The Friesland ship Harder in early 1653

The Friesland ship Harder, cast away off Scheveningen sometime before 4 April 1653, seems to have been the hired ship also known as the Schaapherder, a hired ship with a main armament of 6pdr guns and with a length of 119ft. The Schaapherder was in Michiel De Ruyter's fleet for the Battle of Plymouth, in August 1652, when they fought an action against Sir George Ayscue's fleet. De Ruyter's fleet was composed of about 30 ships, some built as warships and other that were hired. The largest ship was the Vogelstruis, which belonged to the Amsterdam Chamber of the VOC. The Schaapherder was one of the weaker ships, in terms of broadside weight.