft-10in

26 guns

Sources:
  1. lijst van oorlogh schepen der Admiraliteit te Rotterdam, 7 March 1652

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Jan le Sage's ship, the Gulden Haan

Jan le Sage commanded a Middelburg Directors' ship from about March 1652 up to the Three Days Battle, when his ship was captured. His ship was named Gulden Haan (or Vergulde Haan). The Gulden Haan served in the English navy as the Golden Cock. Ron van Maanen has the detailed information about the ship:
The ship Gulden Haan, kapitein Jan le Sage

Length from stem to sternpost: 124ft
Beam:                           29ft
Hold:                            ?
Height between decks:            6-3/4ft

36 guns:
8-18pdr, 4-12pdr, 18-8pdr, 6-6pdr

Crew: 121 men

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

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Zeeland ships part of the "100 Ships" of 1652

The list of 28 November 1652 has a great deal of new information. One of the things in the list are the Zeeland ships hired, as part of the 100 ships of the Extraordinary Equipage in 1652:
Adm Ship               Guns Captain
Z   Dordrecht          17   kapitein Cornelis Cruiningen
Z   Liefde             26   kapitein Joost Banckert
Z   Vlissingen         26   discarded by November 1652
Z   Eendracht          18   kapitein Lambert Bartelszoon
Z   Haze               22   kapitein Johannes Michielszoon
Z   Lieffde            30   discarded
Z   Sint Jan           26   discarded
Z   Offerande Abrahams 24   wrecked
Z   Wapen van Sweden   24   discarded
Z   Dolphijn           24   discarded
Z   Lieffde            23   kapitein Dingeman Cats
Z   Haes in 't Velt    30   discarded
Z   Faam (Fama)        30   kapitein Cornelis Loncke
Z   Sint Joris         24   kapitein Jacob Wolfertszoon
Z   Goes               26   kapitein Cornelis Cuijper
Z   Eendracht          24   kapitein Andries Fortuijn

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

English captain: Simon Bailey

Simon Bailey served in the Commonwealth navy. He commanded the hired ship Lisbon Merchant from 1652 until 1653. He fought in the Battle of the Kentish Knock in October 1652. The Lisbon Merchant carried 34 guns in 1652 and 38 guns in 1653. He may have fought in the Battle of Dungeness, although there is some uncertainty about that. The Lisbon Merchant definitely took part in the battle. Simon Bailey also fought in the Battle of Portland (the Three Days Battle). He sailed from Portsmouth on 30 March 1653 (old style) with William Penn's squadron. The Lisbon Merchant seems to have carried 4o guns and had a crew of 160 men at that date. At the Battle of the Gabbard, he was assigned to Lionel Lane's division in the White Squadron. He probably took part in the Battle of Scheveningen, in August 1653. Sadly, we have very few substantive information about Simon Bailey. We only know about what amounts to his resume. 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.IV, 1910

A summary of the Dutch navy on 9 June 1652

There is a summary of the Dutch navy dated 9 June 1652:
Of 186 ships

Rotterdam (21 ships)

5 convoyers
2 ships in the Mediterranean Sea
4 ships in the North Sea
2 ships in Brazil
8 ships of the 16-1/2 ships of the 100 ships

Amsterdam (47 ships)

18 convoyers
 7 ships in the Mediterranean Sea
 5 ships on the Spanish coast, near Cape St. Vincent
 2 ships in the North Sea
 4 ships in Brazil
11 of 33 ships of the 100 ships

Zeeland (24 ships)

9 convoyers
3 ships in the Mediterranean Sea
4 ships in the North Sea
1 ship in Brazil
7 of the 16-1/2 ships of the 100 ships

Noorderkwartier (22 ships)

7 convoyers
3 ships in the Mediterranean Sea
4 ships in the North Sea
1 ship in Brazil
7 of the 16-1/2 ships of the 100 ships

Friesland (11 ships)

2 convoyers
2 ships in the North Sea
2 ships in Brazil
5 ships of the 17-1/2 ships of the 100 ships

 41 convoyers funded at the peace in 1648

 36 cruisers funded in 1651:

  5 cruisers on the Spanish coast
 16 cruisers in the North Sea
 15 ships in the Mediterranean Sea

 10 ships in Brazil
 38 ships of the 100 ships in the Extraordinary Equipage
 50 ships of the Directors
  6 ships of the VOC (East India Company)

Monday, January 08, 2007

Noorderkwartier ships with Tromp's fleet in December 1652

We have multiple lists of captains in Tromp's fleet, dating from late November to early December 1652. Some of the latest I have seen are quite interesting. I wondered if we might be able to figure out some mysteries by comparing lists:
Noorderkwartier captains

                          Johan Evertsen's  List dated       Ship
                                 journal    6 December 1652

Schout-bij-nacht Pieter Florissen     X        X             Monnikendam
kapitein Cornelis Pietersz Taenman    X        X             Prins Maurits
kapitein Arent Dirckszoon             X        X             Wapen van Monnikendam
kapitein Thijs Tijmensz Peereboom     X        X             Peereboom
commandeur Johannes Bourgoigne        X        X             Tobias
kapitein Jan Heck                     X        X             Eenhoorn
kapitein Volckert Schram                       X
kapitein Teunis Vechterszoon          X        X             Vergulde Schel
kaptein Gabriel Theuniszoon           X        X             Kasteel van Medemblick
kapitein Herman Munnekes              X        X

The most obvious missing ship names are the Stad Medemblick (kapitein Pieter Schellinger), the Hoorn (kapitein Pieter Aldertszoon), and the Wapen van Enkhuizen (kapitein Gerrit Femssen). I don't think that we have any way, for now, to figure out which ships were those commanded by Volckert Schram and Herman Munnekes.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Rotterdam ships from about March 1652

One document that I have, possibly dated 8 March 1652 (I am having trouble reading the inscription completely), is from about the same time as the 7 March 1652 list. The document has the following information, which I have augmented:
a fishery ship
Dimensions:
Maas feet:  106ft x 25ft x 9ft-9in, deck height=6ft
Amsterdam feet:  115ft-7in x 27ft-3in x 10ft-7in, deck height=6ft-6in
with 30 or 34 guns

a fishery ship
Dimensions:
Maas feet:  100ft x 24ft x 9ft, deck height=6ft
Amsterdam feet:  109ft-1in x 26ft-2in x 9ft-9in, deck height=6ft-6in
with 28 guns

the ship of Jan Hels
Dimensions:
Maas feet: 103ft-8in x 22-1/2ft x 10ft-10in, deck height=5ft-5in
Amsterdam feet: 113ft-1in x 24ft-6in x 11ft-9in, deck height=5ft-10in
with 28 guns

the pinnace of Jan Aerensz
Dimensions:
Maas feet: 92ft x 22ft x 10ft-7in, deck height=5ft-2in
Amsterdam feet: 100ft-4in x 24ft x 11ft-6in, deck height=5ft-7in
with 24 guns

the frigate Overijssel
Dimensions:
Maas feet: 100ft x 23ft x 8ft, deck height=5-1/2ft
Amsterdam feet: 109ft-1in x 25ft-1in x 8ft-8in, deck height=6ft
with 20 or 22 guns

the frigate Utrecht
Dimensions:
Maas feet: 100ft x 23ft x 8ft, deck height=5-1/2ft
Amsterdam feet: 109ft-1in x 25ft-1in x 8ft-8in, deck height=6ft
with 22 guns

Saturday, January 06, 2007

The Gulden Beer

I wonder if the Vergulden Beer, in David de Wildt's list, is the same ship commanded by Jan de Haes (the Gulden Beer) from 1652 until about April 1653. The dimensions given are 120ft x 25-1/2ft x 11-1/2ft, with a height between decks of 6ft. The Gulden Beer, in service with the Admiralty of Rotterdam (or the Maze) had an armament of 6-8pdr, 8-6pdr, 4-4pdr, and 6-3pdr guns. Her crew varied between 80 and 100 men. Sources:
  1. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Oorlogsschepen" van de admiraliteit van de Maze in de zeventiende en achttiende eeuw, undated
  2. David de Wildt, Notitie van de schepen die tegen wordich in lant sijn, 22 February 1652

Friday, January 05, 2007

Jacob Verhelle and the Hasewint (Hazewind)

The Zeeland ship Hasewint or Hazewindt (28 guns) was apparently built about 1642. The Hasewint (the modern spelling is Hazewind) was a convoyer, and was one of the 40 convoyers funded when the navy was reduced in 1648, after the peace treaty with Spain. According to what I have from Carl Stapel, Jacob Verhelle commanded the Hasewint right up until 1652. The Hasewint was one of the ten ships sent to Brazil, after Witte de With had returned from there. The ships all returned in June 1652, but many of them were sunk or taken by the English. The Hasewint was taken to Dover on 28 June 1652. The Hasewint carried 28 guns and had a crew of 85 sailors and 20 soldiers. Sources:
  1. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.II, 1923
  2. Nationaal Archief Collectie Johan de Witt 3.01.17 collectie 2775h ( oktober 1652 )
  3. Lijst van schepen in dienst van de Staedt der Veenichde Nederlanden, 28 November 1652

Thursday, January 04, 2007

English Naval Officer: Andrew Cotton

Andrew Cotton served in the English navy, starting with the latter 17th Century. On 20 July 1677, the King appointed him to command the Experiment sloop. A few months later, on 16 January 1678 (they called it 1677, in the old style), the King appointed him to command the Hound sloop. A year later, on 15 February 1678, the Commissioners appointed him to command the double-hulled Chatham. A year and a half later, the Commissioners appointed him to command the 6th Rate Fanfann. On 20 October 1681, the Commissioners appointed him to command the Monmouth yacht. On 20 February 1683 (they called it 1682, in the old style), the Commissioners appointed him to command the Navy yacht. Finally, on 24 March 1685 (again, in the old style, they called the year 1684), the King reappointed him to command the Navy yacht. He fought in the Battle of Barfleur, in 1692, where he commanded the 3rd Rate Northumberland (70 guns) in the Blue Squadron. 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

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

The Wapen van Ceulen (Arms of Cologne)

We apparently now know the dimensions of the ship the Wapen van Ceulen. David de Wildt's list has a ship of that name, with dimensions: 126ft x 26ft x 12ft with a height between decks of 6ft. I first saw this ship mentioned in Witte de With's journal (E8812) on page 203. The Wapen van Ceulen was hired by the Admiralty of Zeeland. Her captain was Frans Mangelaer. The Wapen van Ceulen apparently carried 30 guns and had a crew of 120 men in September 1653. The Wapen van Ceulen was part of Witte de With's fleet on the voyage to Norway from September to November 1653. Sources:
  1. David de Wildt, list of ships that might be suitable to be hired, dated 22 February 1652
  2. Witte de With, journals from 1652 to 1658, Archive E8812 from the Riksarkivet, Stockholm

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

I used to think that there were few Dutch lists with ship names from 1652

I had long studied published sources about the First Anglo-Dutch War. I have been particularly interested and focused on the Dutch in that war. The published sources for 1652 just have lists of captains, with no ship names, except for Michiel De Ruyter's fleet in July-August 1652. One of the documents that I received last week is dated 11 May 1652. That list has captains' names and ship names. This list has just Zeeland captains and ships. The list is divided between "old" and "new" captains. The "old" captains commanded ships built as regular warships. The "new" captains commanded ships hired in 1652:
"Old" captains:

Ship                  Guns Captain
Zeeuwschen Leeuw      27   Cornelis Evertsen de Oude
Amsterdam             32   Adriaen Kempen
Wapen van Zeeland     34   Joost Willemsz Block
Hasewint              28   Jacob Verhelle
Westcappel            28   Adriaen Banckert
Zeeuwschen Jager      14   Adriaen Jansz den Gloeyenden Oven
Middelburg            26   Claes Jansz Sanger
Sandenburg            24   Pieter Gorcum
Orangie, binnenjacht       Frans Mangelaer
Maecht, binnenjacht        Jan Jansz van de Putte
Zeeuwschen Post,           Oovrert (?) de Moor
  binnenjacht

Monday, January 01, 2007

The ship Jupiter

The ship Jupiter was hired by the Admiralty of Amsterdam for service in the Mediterranean Sea. Carl Stapel found that the Jupiter was hired at Venice in 1652. Cornelis Janszoon served as the Jupiter's captain. From the document found in the notary archives by Dr. Hart, we have all the critical details about the ship:
The ship Jupiter, kapitein Cornelis Janszoon (or Janssen)

Length from stem to sternpost:  130ft
Beam:                            30ft
Hold:                            14ft
Height between decks:             7ft

28 guns:
4-12pdr, 10-8pdr, 12-6pdr, 2-4pdr

Crew:
100 men

Sources:
  1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2006
  2. Dr. Simon Hart, papers from the Amsterdam notarial archives, Gemeentearchief Amsterdam: Arch. nr. 883, Inv. nr. 471
  3. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "12 gehuurde schepen voor Mid Zee 24 Juli 1652", 2006

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