The hired ship Jonas in June 1653

The ship Jonas, commanded by Joris de Caullerij, had been hired by the Admiralty of Amsterdam for service with the fleet. The Jonas carried 30 guns, and had a length to breadth ratio of about 5:1. The Jonas was very long and narrow, as the Jonas about the length of many of the 54 to 60 gun ships in service during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. There is a very fine portrait of Joris de Caullerij by Rembrandt van Rijn that has almost a photographic quality to it. We know a bit more, now, about the Jonas, as there is an inventory from about 21 June 1653 that includes the weights of the individual guns. This inventory shows that the weight of a piece is relatively independent of the shot weight! Six or eight pounder guns might weigh as much or more than a short 12 pounder.