Gijsbert Malcontent's Enkhuizen Directors' ship

Gijsbert Malcontent had commanded an Enkhuizen Directors' ship with Witte de With's fleet in June 1645. His ship was the Getrouwen Harder (34 guns and a crew of 100 men). Ship armaments could vary over time, especially as ships aged, so I would not rule out the possibility of him commanding the same ship. For this reason, I had wondered if he had commanded the Gertrouwen Harder during the First Anglo-Dutch War, up until he was killed at the Battle of Portland. He did have an intervening period when he was with Witte de With off Brazil, but he was back in the service of the Enkhuizen Directors in 1652 and early 1653. In 1652, he commanded a an Enkhuizen Directors' ship of 28 guns and a crew of 110 men. Some other captains commanded the same ship in 1645 as in 1652. An example was Gabriel Antheunissen, who was in the service of the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. He commanded the Kasteel van Medemblick (or Medemblick) in 1645 through early 1653, when he was dismissed from the service for disobeying orders from Pieter Florissen, his squadron commander. Gijbert Malcontent's ship was taken in the Battle of Portland and he died in captivity. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910
2. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898
3. W. J. van Hoboken, Witte de With in Brazilië, 1955
4. G. W. Kernkamp, De Sleutels van de Sont, 1890
5. J. C. Mollema, De Eere Rol, from Geschiedenis van Nederland ter Zee, Vol.II, 1940
6. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652

The original 24 ships hired by the Amsterdam Directors

Very good information exists about the original 24 ships hired by the Amsterdam Directors in early 1652. Sadly, little of the information appears in published sources. Largely, the information comes from documents referenced by Jan Glete in his book, Navies and Nations. He was kind enough to give me copies of his notes from when he was doing the original research as the Nationaal Archief in The Hague. Ron van Maanen had given him the original lead. One document gives the ship names, the captains, lieutenants, and "schrijvers" (writers) for the ship hired by the Amsterdam Directors. Other documents give the details of dimensions and gun lists. In some cases, they also give crew size. Gradually, over time, captains were replaced and ships disappeared. In come cases, they are known war losses. By early 1653, the Amsterdam Directors were hiring more ships, presumable as replacements for war losses, as there is no indication that the number of ships funded was increased (although it is always possible). Most of the details of the ships' service is still a mystery. Where ships were definitely lost, such as those lost at the Battle of Portland ("the Three Days' Battle"), we often have more details about their loss. The Sint Mathees listed here is not the ship captured by the English at the Battle of the Gabbard. That was another, larger ship commanded by Cornelis Laurenszoon. This is a summary of those 24 ships:

Rank      Commander                        Adm  Guns Crew Ship name                           
kapitein  Jan Maijckers                    A-Dir 28  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 Imperial
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  Bartholomeus Rietbeeck           A-Dir 28  105  Rozeboom            
kapitein  Bastiaen Bardoel                 A-Dir 28  110  Engel Gabriel       
kapitein  Cornelis van Houten              A-Dir 28  110  Witte Lam           
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        
kapitein  Sipke Fockes                     A-Dir 28   96  Sint Maria          
kapitein  Bruijn van Seelst                A-Dir 38  135  Groote Liefde       
kapitein  Lambert Pieterszoon              A-Dir 34  130  Nassouw             
kapitein  Frederick de Coninck             A-Dir 35  135  Groote Vergulde Fortuijn
kapitein  Frederick Bogaert                A-Dir 28  115  Engel Michiel       

A question about hired Friesland ships in March 1653

I have been working, occasionally, on the March 1653 list of the Dutch fleet, based on an appendix to Vol.I of J. C. De Jonge's Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen. The work is not complete, yet because of some outstanding issues. One is with regard to ships hired by the Admiralty of Friesland:

Hired ships

Rank        Name                   Adm/Dir guns Sailors Ship                  
kapitein    Jan Reyndersz Wagenaar F       30   110     Graaf Hendrik         
kapitein    Tijmen Claeszoon       F       30   110     Westergo
kapitein    ?                      F       26    90     ?
kapitein    Isaak Codde            F       24    90     Postpaert
luitenant   Hasselgants            F       24    90     Sarah
kapitein    Oosteroon              F       16    60     Waterhond

This issue in this case is the identity of the 26-gun ship listed third, had her captain. There are some candidates, such as the Hector van Troijen (24 guns and a crew of 70 men). There is no evidence to show that she was still in service at this date. Her captain was disgraced after the Battle of the Kentish Knock, and was court martialed.

More about the 50 Directors' ships of 1652

The breakdown, by admiralty for the 50 Directors' ships hired in 1652 really only reflects the situation in that year:

Rotterdam                      7 ships
Amsterdam                     24 ships
Zeeland                        9 ships
Cities of the Noorderkwartier  7 ships
Friesland                      2 ships
Groningen                      1 ship

Even in June 1652, there were losses, and there were more as the war progressed. Most were lost either at the Battle of Portland, or the Battle of the Gabbard, in 1653. As more ships were hired by the Directors, it is unclear if they remained within the numbers, by just hiring replacement ships for he losses. In the storm in late 1653, Directors' ships were particularly vulnerable, as they were not as well equipped with anchors and cables. They were also not as strongly built as warships.

The Dutch fleet in early 1652

The Dutch were preparing for war, in early 1652, with just 87 ships, of which 41 were convoyers (largely, the ships funded at the peace in 1648), 36 cruisers funded in 1651, and 10 ships for Brazil. Almost immediately, two Amsterdam ships were sold. These were the Nassau and the Overissel, a veteran of the Battle of the Downs in 1639, and one of the ships sent to Brazil with Witte de With in late 1647. The situation was radically transformed, when on 3 March 1652, the Extraordinary Equipage was enacted, whereby 150 ships were to be hired and fitted for war. These included 50 ships hired by the established city Directors and 100 hired and fitted out by the five admiralties. While the 50 Directors' ships were successfully hired, but only 38 of the planned 100 ships could be initially hired. Sources:

1. Johan E. Elias, De Vlootbouw in Nederland 1596-1655, 1933

The 50 Directors' ships funded in 1652

As part of the preparations for war that were instigated in 1652 by the Dutch, the Directors of the various ports were to hire ships for use a warships. They generally were either Straatsvaarders or West Indiamen. When hired, they had guns on board that could be augmented or changed. Dr. Elias, in Vol.II of Schetsen, points out that all 50 were probably not hired very quickly, as there were not enough suitable ships in some places, especially Rotterdam. J. C. De Jonge has a list of ships in service in the Dutch navy in March 1653, and he blithely assumes that the number 50 had significance, and that since 8 Directors' ships had been lost that there were 42 ships left. One variance from that is while there was a great hiring of ships, starting in March 1652, that hiring continued through 1653. We know that ships were hired from January to April 1653, for example. I am working on trying to put together a list that corresponds to the March 1653 list, and it is largely complete, but the Directors' ship list is a problem.

Carl Stapel's notes from the Resoluties van de Staten van Holland

Carl Stapel shared with me his notes from the Resoluties van de Staten van Holland. There are some interesting entries there:

1. Albert 't Jonge Hoen, on the Prinses [Prinses Roijael], is ready to sail for the Mediterranean under the command of Joris van Cats--22 December 1651
2. Jan Pietersz Deught was chosen as captain of the Directors' of Medemblick ship Sint Jeronimus, in place of Jan Pietersz Eenarm, who had suddenly died--23 April 1652
3. Jan Jansz van Nes had brought on board 20 soldiers while in the Meuse--24 July 1652
4. Dirck Jansz Somer and Hendrick Claasz van Sheick were appointed as captains by the Amsterdam Directors--7 April 1653

We know that on 4 April 1653, two new ships were listed: the Keurvorst van Keulen (34 guns) and the Schacht den Harculus (28 guns). We do not know their captains' names, so perhaps these two men were appointed to command them (although we would not know to which ship they were appointed).

The first English Captain: Valentine Tattnell

The first Valentine Tattnell served in the Commonwealth navy. He commanded the Dutch prize Rosebush (the ex-Amsterdam Directors' ship Rooseboom) from 1653 until 1654. In September 1653, the Rosebush was listed as carrying 24 guns and with a crew of 130 men. In December, the Rosebush was listed as carrying 34 guns, but this may have been in error. Still, Frank Fox credits her as carrying 34 guns. Brian Lavery says that she carried 30 guns in 1664 (12-12pdr, 8-8pdr, 8-6pdr, and 2-3 or 4pdr). The Rosebush's Dutch dimensions were:

• 118ft x 27ft x 12.5ft.

Her English dimensions were:

• 84ft on keel x 24.6ft outside of the planking x 11.5ft at the center

      Dutch   English   Factor  My standard factor
Length 118ft   84ft      1.405   1.33 (indicates a lot of rake)
Beam    27ft   24.5ft    1.102   1.13 (indicates thin planking)
Depth   12.5ft 11.5ft    1.087   1.13 (perhaps a lot of camber)

In 1656, Valentine commanded the Old President, a former 5th Rate which had been purchased in 1646. In 1656, the Old President served as a fireship. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 1966
3. Frank Fox, Great Ships: The Battlefleet of King Charles II, 1980
4. Brian Lavery, The Arming and Fitting of English Ships of War 1600-1815, 1987.

English Captain: Richard Lucas

Richard Lucas served in the Parliamentarian navy. In 1642, he commanded the hired merchant ship Exchange (a crew of 89 men and a 325 tons). He served in the Summer Guard, under the command of the Earl of Warwick. In 1643, he commanded the Golden Angel (26 guns, a crew of 102 men, and 431 tons). He served in the Summer Guard for 1643, as well. He is not mentioned after 1643. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962

More about Cornelis Adriaansz. (Arentsz) Cruyck

Even though Dr. Elias, and others, had listed Cornelis Adriaanszoon (Arentsz) Cruijck as having been killed at the Battle of Portland ("the Three Days Battle"), he infact survived, as Carl Stapel has already pointed out. Cornelis Arentszoon Cruijck was one of the candidates being considered for appointment in October 1653. The list of candidates included:

1. Michiel Adriaansz. de Ruyter
2. Pieter Dircksz. Roothooft, burgemeester van Purmerend and old kapitein-ter-zee
3. Pieter Florissen (Florisz.)
4. Hendrik Gerritsz.
5. Cornelis Tromp
6. Hector Pietersz., merchant from Amsterdam and director of the Extraordinaris Equipage at Amsterdam, and old kapitein-ter-zee
7. Jacob Cornelisz. de Boer, captain under the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier
8. Cornelis Arentsz. Cruijck, in the service of the East Indian Company, and commander of the Vogelstruis from November 1652
9. Marinus Juynbol, who hhad commanded the ship Schiedam in February 1652. His brother Dirck Juynbol, his lieutenant had been given command of the ship
10. Jan Gideonsz. Verburgh, captain under the Admiralty of Amsterdam
11. Dirck Quirijnsz. Verveen, also a captain under the Admiralty of Amsterdam
12. Andries Sijbrantsz., of Hoorn

On 28 August 1653, in place of Verveen and Sijbranstz., a VOC captain was chosen, Cornelis van der Lijn, at Alkmaar. From the list of candidates, a Vice-Admiral and Schout-bij-Nacht would be chosen for each of the three Holland admiralties (Amsterdam, the Noorderkwartier, and the Maze).

Captain Cruijck had commanded the Amsterdam VOC ship Vogelstruis from November 1652 until her capture on the first day of the Battle of Portland. His crew was largely from Schiedam, and many of the them were killed in the battle.

Sources:

1. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.VI, 1930

Bastiaan Centen (or Centsen) and the capture of the Hercules

Bastiaan Centen (or Centsen), who Frank Fox had suggested was an ex-partriate Scot, was employed through the duration of the First Angl0-Dutch War, starting from just prior to the Battle of the Kentish Knock. He commanded a Vlissingen Directors' ship that Dr. Elias calls the Haes, but which may have been the ship Haes in 't Veld (30 guns), previously commanded by Leendert den Haen. Bastiaan Centen chased and took the English hired ship Hercules on 24 December 1652. The Hercules had been run ashore and had been deserted by her captain and crew in a most disreputable manner. Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005
2. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de Geschiedenis van ons Zeewezen, Vol.IV, 1927
3. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996
4. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.II, 1900

Some gunpowder data from the Battle of Scheveningen

There is a report on condition of ships belonging to the Admiralty of Amsterdam (and possibly, the Amsterdam Directors) after the Battle of Scheveningen. The report is dated 12 August 1653 and appears in Vol.V of the That is the one source that I have seen about gunpowder carried and used (at any time). I have written about this list before, but not with this focus. To some degree, having the starting amount, expended, and remaining is redundant, but we have the numbers for consistency. The list gives the numbers as either used or remaining:

                                           Gunpowder barrels
Ship           Guns Crew Commander            start   Used Remaining
Zeelandia        36 120  Nicolaes Marrevelt     70    16   54
Prins Willem     28 100  Jan Jansz Boermans     ?     ?    ?
Jonas            ?  ?    Joris Caulerij         52    13   39
Gouda            28 100  Jan Egbertsz Ooms      36     8   28
Pelikaan         ?  ?    Capt. Overcamp         50    10   40
Vrijheid         46 170  Abraham van der Hulst  ?     ?    ?
Groningen        42 140  Gillis Thyssen Campen  ?     ?    ?
Campen           42 140  Willem van der Zaan    94    28   66
Engel Gabriel    ?  ?    Adriaan van den Bosch  30    10   20
Vrede            44 160  Gideon de Wildt       114    64   50
Zutphen          26 120  Hillebrandt Jeroensz   ?     ?    ?
Goude Reael      28 110  Adriaan van Loenen     31     5   26
Morgenstart      ?  ?    Captain Quaeff         ?     ?    16
Edam             28 100  Barent Cramer          ?     ?    ?
Overijssel       28 100  Jan van Campen         ?     ?    ?
Brak             18  70  Poppe Brinckers        30    12   18
Westfriesland    28 140  Hendrik Huyskens       48    20   28
Amsterdam        50 ?    Paulus Egbertsz Sonck  50    31   19
Windhond         18  70  Jan Admirael           ?     ?    22
Leeuwarden       36 140  Govert Reael           85    39   46
Leiden           28 100  Hendrik Kroeger        50    24   26
Hoop             ?  ?    Dirk Pater             ?     ?    30
Fazant           32 120  Jan de Lapper          52    24   28
Hollandsche Tuin 32 ?    Joris Jansz Block      70    16   54

Although there are indications that Paulus Egbertsz Sonck commanded the brand new ship Amsterdam (50 guns), the powder carried seems more consistent with the older, smaller ship. This list is also useful in that we know all these ships fought in the Battle of Scheveningen.

The Zierikzee Directors' ship

We apparently know more information about the single Zierikzee Directors' ship. The captain is sometimes called Cornelis Rocuszoon Teincen, but from handwritten documents, it is apparent that his correct name is Cornelis Rocuszoon Fincen. That is the name listed in Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet, as well. He commanded a ship that carried 34 guns and had a crew of 110 men. The ship was apparently named the Liefde, which is the real news.

Named ships from the July 1653 list at Vlissingen (also, Goeree and the Texel)

Very few ships in the July 1653 list are named. Those that are, are often referenced by a shortened version of the name or a nickname. This is a summary of the named ships:

Admiralty of Amsterdam

Leeuwarden
Phesant (Fazant) (Jan de Lapper)
Dolphijn (Gerbrandt Schatter)
Oude Prins (Prins Willem) (Jan Jansz Boermans)
Omlandia (Jacob Troncquoij)
Leiden (Hendrik Kroeger)

Rotterdam Chamber of the VOC

David en Goliat (Jan Adriaansz van den Werff)

Zeeland Directors (Vlissingen, Middelburg, Zierikzee, Veere)

Vlissingen  Jan Pouwelszoon
Eendracht   Andries Fortuijn, a fluit

The captains in parentheses are those known to command the ships. Those without parentheses are actually named in the document.

I continue to wonder about the old Amsterdam ship Achilles

I have previously written about the first ship in Vreugdenhil's list. This ship is called the Achilles by Vreugdenhil and in the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654. Vreugdenhil makes the claim that the Achilles carried 40 guns later in the First Anglo-Dutch War. The problem is that there is no obvious evidence of the Achilles in the published literature (or anywhere else), other than the Staet and Vreugdenhil. I just did some looking in the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1633, and could not find a reference to the Achilles, although I may have missed it. I thought that I had looked at every page referencing an Amsterdam ship. I have been hoping that Vreugdenhil's notes might resolve this issue, but that has not happened, to date.

More about Dirk Vijch (or Vijgh) and 22 July 1652

Carl Stapel says that Dirk Vijch commanded the ship Kalmar Sleutel (22 guns and a crew of 80 men) with the squadron protecting the Enkhuizen herring buses on 22 July 1652. The Kalmar Sleutel was a ship hired by the Admiralty of the Maze. His ship was taken by the English and he was taken prisoner. I had known that he had been taken prisoner at some point, and that he was released in September, as that was noted in Vol.II of Schetsen uit de Geschiedenis van ons Zeewezen. The biography of Cornelis Tromp is not particularly reliable, but it gives the names of two more captains from the fishery protection squadron, as I have previously written:

• Gerrit Janszoon Schuimer
• Captain Luitje

There are three ships for which we do not know captains:

• Arke Noach
• Sint Jan Baptist
• Zwaan

Dr. Elias actually seems to indicate that there were 15 ships in the fishery protection squadron, so there may be more ships and captains yet to be discovered.

English Captain: John Mucknell (Muckrel or Muckeral)

John Mucknell (Muckrel or Muckeral) served the Royalist cause. In 1645, he commanded the John, an East Indiaman that had been seized by the Royalists. In 1650, he commanded the ship Mary (24 guns). He was with Prince Rupert's fleet at Lisbon in late March 1650. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. J. R. Powell, Ed., The Letters of Robert Blake, 1937

English Captain: Francis Parke (Park)

Francis Parke (Park) served in the Commonwealth navy. From 1653 until 1655, he commanded the 4th Rate President. He fought in the Battle of the Gabbard, in June 1653, where he was assigned to Rear Admiral John Lawson's division in the Blue Squadron. He probably fought in the Battle of Scheveningen in August. His ship is listed on 13 September 1653 as being with the fleet. On 27 December 1653 (new style), he was engaged in protection of the collier trade. In 1656, he commanded the Dutch prize Matthias. From 1659 until 1660, to the Restoration, he commanded the 4th Rate Centurion. 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.V, 1912
4. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol. VI, 1930

English Captain: Thomas Cheyney (or Cheney)

Thomas Cheyney (Cheney) served in the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth navies. In 1646, he commanded the hired ship Exchange. He served in the Summer Guard for 1646. He commanded the Exchange, again, from 1649 until 1650. In 1653, he commanded the hired ship Culpepper (30 guns). He was in Blake's squadron that arrived on the second day of the Battle of the Gabbard in June 1653. He probably also fought in the Battle of Scheveningen. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. R. C. Anderson, "English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938
3. J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962

The Zwarte Beer: so much for my theory

Carl Stapel pointed out that after March 1653, when Jacob Claeszoon Boet died, the Staten van Holland appointed Jan Cornelisz Oly to command the Zwarte Beer, so the ship had obviously not been captured. The English prize Bear was some other Dutch ship, apparently, named Beer (perhaps a Straatsvaarder or West Indiaman).

A theory about the English ship Bear, a Dutch prize

A Dutch ship had been taken by the English, and was to be in service by mid-February 1653 and was renamed the Bear. We also know that Jacob Claeszoon Boet's ship, the Zwarte Beer, was missing and unaccounted for in January 1653. My theory is that the Zwarte Beer was taken by the English and entered their service, shortly afterward. The Bear was only given to the Ordnance Office for disposal in 1665. We know the English dimensions:

Bear, 44 guns

Length on the Keel:         106ft
Beam outside the planking:   26ft-6in
Depth in hold at the center: 12ft

From that, we can estimate the original Dutch dimensions in Amsterdam feet (283mm):

Zwarte Beer, 32 guns and a crew of 115 men

Length from stem to sternpost: 140ft
Beam inside the planking:       30ft
Hold at the side:               13.5ft

The Zwarte Beer had been hired by the Monnikendam Directors in early 1652 and served the rest of the year. The ship took part in Tromp's voyage to the Shetlands in July and August 1652. She also fought in the Battle of Dungeness in December. Dr. Ballhausen credits her with fighting in the Battle of Portland, but what he cites as evidence does not support the conclusion. He cites the report that she was missing in January as evidence that she fought in the battle in late February to early March 1653.

The ship Dolphijn or Gulden Dolphijn

The Admiralty of the Maze's ship, the Dolphijn, or Gulden Dolphijn is interesting, in that there are at least two sets of conflicting information about her characteritics. One is from the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654, and is what was apparently used by Vreugdenhil for his list, published in 1938. The other is from the document dated 26 February 1652 that says it was written for the "Admiraliteit van Rotterdam" (the Maze). The data from the Staet van Oorlog te Water is as follows:

Gulden Dolphijn, 32 guns
built in 1634

Dimensions: 
Maas feet (308mm):      116ft x 25ft x 12ft
Amsterdam feet (283mm): 127ft x 27ft x 13ft

Guns: 
Brass  4-chambered 24pdr, 2-chambered 5pdr
Iron   16-12pdr, 8-6pdr, 2-4pdr

The data from the 26 February 1652 document is as follows:

Dolphijn, 28 guns

Dimensions:
Maas feet (308mm):      110ft x 25.5ft x 12.5ft
Amsterdam feet (283mm): 120ft x 27ft x 13.5ft

As you can see, they differ considerably. They apparently describe the same ship, however! This just reiterates the lesson that "there are no mystery ships". If you think that there is a mystery ship, you just don't know enough, yet. On the other hand, a great number of Amsterdam Directors' ships escaped being included in Vreugdenhil's list, when they could easily have been, as the documents listing them were in the Nationaal Archief in The Hague. They were mostly just missing details such as ship name, dimensions, and a listing of guns. They largely were included in the listing in The First Dutch War, Vol.I.

Allert Janszoon's ship in November 1652

In a note on page 87 of vol.III of Dr. Elias's book, Schetsen uit de Geschiedenis van ons Zeewezen, it says that Allert Janszoon's ship was the Dubbelden Arent. I had always assumed that this was the ship belonging to the Admiralty of Zeeland, although all these other lists had included him as being in the service of the Vlissingen Directors.

The Seventeenth Century Dutch practice of dropping the last name caused authors problems

Both Dr. Carl Ballhausen and C. T. Atkinson, the editor of the latter editions of The First Dutch War, were both affected by the Seventeenth Century Dutch practice of omitting a captain's last name. The example which arose today, was that of Allert Janszoon and Allert Janszoon Tamessen. Allert Janszoon, in 1652, was in the service of the Vlissingen Directors, while Allert Janszoon Tamessen was in the service of the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. Allert Janszoon was with Tromp's fleet in May 1652, and was sent into the Downs with Isaak De Jongh to request the return of Bastiaan Tuyneman's ship, the Sint Laurens. The Sint Laurens had been taken by the English on 29 May 1652, in the fight between the English and Dutch fleets under Blake and Tromp, in the seas off Dover. We don't know the name of the Zeeland captain, Allert Janszoon, although we know that later, he commanded the Zeeland ship Dubbele Arend (28 guns). Allert Janszoon Tamessen commanded the Wapen van Hoorn (or Eenhoorn), a vessel of 30 guns and a crew of 115 men. In late March or early April 1653, Allert Jansz. Tamessen's ship was lying in the roads off Hoorn. His ship was one of the 100 ships of the "extraordinary equipage" hired in 1652, while Allert Janszoon's was one of the 50 Directors' ships hired in 1652.

So what were the 7 Zeeland Directors ships with Jan Thyssen in May 1652?

I was curious to see if we could tell what the seven Middelburgh and Vlissingen Directors' ships were with Jan Thyssen, when he joined Tromp's fleet in late May 1652 (circa 20 May). We should at least be able to come close:

Middelburg Directors:

Captain                 Ship            Guns Crew
Jan Le Sage             Vergulden Haan  30   105
Jacob Penssen           Gouden Leeuw    30   110
Joannes van Regermorter ?               30   105
Bastiaan Tuyneman       Sint Laurens    30   105*

Vlissingen Directors:

Captain                 Ship            Guns Crew
Jan Thyssen             Witte Lam       32   110
Cornelis Evertsen de Jonge Vlissingen   26   110
Allert Janszoon         Dubbele Arend?  28   110

Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet agrees that Allert Janszoon is listed as a captain in the service of the Vlissingen Directors. The Dubbele Arend is thought to be his ship, but we don't think that it was a Directors' ship, but was a ship belonging to the Admiralty of Zeeland.

Quirijn van den Kerckhoff commanded the Maria

Quirijn van den Kerckhoff commanded the hired fluitschip Maria in 1652. Dr. Elias, in De Vlootbouw in Nederland, described a letter of the Admiralty of the Maze, dated 17 October 1652, that says that captains Quirijn van den Kerckhoff, De Bertry, and De Haes commanded the hired fluits Maria, Holandia, and Gulden Beer, which were lying at Amsterdam at that date.

A minor revelation

I am working on a list of ships in Michiel De Ruyter's fleet that was employed as convoyers in the Channel in the late summer of 1652. That fleet also fought a defensive battle against Sir George Ayscue's fleet off Plymouth, on 26 August 1652, and kept them at bay. Of course, Sir George's tactics left something to be desired: he charged the Dutch fleet without establishing any order. He employed the same sort losing tactics that Blake used at the Battle of the Kentish Knock and on the first day of the Battle of Portland. The minor revelation I had was when I looked at the Rotterdam ship Sint Pieter (28 guns and a crew of 122 men), commanded by Jan Janszoon van der Valch, and realized that this was the Rotterdam Directors' ship. The Sint Pieter's commander had been Sijmon Corneliszoon van der Meer, but he was ill, and was replaced by his lieutenant. Sijmon Corneliszoon van der Meer had apparently reassumed command of the Sint Pieter by the summer of 1653.

A piece of information from Dr. Elias about Directors' ships

Dr. Elias, in Vol.II of Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, says that Directors' ships were intended to carry a crew of 85 officers and sailors and 25 soldiers, for a total crew of 110 men. That was the crew size for a large number of ships, so we now have a good idea of how many soldiers were intended to be carried. I had not seen a figure for Directors' ships before this.

A "might have been ship" from Dr. Ballhausen

On page 558 of Dr. Ballhausen's book, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654 (1923), he says that at the Two Days' Battle of Nieuwpoort, Adriaan Jansz. den Oven commanded a ship named Vrede (about 56 guns and a crew of about 200 men). In this battle, he was acting as De Ruyter's Vice-Admiral. However, we have a piece of contradictory information: in Note 3, on page 94, in Vol.V of Dr. Elias' book, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen (1928), there is a notation that Adriaan Jansz. den Oven commanded the ship Neptunus, which was lost in the battle. From here, we need to examine Dr. Ballhausen's sources. He gives two sources. One I have, an article in the Oud Holland volume from 1899. The other, Whitelocke's Memorials of the English Affairs, I don't have ready way to see this book. I had hoped that Google Book Search might have it, but they do not. However, the reference to page 41 of the the article about Willem van de Velde de Oude, is readily considered. This is my paraphrase, in English, of the text:

"The two day struggle is commonly known as the sea battle near Nieuport and has a pen drawing on canvas by W. van de Velde the Elder that he drew in 1654 that is found in the sea navigation training school in Amsterdam.

There, the wind is shown blowing from the left hand side, somewhere near the known position of what the fleet's West wind meant, if this represented an historical position relative to the subsequent struggle on the 13th. There is nothing that can be seen that would cause this to be characterized as an historical document. Two commander's ships are situated in the foreground, fighting. The English could be the James of Penn, however the other is the Gorinchem, not the Brederode. We can also see the ships of Vice-Admiral De With and of Commandeur De Ruijter approaching the fighting, although the English Vice-Admiral came to assist. The fleets lay, one by the other, one to the left, in a half circle, while they fought in pairs. Behind the ship of the English Vice-Admiral, we can see a Dutch ship in flames, however it is not the ship of Captain Schellinger [Stad Medemblik], because it is situated in the middle of English ships. Several Dutch ships are recognizable, the Fortuijn, the Vrede, the Star, the Dolfijn, the Maag van Enkhuizen, the Zeelandia, etc. However, not one is the known position at the indicated historical moment, and on the right we see in the foreground several English ships which left the battle. This would indicate the piece is an imaginary version, subsequently represented. In the oldest inventory of the training school, dated 1843, states--similarly, Mr. Beels also shared my opinion--about this piece mentioned as being the "Four Days sea battle", as it carried the date 1654. In the inventory report, where the giver is not mentioned, a search for the piece: "gift" of the Admiralty of Amsterdam from Willem van der Zaan, about 1669, had nothing to support it, while it is known that due to the lady, the widow Van Dam, great-granddaughter of Willem van der Zaan presented three golden chains to the training school.

From this, we can see the mention of a ship named Vrede, but there is nothing to associate the Vrede with Adriaan Jansz. den Oven. Perhaps there is something in Whitelocke, but I am skeptical. Typically, these sorts of works are very general and lack any useful detail.

By July 1654, Witte de With was in his favorite ship, the Brederode

By the time the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654 was compiled in July 1654, Witte de With flew his flag from his favorite ship, the Brederode. Tromp had been an interloper, and had only had the Brederode for a relatively short time. Maarten Tromp was intended to take the Brederode to the Mediterranean Sea in early 1652, and to command the squadron there. Tromp fell ill, and the Mediterranean command fell to Joris van Cats, who did not last long. After Tromp was shot and killed by a musketeer at the Battle of Scheveningen, Tromp's flag captain, Egbert Meeuwssen Kortenaer was given command over a squadron and had the Brederode as his flagship. He was eventually reassigned as Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam's flag captain on the brand new Eendracht, the newly completed fleet flagship. The Brederode reverted to Witte de With, and he passed the fine new Huis te Zwieten to his colleague, Michiel De Ruyter. De Ruyter passed his ship, the Huis te Kruiningen to Cornelis Tromp. Sources:

1. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.VI, 1930
2. Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654, July 1654
3. list of ships in service for the Admiralty of Rotterdam on 26 February 1652, 1652

Michiel Adriaansz De Ruyter raised his flag on the Huis te Kruiningen on 10 September 1653

The Huis te Kruiningen was a new ship, recently purchased for the navy from Genoa, along with her half sister, the Huis te Zwieten. The Huis te Kruiningen was the smaller of the two ships. Witte de With and Michiel De Ruyter had hoped to have the two ships ready for the next battle, but they were forced to shift back to older ships for the Battle of Scheveningen. Michiel De Ruyter finally raised his flag on the Huis te Kruiningen on 10 September 1653. The next day, the fleet, under the command of Witte de With, set sail from the Vlie, bound for Norway. We have a translation done by C. T. Atkinson of De Ruyter's journal for this period. There were initially just 42 warships, but they were eventually augmented up to 70 or 72 ships. Witte de With had counseled against such a late season voyage to such northern latitudes, but the wealth on the ships lying in Norwegian harbours was thought to make the venture necessary. At least, that was the thoughts of the decision-makers (their High Majesties). By the evening of 12 September, they had progressed to a distance of about 23 or 24 miles from the Vlie. The fleet eventually arrived in Norwegian waters, although they had taken some storm damage on the voyage. We know a good bit about the Huis te Kruiningen, in this period. We have her dimensions: 140ft x 34ft x 13.5ft. We also know her armament, as of July 1654, just a few months later. She carried: 6-brass 18pdr, 6-brass 12pdr, 8-brass 6pdr drakes, 18-iron 18pdr, and 16-iron 8pdr, for a total of 54 guns. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol. VI, 1930
2. Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654, July 1654

Harsh sentences given to officers after the Battle of Scheveningen

Further courtmartials were held after the Battle of Scheveningen. Captain Adriaan Houttuyn of the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier was initially sentenced to be keel-hauled three times and then imprisoned for life. Hendrick Hey, the lieutenant of Captain Streeck, was also sentenced to be keel-hauled three times and then imprisoned for 20 years. Captain Peereboom, of the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier, was sentenced to be imprisoned for 4 years and the lieutenant of the Captain Huyskens (of the Admiralty of Amsterdam), Anthony Fappenthey, was sentenced to three years. Captain Oly (who we know served the Monnikendam Directors), was sentenced to having his sword broken at his feet, and to be kicked. This is derived from information from Dr. Elias, which I attempted to translate. If needbe, I will make corrections. We have further information about men and ships. Adriaan Houttuyn, who commanded the Kasteel van Medemblik (28 guns), continued in the service of the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier into the Second Anglo-Dutch War. He obviously was not imprisoned, after all. Hendrick Claesz. van der Streeck commanded the Amsterdam Directors' ship Blauwe Arend (28 guns) at the Battle of Scheveningen. Hendrick Huyskens had commanded the Westfriesland (28 guns) through the First Anglo-Dutch War. He continued in the service through 1658, at least. Tijs Tijmensz. Peereboom had commanded the ship named for him (the Peereboom, 24 guns) through most of the First Ango-Dutch War, including the Battle of Scheveningen. We are reasonably sure that he and the lieutenants were punished. Anthony Fappenthey probably was the actual commander of the Blauwe Arend at Scheveningen, as he was mentioned as the commander by Michiel De Ruyter, in his instructions prior to the battle. Sources:

1. C.T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.V, 1912
2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005
3. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.VI, 1930

Teunis Vechterszoon's ship

Carl Stapel has copies of many of A. Vreugdenhil's notes for his list of ships. They have been further annotated, after the publication of his list in 1938. One open question has been the name and characteristics of Teunis Vechterszoon's ship. Teunis Vechterszoon served with the fleet in the summer, fall, and winter of 1652 and into 1653. He sailed with Tromp's fleet to the Shetlands in July and August 1652. He was assigned to Witte de With's squadron at that date. He also seems to have fought in the Battle of the Kentish Knock, at Dungeness, and the Three Days Battle (Portland), although I have not listed him as being there. Vreugdenhil apparently does, however. Teunis Vechterszoon's ship is said to be named Scheletje (Carl says it means Little Bell). There are good references giving his ship's crew as 70 men, and an armament of 24 guns is very plausible. His ship was paid off after Portland. Carl says that the Scheletje was a ship hired by the Enkhuizen Directors, although I had always credited the ship with being hired by the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet is of no help, as he listed Teunis Vechterszoon as serving Medemblick. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910
2. Dr. Carl Ballhausen, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654, 1923
3. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Battle of the Kentish Knock (28 September 1652)", 2004
4. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Battle of Portland-28 February 1653 to 2 March 1653", 2003
5. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.II, 1900
6. Dr. S. R. Gardiner, and C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.III, 1906
7. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652
8. Carl Stapel, personal communication "the ship of Teunis Vechterszoon", 2006

English Captain: Henry Powell

Henry Powell served in the Commonwealth navy. In 1655, he commanded the 5th Rate Selby. He seems to have been in the West Indies in 1655. Both the Selby and Portland were there at the time. From 1656 until 1657, he commanded the 4th Rate Portland. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 1966
3. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898

The 120ft x 27ft x 11ft Noorderkwartier ships

In the 1630's and 1640's, the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier built a series of ships to the same dimensions:

frigate Medemblick, 28 guns  built 1640
Guns:
2-brass 6pdr
10-iron 12pdr
8-iron 8pdr
6-iron 4pdr
2-iron 3pdr

frigate Hoorn, 32 guns built 1636
Guns:
2-brass 6pdr
6-iron 12pdr
20-iron 8pdr
2-iron 6pdr
2-iron 4pdr

Kasteel van Medemblick, 28 guns  built 1640
Guns:
2-brass 6pdr
10-iron 12pdr
8-iron 8pdr
6-iron 4pdr
2-iron 3pdr

All this data is from the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654 (the date is July 1654).

A new piece of information about the Halve Maan

The Halve Maan had been commanded by Hendrick Pieterszoon at the Battle of the Gabbard, where the ship was captured. We know that when the ship first entered service with the English, she carried 30 guns. It seems a safe guess that the ship had carried 30 guns at the Battle of the Gabbard. There are numerous instances of Dutch ships taken by the English that carried the same guns, when the first entered the English service. In case you wondered, the Halve Maan in English service initially had a crew of 110 men, a familiar number. For example, Jan Fredrickszoon Houcbout's ship, the Sampson, carried 30 guns and had a crew of 110 men. The Sampson was a Edam Director's ship. We know the English measurements, which were:

Length of Keel:              97ft
Beam outside the planking:   25ft
Depth of Hold at the center: 10ft-8in

From that, we can estimate the Dutch dimensions in Amsterdam feet:

Length from stem to sternpost: 130ft
Beam inside the planking:       28ft
Hold at the deck edge:          12ft

Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol. VI, 1930
2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005
3. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships and the Relationship Between English and Dutch Measure", 2003
4. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.V, 1928
5. Frank Fox, Great Ships: The Battlefleet of King Charles II, 1980

From the July 1653 list

We have this list of ships nominally at Vlissingen in July 1653. Actually, there are a few ships at Goeree and a larger number in the Texel roads after the Battle of the Gabbard. The list is largely an outline, but a few ships are named, and fewer still captains are mentioned. This is from part of that list:

The Directors of Hoorne

no. 64  An unready ship: the Sampson (30 guns), 
              commanded by Jacob Pieterszoon Houck

The Directors of Edam

no.65  Captured: The Zon (28 guns), 
                   commanded by Jacob Duijm

Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier

No.66  Ready, for a Commandeur: 
           perhaps the Monnikendam (38 guns),
           flagship of Pieter Florissen

No.67  Ready; in fact very ready

No.68  Ready

No.69  Ready

No.70  Ready

No.71  Ready. Sails well. Small

No.72  Captured: the Stad Medemblik (30 guns), 
                commanded by Pieter Schellinger

No.73  Ready

No.74  Unready

No.75  Very unready. A fluit.

Directors of Monnikendam 

No.76  Captured: the Halve Maan, 
               commanded by Hendrick Pieterszoon

No.77  A good ship, but has damage. A very large ship:
             the ship of Jacob Claeszoon Boot

East India Company at Hoorne

No.79  Unready: 
        perhaps the Profeet Samuel, 
        commanded by Reynst Corneliszoon Sevenhuysen.
        He eventually was ordered to move his crew to 
        the Mars (46 guns), a ship apparently owned by the 
        Enkhuizen Chamber of the VOC.

We know many of the Noorderkwartier ships, but it seems impossible to say to which the numbers referred.

English Captain: Lewis (Lodwick) Dick

Lewis (or Lodwick) Dick served in the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth navies, holding one appointment in each. In 1644, he commanded the hired merchantman Golden Lion (30 guns, a crew of 135 men, and of 450 tons). He was assigned to the Summer Guard for 1644. From 1653 to 1654, he again commanded the Golden Lion. Perhaps he was her merchant captain. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962

Dutch Captain: Yde Hilkeszoon Kolaert

Yde Hilkeszoon Kolaert served the Admiralty of Friesland. In August 1665, he commanded the Postiljon van Smirna (38 guns) in De Ruyter's fleet. He was assigned to the Fourth Squadron commanded by Tjerk Hiddeszoon de Vries. In June and July 1667, he commanded the Klein Frisia, and participated in the operations in the Channel. In 1671, he commanded the Westergo (56 guns) in Lt-Admiral Bankert's squadron with De Ruyter's fleet. Sources:

1. Gerard Brandt, Het Leven en Bedrijif van den Heere Michiel de Ruiter, 1687
2. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996

You can now get a small, color Brederode poster

Sorry for the commercial announcement, but I have wanted to have color posters for five years. Only now have I found a way to do that. This is only a small start, but we now have a store at CafePress.com where one of the products that is available is the small Brederode poster of the painting (or at least, one alternative of that). There are other products, as well, but I really wanted a Brederode poster to see how it would be. The nice thing is that the price is pretty low, although it is quite small, as well. I apologize again, as I will be cross-posting this announcement, as well.

English Captain: Thomas Plunkett

Thomas Plunkett served in the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth navies. From 1642 to 1643, he commanded the Crescent (a crew of 50 men and 12 guns). In the summer of 1643, he was with the Irish Guard. In 1644, he commanded the Providence, but was suspended. From 1645 to 1646, he commanded the hired merchantship Discovery. In 1646, he was assigned to the Summer Guard. From 1646 to 1648, he commanded a Parliamentarian privateer. He apparently switched sides, for from 1649 to 1651, he commanded a Royalist privateer. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962

English Captain: William Hazard

William Hazard served in the Parliamentarian navy. In 1644, he commanded the Spy shallop (6 guns, a crew of 20 men, and of 40 tons) and served in the Summer Guard. From 1645 until 1647, he commanded the Dove pink (6 guns), a Royalist prize. In the Summer Guard for 1645, he was assigned to the Guernsey Squadron. In the 1645 Summer Guard, he continued to be assigned at Guernsey. He continued on with the Winter Guard for 1646. By the summer of 1647, he had been relieved in command by William Nixon. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962

So, who commanded the Zeeland ship Meermin in the First Anglo-Dutch War?

The ship Meermin (often written as Meerminne), of the Admiralty of Zeeland, was built in 1641. The ship was 130ft long and carried 34 guns. The ship is mentioned by Vreugdenhil, in his list, in the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654 (dated July 1654), and in a similar list published by Dr. Elias for the year 1655. Nowhere does either The First Dutch War, or Dr. Elias's books, mention the Zeeland Meermin. There are only three obvious candidates who might have commanded the Meermin. They are

• Daniel Corneliszoon Brackman
• Jan Duijm
• Jacob Wolfertszoon

Jan Duijm's ship must have been substantial, as she towed Michiel De Ruyter's flagship, the Witte Lam (40 guns) through the last two days of the Battle of Portland. Of the others, we really have no useful information. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910
2. Johan E. Elias, De Vlootbouw in Nederland 1596-1655, 1933
3. A. Vreugdenhil, Ships of the United Netherlands 1648-1702, 1938
4. Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654

English Captain: Henry Stradling

Henry Stradling had served in the Royal Navy prior to the Civil War and then went over to Royalists. In 1631, he commanded the Tenth Whelp. In 1635, he commanded the Swallow. In 1636, he commanded the Bonaventure. In 1637, he commanded the Dreadnought. In 1638, he commanded the Leopard. In 1639, he commanded the Antelope. In 1640, he commanded the Convertine. In 1641, he commanded the Lion. He was back in command of the Bonaventure from 1641 to 1642. In 1642, he commanded the Bonaventure in the Royalist fleet. By 1649, he commanded the Royalist ship James (ex-Exchange) (29 guns), captured at Kinsale. The ship was last mentioned in 1650 and its fate is unknown. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 1966
3. J. R. Powell, Ed., The Letters of Robert Blake, 1937

Spanish Armada guns

Anyone who would like to wargame the Spanish Armada should be aware of I. A. A. Thompson's articles on the subject. There is one published in the 1975 Mariner's Mirror, page 355 in the bound volume (Mariner's Mirror, Vol.61, No.4, November 1975) title "Spanish Armada Guns". He also has a more recent paper, a chapter entitled "Spanish Armada Gun Procurement and Policy" in P. Gallagher & D. W. Cruickschank, God's Obvious Design: Papers for the Spanish Armada Symposium, Sligo, 1988. These are the most accessible sources (if you can call them that) of Dr. Thompson's research results on the subject. There may be more, as he had a PhD thesis on the subject and may have published more, in recent years. I was not able to find anything with Google, however. There is also Michael Lewis's book Armada Guns (1961), but it is only good for the English guns, as Dr. Thompson has effectively demolished Lewis's theory about Spanish guns. Still, the book is a good read.

English Captain: William Whitehorne

William Whitehorne served in the Commonwealth navy. William Whitehorne commanded the prize Little Charity (32 guns) in 1653, and he fought in the Battle of Scheveningen. Later in 1653 until 1654, he commanded the 4th Rate Pelican (42 guns).In December 1653 he ship was lying with the ships in the "Ellence Roads". From 1655 to 1656, he commanded the 4th Rate Gainsborough. In 1658, he commanded the 3rd Rate Speaker, and was commander-in-chief in the Downs. Later in the year, he commanded the 2nd Rate London, still as commander-in-chief. In 1659, he commanded the 3rd Rate Gloucester. 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. R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 1966
4. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol. VI, 1930

Dutch Captain: Jacob Cleijdijck (Cleydyck or Kleijdijck)

Jacob Cleijdijck served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier for the last part of Witte de With's relief expedition to Brazil. Jacob Cleijdijck relieved Lieven de Zeeuw in command of the Wapen van Nassau (38 guns), perhaps in November 1649. He left Brazil on 9 December 1649. He was courtmartialed, as he was one of the five captains considered to be accessories to mutiny. In the arming prior to the First Anglo-Dutch War, Jacob Cleijdijck was employed again, this time by the Rotterdam Directors. He was given command of the ship Meerman, which was a 30-gun ship with a crew of 120 men. He took part in Tromp's voyage to the Shetlands in July and August 1652, and then fought in the Battle of Dungeness, in early December. He also fought in the Battle of Portland, where his ship, the Meerman, was sunk. He survived and was given command of the late Corstiaen Corstiaenszoon's ship, apparently named the Prins te Paard (38 guns). He apparently fought in the Battle of the Gabbard in June 1653 and in the Battle of Scheveningen, in August. In July, he had served on a court martial board for captains accused of disobedience at the Battle fo the Gabbard. In June 1665, he commanded the Rotterdam ship Dordrecht (46 guns) at the Battle of Lowestoft. He was assigned to Jan Evertsen's Second Squadron. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910
2. Dr. Carl Ballhausen, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654, 1923
3. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996
4. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898
5. Michael S. Robinson, Van de Velde Paintings, Vol.I, 1990
6. M. S. Robinson, R. E. J. Weber, The Willem van de Velde Drawings in the Boymans-Van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam, 3 Vols, 1979

English Captain: Benjamin Sacheverelli

Benjamin Sacheverelli served in the Commonwealth navy. He died in 1656. From 1654 to 1655, he commanded the 5th Rate Pearl (22 guns). He was with the fleet commanded by Robert Blake that was dispatched to the Mediterranean Sea in 1654. In 1655, he commanded the 5th Rate Norwich, a new ship. In July 1655, Robert Blake had Benjamin Sacheverelli take a dispatch to England. Blake was in the 2nd Rate George near Cape St. Vincent. In 1656, he commanded the 4th Rate President. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898
3. J. R. Powell, Ed., The Letters of Robert Blake, 1937

English Captain: Shadrach Blake

Shadrach Blake served in the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth navies. He was Benjamin Blake's father-in-law. In 1646, he commanded the hired ship William and John, which had been readied, but was in reserve, in case more ships were needed in the active fleet. In 1653, he commanded the hired merchantship Samaritan. He fought in the Battle of the Gabbard, where he was assigned to John Lawson's division in the Blue Squadron. Presumably, he also fought in the Battle of Scheveningen. From 1653 until 1654, he commanded the hired ship Industry (32 guns). In December 1653, his ship was lying in the "Ellence Road". In September 1656, the Spaniards took him prisoner at Vigo, when war was declared. Richard Beach, the Royalist privateer (Blake called him a pirate) had gone to Spain, and was at St. Sebastian, where Shadrach Blake was imprisoned. Blake's papers indicated that Richard Beach was Shadrach Blake's jailer. He was only released in August 1657. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. J. R. Powell, Ed., The Letters of Robert Blake, 1937

"Captain Volderij" is actually Joris Caulerij

The First Dutch War, Vol.V, has a list of ship, showing their remaining gunpowder and damage after the Battle of Scheveningen. The list is called "Report on Condition of Ships", and addresses ships belonging to the Admiralty of Amsterdam. One entry has the name "Captain Volderij". I was suspicious of the name, and sure enough, I found that the captain of the Jonas was Joris Caulerij (Colerij). One list in The First Dutch War calls him "Joris der Taullerye". His name seems to have been frequently mangled in the process of transcription from handwritten documents, in the preparation of The First Dutch War, particularly by C. T. Atkinson. By the way, the entry in the list says that the Jonas had two men killed and two wounded in the battle. The ship lost her foresail yard ("shot to pieces") and had a damaged mizzen mast. The ship was leaky, and taken three shots below the waterline. She also must have lost her rudder, as she had to be steered by her sails. She had fired off 1,300 lbs. of the 5,200 lbs. that she had at the start of the battle. That would be about 13 barrels of powder, as one keg was 100 lbs. according to one source. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910
2. C.T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.V, 1912

Dutch Captain: Claes Arentszoon Sloot (Sloodt)

Claes Arentszoon Sloot (Sloodt) served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. In August 1658, he commanded the Wapen van Monnikendam (often simply called the Monnick). He fought in the Battle of the Sound, in November 1658, where he was assigned to Vice-Admiral Pieter Florissen's rear squadron. He survived the battle, but Vreugdenhil suggests that his ship was that captured in 1659. I believe that was Pieter Florissen's old flagship, instead. From a list dated 8 August 1658, we see that Claes Arentsz Sloot's ship carried 26 guns, while Jan Sampson's ship, the Monnikendam, carried 32 guns. I think that it is pretty definitive, as the ship lost was the 32-gun ship. The ship that survived until May 1665 had 30 guns by that date. This is a period where many ships had their armaments augmented with additional guns. I have not seen any other mention of Claes Arentszoon Sloot, except during this period. Sources:

1. unpublished manuscript from the Nationaal Archief, Staten Generaal 1.01.06, inventory number 13580.16, a list of ships with van Wassenaer's fleet, 8 August 1658
2. R. C. Anderson, Naval Wars in the Baltic, 1910
3. G. L. Grove, Journalen van de Admiralen Van Wassenaer-Obdam (1658/59) en De Ruyter (1659/60), 1907
4. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.I, 1858

English Naval Officer: Prince Maurice

Prince Maurice was brother to Prince Rupert. He served in the Royalist navy as a Vice-Admiral. From 1648 to 1650, he commanded the Convertine (presumably the former Destiny). The ship was eventually sold in Portugal, as there was no way to make repairs. In 1648, the Royalist fleet sought shelter at Hellevoetsluis. They were blockaded by a squadron commanded by the Earl of Warwick. Prince Rupert commanded the Royalists with his brother Maurice as his Vice-Admiral. They eventually sailed from Hellevoetsluis. The Royalist "fleet" consisted of Prince Rupert's flagship, the 2nd Rate Constant Reformation (60 guns), Prince Maurices's ship Convertine, Rear-Admiral Sir John Mennes' ship the Swallow, and the James (a prize), the Charles, Roebuck, Pelican, and the Guinea frigate. From 1650 to 1651, Prince Maurice commanded the Swallow. In November 1650, Prince Rupert and Prince Maurice chased and captured the Marmaduke, which eventually was taken and served in the Commonwealth and Restoration navies. In 1651, he briefly commanded the Revenge, and then from 1651 to 1652, he commanded the prize Defiance. Prince Maurice was eventually drowned when his ship sank in a storm in the West Indies. Only the Constant Reformation and the Swallow survived the storm. His ship sank somewhere close to the southern shore of Anagada. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898

English Captain: Thomas Ashley

Thomas Ashley served in the Parliamentarian navy. From 1642 to 1644, he commanded the hired merchantman Employment. The Employment was a substantial ship with a crew of 132 men and a tonnage of 440 tons. He was assigned to the Irish Sea, in the Summer Guard of 1642. He also served in the Winter Guard for 1642-1643 on the Irish coast. The Employment then had a crew of 120 men. In the summer of 1643, he still commanded the Employment (132 men and 30 guns) in the Irish Guard. He also served in the Summer Guard for 1644, in the Employment, still carrying 30 guns, having a crew of 132 men. The Employment seems to have been inactive in 1645, but was activated to the point of being in reserve in the summer of 1646, ready to be activated, if needed. That is the last time that Thomas Ashley and the Employment are mentioned. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962

There was a question today about the Leeuw van Amsterdam at the Battle of Dungeness

When the name Leeuw van Amsterdam came up in a question, today, I knew nothing about it, as I had not heard of the ship. It turns out that the only reference to the ship (the Lion of Amsterdam) is in an unofficial account from the Moderate Intelligencer, quoted in The First Dutch War, Vol.III, page 144. This list gives the following Dutch ships lost:

The Lion of Amsterdam (Leeuw van Amsterdam)
the Hope of Rotterdam (Hoop van Rotterdam)
The Christopher of Flushing
   (perhaps the Groote Christoffel van Vlissingen)
The Royal Princess (Prinses Roijael)
The Wonder (?)

Perhaps this bogus list is the reason that Dr. Ballhausen thought that the Admiralty of the Maze ship commanded by Dirck Juynbol and lost in the battle was named the Hoop (Hope). Actually, his ship was named Gelderland (30 guns). No other Dutch warships were lost, as far as we know from published sources.

Dutch Captain: Jan Reynderszoon Wagenaer

Jan Renderszoon Wagenaer served the Admiralty of Friesland. He commanded the ship Graaf Hendrick (30 guns and a crew of 100 men). In August 1652, he fought in the Battle of Plymouth, under the command of Michiel De Ruyter. His ship was so damaged that when he joined the main fleet under Witte de With, he was sent in to have his ship repaired. He fought in the Battle of Dungeness in early December 1652. Dr. Ballhausen says that he fought in the Battle of Portland from 28 February until 2 March 1653. He also says that he was absent from the Battle of the Gabbard, but did fight in the Battle of Scheveningen. He was with Witte de With on the voyage to Norway and back, and he was caught in the storm in early November and his ship sunk, and he was drowned. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol. VI, 1930
2. Dr. Carl Ballhausen, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654, 1923
3. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.II, 1900

English Captain: Francis Allen

Francis Allen served in the Commonwealth and Restoration navies. In 1650, he commanded the hired merchant ship James. From later in 1650 until 1653, he commanded the 5th Rate Recovery. He seems to have fought in the Battle of Scheveningen ini 1653, in the Recovery (26 guns). On 3 September 1653 (Old Style), he still commanded the Recovery. From later in 1653 until 1660, the commanded the 4th Rate Advice. By 19 November 1653 (Old Style), he commanded the Advice. On 17 December 1653, he was operating off the coast of Holland. In 1661, he was appointed to command the 3rd Rate York. He died sometime before 1689. 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. David Syrett, R. L. DiNardo, The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy 1660-1815, 1994
4. J.R. Tanner, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts in the Pepysian Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Vol.I, 1903

Some speculative thinking about names of Enkhuizen Directors' ships

There is a spy message from Thurloe's State Papers, Vol.I, in The First Dutch War, Vol.V, page 185. Many of the Dutch ship names had been translated into English. There are mentions of the Shepperd (Shepherd) and the Shepherdess. They correspond to the Dutch ship names Harder and Harderin. The captain's name given by the Harder is Jan Bonkier, but the name probably should be Jan Backer, who commanded the Harder at the Battle of Scheveningen, and who acted as Vice-Commandeur to Witte de With. The Harderin of Enkhuizen, whose name is listed as "captain Dirick" could be "captain Dircsz" (Dirckszoon). Who that would be is harder to guess.

I am increasingly confident that Abraham van Hulst commanded the Sampson (26 guns) in 1652

I can only make an estimate based on analysis, but I am pretty certain that Abraham van der Hulst commanded the 26-gun ship Sampson in 1652. In early 1653, the ship was definitely commmanded by Hendrick Adriaanszoon. In May 1653, he was operating under then command of Evert Anthonissen Marre's small squadron operating in the Vlie, providing convoying and local defense. The ship commanded by Abraham van der Hulst had 26 guns and a crew of 100 men. In 1653, the Sampson had 26 guns and a crew of 90 men. Abraham van der Hulst had done well enough that he was given better ships to command. At some point in 1653, he seems to have commanded the 40-gun ship Groningen and was Witte de With's flag captain in the 46-gun ship Vrijheid. He was Witte de With's flag captain at the Battles of the Gabbard and Schevingengen in June and August 1653. The reason that I am pretty confident about the identity of Abraham van der Hulst's ship is that the ships owned and hired by the Admiralty of Amsterdam are very well-known. During my work, still incomplete, on the list of Dutch ships in service in March 1653, it became increasingly obvious that there were no mystery ships and therefore, the only plausible candidate was the Sampson. The only unanswered question is the list of captains on pages 388-389 of Vol.I of The First Dutch War. In that list, Hendrick Adriaanszoon is said to have had a ship and was waiting for a convoy to leave for the Baltic under the command of Augustijn Balck in the Vrijheid. This dates from 6 August 1652 (new style).

There are several ships in the list of ships from 1642 that we actually can identify

De Jonge's list of Dutch ships from 1642 has no names attached, but we can easily equate several ships to names, because they are so distinctive. One is the Aemilia and the other is the Maagd van Dordrecht (or is it the Maecht van Dordrecht?). De Jonge supplies the following information, which I have augmented:

Adm  Name                  guns   sailors soldiers
M   Aemilia               57     200      40
    (4-36pdr, 11-24pdr, 12-18pdr, 21-12pdr, 9-6pdr)

M   Maagd van Dordrecht   46     140      30
    (10-24pdr, 14-18pdr, 16-12pdr, 6-6pdr)

Z   Vlissingen            34     ?        ?

About any other ships, we would just be guessing. Knowing the Vlissingen is of doubtful utility, since there is no data for her in De Jonge's list.

Philips van Almonde's fleet that bombarded Copenhagen in 1700

Lt-Admiral Philips van Almonde led a fleet into the Sound in 1700. That fleet helped to bombard Copenhagen. De Jonge has the list of ships and captains:

Ship               Guns Crew Rank             Commander
Unie               94   550  Lt-Admiral       Philips van Almonde
Eerste Edele       72   400  Vice-Admiral     Cornelis Evertsen
Dordrecht          72   375  Schout-bij-Nacht Paulus van der Dussen
Katwijk            72   375  captain          Lynslager
Wapen van Alkmaar  72   375  captain          Bolck
Aemelia            66   365  captain          Cleyburgh
Wapen van Aernhem  66   365  captain          C. Cleyn
Gouda              64   325  captain          Beeckman
Veluwe             64   325  captain          Cornelis van Brakel
Wapen van Utrecht  64   325  captain          van Veen
Vlissingen         50   225  captain          Tresel
Batavier           50   210  captain          van Toll
Provincie Utrecht  50   210  captain          Zas van den Bossche
Beschutter         38   150  captain          Schaap
Briel              34   136  captain          van de Graaf
l'Aurore           28   120  captain          Muregnault
Blikkenburg,hoeker 14   50   commandeur       J. Coerte

2 bomb vessels
2 fireships
2 ammunition ships

This is from Vol.III of J. C. De Jonge's book, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen.

The VOC ship Roos, taken by the English

I have previously written about the VOC ship Roos, taken on 13 April 1654 (Old Style) near the Riff. The Roos had been in Norway, and was now headed for the Netherlands. Jeremy Smith described her as being a new ship of 800 tons, never having sailed to the East Indies. We know the English measurements for the ship:

Length on the keel:    114ft
Beam outside planking:  33ft-8in
Depth in hold:          14ft

English Burden:  687 tons

Jeremy Smith described her as carrying but 26 guns. The English eventually put 60 guns into her, as she was as big as a Third Rate. An obvious question to me is to ask what her Dutch dimensions might have been, in Amsterdam feet. These are my estimates:

Length from stem to sternpost:  160ft
Beam inside of the planking:     38ft
Hold at the deck edge:           16ft

I am somewhat surprised by this conclusion, as she would then be the same size as the captured Vogelstruis, which served the English as the hulk Estridge. The Estridge was actually measuredby the English to somewhat larger dimensions: 116ft x 36ft-3in x 17ft. Because of this, I suspect that the hold in the Vogelstruis was 18ft (Amsterdam).

Another look comparing English and Dutch measurements

I thought it would be interesting to look again at the measurements for ships that we have both the Dutch and English numbers. All the ships were captured Amstedam Directors' ships:

             Dutch Dutch Dutch  Engl Engl Engl
Name         Guns Length Bean Depth  Keel Beam  Depth
Elias        34   132.5  30   13     101  27.5  11.5 
St. Matheeus 34   144    36   ?      108  32    15
Rooseboom    28   118    27   12.5    84  24.5  11.5
Groote Liefe 38   132    29   13.5   106  28.33 11

Ratios        Dutch/English  Dutch/English Dutch/English
              Length         Beam          Depth

Elias         1.312          1.091         1.130
St. Matheeus  1.333          1.125         ?
Rooseboom     1.405          1.102         1.087
Groote Liefde 1.245          1.024         1.227

This sort of information can allow us to estimate Dutch dimensions for ships for which we only have the English measurements, when ships were taken as prizes.

The Voyage to Norway in September to November 1653

I am in the process of researching the fleet that was sent to Norway, under the command of Witte de With. A large number of ships, many from the East India Company, were in Norway, waiting for an escort to sail for home. The government decided to dispatch a large fleet of 70 warships and two provision fluits to bring in the merchant fleet. Witte de With warned against sending out the fleet, due to his concerns about the weather. In the event, he was right to be concerned, as the fleet was hit by a severe storm off the Texel, and many ships were lost, the equivalent of losing a battle. I am in the process of compiling the list of ships and captains. I hope to get a copy of a list from the Nationaal Archief that seems to have a complete list: "Lijste van onse presente schepen en hoe langh deselve noch gevictualieert sijn" (R. A., Holland, 1830 a; L.A. 5546 I).

Michael Baumber's book General-At-Sea

Overall, my assessment of Michael Baumber's book, General-At-Sea, is worth owning. While there are issues with the book, as far as some details, the book has coverage of Robert Blake's life and career are enough to justify the book. The coverage of the Civil War and the politics surrounding the establishment of the Commonwealth are quite useful. He also has good coverage of the Spanish War, and the events in the Mediterranean Sea involving the English fleet commanded by Blake.

This Blogger server seems to be having troubles

I have been having trouble with Blogger for the past week. This evening, the server that hosts 17th Century Naval Wargaming seems to be having issues, as I am having trouble publishing posts.

Dutch Naval Officer: Cornelis Beekman

Cornelis Beekman served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was born in the province of Gelderland on 17 April 1662 and died on 21 December 1716. He was appointed as a kapitein-ter-zee extra-ordinair in 1692. He was promoted to kapitein-ter-zee in 1696. He commanded in the attack on Vigo in 1702, the capture of Gibraltar in 1704, and Barcelona in 1705. In 1716, he was appointed as Schout-bij-Nacht. Sources:

1. Luc Eekhout, Het Admiralenboek: De Vlagofficieren van de Nederlandse marine 1382-1991, 1992.

A Dutch ship's armament from 1616

We happen to know the armament of a Dutch 36-gun ship in 1616. We don't know which ship it was, but an the listing actually gives the lower deck and upper deck armaments:

Lower deck:

2 brass 24pdr
4-brass 18pdr
2-brass 12pdr
12-culverins, 8pdr

Upper deck:

2-brass 6pdr
6-sakers, 5pdr
8-3pdr steenstukken

This is the only example that I have seen that gave the shot weight for a steenstukken. Sources:

1. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.I, 1858.

Information from January 1639 to September 1640

I have some documents about ships and captains of the Admiralty of Zeeland, dating from January 1639 until September 1640:

Ship         Crew Lasts Commander          Dates

Middelburg   85   200   Joos Banckert      8 Jan  1639-2 June 1640
Vlissingen   ?    ?     Frans Janssen     12 Jan  1639-2 Sept 1640
?            ?    ?     Gerrit Hollare     8 Jan  1639-7 Sept 1639
?            ?    ?     Adriaen Swart     30 Sept 1639-2 July 1640
?            ?    ?     Cornelis Evertsen 13 Jan  1639-2 July 1640
?            ?    ?     Abraham Crijnsen  12 Jan  1639-? Sept 1640
?            ?    ?     Adriaen Janssen   13 Jan  1639-2 July 1640
                          Gloeijenden Oven
Ter Toolen   ?    ?     Frans Mangelaer   12 Jan  1639-12 Sept 1640
?            ?    ?     Bastiaen Tijsz     2 Jan  1639-16 Apr 1640
der Vere     85         Cornelis Ringers   1 Jan  1639-27 Apr 1640

Adriaen Swart seems to have replaced Gerrit Hollare as captain of some ship.

The Koning Radbout (or Radboud)

Dr. Elias writes that the ship Koning Radbout was lost in the storm in late 1653, when Witte de With's fleet was hit when almost home, as they were off the Texel. Dr. Elias writes that the Koning Radbout was a Medemblik Directors' ship. Vreugdenhil disagreed and credit the ship to the Amsterdam Directors. The reason that Vreugdenhil thought that was an intelligence report published in Thurloe that attributed the ship to the Amsterdam Directors. That list gives the captain as "John Rootiers". In fact, this letter, while interesting, is very error-filled. For example, Jan Heck (or Heckas) commanded the Eenhoorn for the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier, not the Amsterdam Directors. Sources:

1. C.T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.V, 1912
2. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.VI, 1930
3. A. Vreugdenhil, Ships of the United Netherlands 1648-1702, 1938

Build dates and sizes from the 23 April 1632 document

One feature of the 23 April 1632 document that gives annual lists of Rotterdam ships from 1628 until 1632 is a list that gives ship names, lasts, and year built. The source is from the Nationaal Archief, Staten Generaal 1.01.04 Inventory number 5506. This is the list:

Ships built in 1628

The Ewer of 50 lasts
The ship Salamander of 110 lasts
The Leeuw of 170 lasts

Ships built in 1629

Prins Hendrick of 180 lasts
The Sonne of 170 lasts
the Grasmeijer of 140 lasts
Keyser Carol of 120 lasts
The ship Bruijnvisch of 120 lasts

Ships built in 1630

The jacht named the Engel of about 60 lasts
The boat St. Jacob of about 80 lasts

Ships built in 1631

Ship Amelia of about 100 lasts
A hoecker ship 
A hoecker ship
A new ship (looks like "op de werss van Hendrick Jorisz")
A new ship (looks like "op de werss als vooren")

The Dutch fleet in about 1636

I have a document from the Nationaal Archief that is written in very sloppy handwriting, as if done hastily. This is from the Staten Generaal 1 01 04, inventory number 5516. The list is somewhat interesting in that it has ship names and captains, ordered by admiralty. Just from the combination of ships and captains, the list appears to date from about 1636. I have slightly annotated the list and used other sources to be able to read almost incipherable names:

Rotterdam

lt-admiraal   Dorp                  Aemilia
vice-admiraal Liefhebber            Dordrecht
kapitein      Willem van Coulster   Gelderlant
kapitein      Sijbrant Vijch        Zeekalf
kapitein      Jan van Dijmen        Prins Hendrik

Amsterdam

kapitein      Joris van Cats        Zuijder Zee
kapitein      Willem van Brederode  Utrecht
kapitein      Jacob Brouwer         Deventer
kapitein      Pieter Meussen Vloo   Walcheren
kapitein      Denijs Tronquoij      Haerlem
kapitein      Jacques Forant        Gouda
kapitein      Jan van Galen         Bul (is in England as a captive 
                                            with his ship)

Zeeland

commandeur    Jan Evertsen          Vlissingen
kapitein      Joost Bankert         Middelburg
kapitein      Frans Jansz           Zeeridder
kapitein      Vlieger               Meerminne
kapitein      Hollare               Hasewint
kapitein      Regermorter           Zierickzee

North Holland

vice-admiraal Quast                 Nassau
kapitein      Claes Ham             Davit (Koning David)
kapitein      Bleecker              Eendracht
?             ?                     Hollandsche Tuijn (kapitein Halfhoorn)
?             ?                     Eenhoorn (kapitein Keert de Koe)

Rotterdam ships in service in 1628

One document from the Nationaal Archief lists Rotterdam ships in service in 1628. I have attempted to read and translate the entries, although several :

 1. ship named the Groene Draeck
 2. the Vergulde Arent]
 3. the Neptunis
 4. Zeecalf
 5. the Dolphijn
 6. the kleine Orangieboom
 7. the jacht the Swarten Arent
 8. the Ewer
 9. the Zeeridder
10. the St. Andries is the 15 April 1628, of the 
         Captain Bockingen, was taken by the enemy. Of 140 lasts
11. the Drie Coningen of 130 lasts is on 15 April 1628, 
      with Captain Pieter Cornelisz was sunk was was the forenamed ship
      at sea were to protect the small fishery
12. the Dubbele Arent
13. the Oude Abraham
14. the Jonas
15. the Swarten Leeuw
16. the Bruijnvisch of 120 lasts, under Captain Snerbur? was taken 
       by the enemy at the end of August 1628
17. the boat St. Anthonis
18. the boat St. Jacob, of 50 lasts, was sold on 16 September 1628
19. the Orangieboom
20. Gelderlant
21. Postpaert
22. the Tonijn
23. the Cleyne Neptunis
24. the Eendracht
25. the Wassende Maen

The English ship, the Hope

The English ship, the Hope, was originally built in 1559. We know the Hope's original dimensions, as many of these were preserved in records:

Length of Keel   Beam   Depth of Hold
94ft             33ft   13ft

We also know the Hope's armament at various dates:

    demi   cannon           demi-                          port 
    cannon perrier culverin culverin saker   minion falcon piece fowler base
   (32pdr) (24pdr) (18pdr)  (9pdr) (5.25pdr)(4pdr)  (3pdr) ?     ?      (1pdr)
1569  9      4       14       7      6         2      8     4     10     12

1585  4      2        6      10      4         2      1     4      6     12

1599  4      2        9      11      4         2            4      2

The Hope took part in the Armada campaign in 1588, where she was commanded by Robert Crosse. By 1604, she had been rebuilt as the Assurance. Sources:

1. E. H. H. Archibald, The Fighting Ship in the Royal Navy AD897-1984 (1987)
2. John Knox Laughton, State Papers Relating to the Defeat of the Spanish Armada Anno 1588, Vol.I (1894)
3. Michael Oppenheim, History of the Administration of the Royal Navy (1896)

My translation from text on page 84 of De Vlootbouw in Nederland

I have thought that I would like to produce a translation of Dr. Elias' book, De Vlootbouw in Nederland. I actually have permission from the Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschapen, which sponsors the Commissie voor Zeegeschiedenis. The book tells the story of the development of Dutch warships from 1596 until 1655. The chapter than includes page 84 is titled "The preceding history of the first petition of the council of state, of 16 November 1652, for the building of 30 new warships". This is my translation of the first part of the page:

It is indeed a noteworthy coincidence that, which may be mentioned, that the English and Dutch fleets at the beginning of 1652, on the eve of their life and death struggle, were almost identical in numerical strength. the English naval force consisted of 86 ships, while ours [the Dutch] was composed of 41 convoyers, 36 cruisers, and 10 ships in the Brazil service that counted as "coast ships", was one ship more. Several ships were subtracted from our margin, at the start of hostilities, through various failures. From the total, four ships in British harbours were taken. Of the ships returning from Brazil, one was sunk by the English, while another was taken as prize. At least two of our total were sold. So the total of our States' ships at the start was 79, not much different from our opponents. Whatever the comparison of numbers of our ships to the English, intrinsically, our fleet was worth less than theirs.

The Amsterdam ship Achilles remains a mystery

The old Amsterdam ship Achilles was quite large (131ft x 29ft x 13ft) and had been built prior to 1648. We suspect that the Achilles had been built prior to 1639, even. This Achilles is not to be confused with the smaller ship built in 1644 and commanded by Dirk Schey during the First Anglo-Dutch War. The larger ship started with an armament of 32 guns, but Vreugdenhil wrote that she eventually carried 40 guns. This ship must be the ninth 40-gun ship in service in March 1653. I am working on filling in the missing details of a list of ships in service in March 1653 in an appendix to Vol.I of De Jonge's Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen. The only problem is that her service during the First Anglo-Dutch War is a mystery. We know that she survived the war until at least July 1654.

English Captain: Richard Dickinson

Richardson Dickinson served in the Restoration navy. In 1665, he was Second Lieutenant on the 2nd Rate Swiftsure. In 1667, he was appointed to command the Joseph fireship. In 1668, the Duke of York appointed him as Second Lieutenant of the Rupert. In 1671, he was Lieutenant of the Dreadnought. In 1672, he was second Lieutenant of the Royal Katherine. Later in 1672, he was Second Captain of the Charles ("Charles the 2nd"). On 12 September 1674, the King appointed him to command the Hunter. On 12 April 1678, the King appointed him to command the Woolwich. On 17 April 1680, the Commissionerss appointed him to command the Diamond. In 1682, he was appointed to command the Tiger prize. Finally, on 23 March 1685 (they called it 1684, in the old style), the King appointed him to command the Oxford. Sources:

1. J.R. Tanner, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts in the Pepysian Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Vol.I, 1903.

English Captain: John Aylett

John Aylett served in both the Commonwealth and Restoration navy. An Aylett family website has information about him. He lived from 1628 to 1669, according to the website. He lived in Boston, Masschusetts "in the early 1650s". In 1655 or 56, he was captured by the Spanish. He was eventually freed and returned to England. He joined the navy and was given command of the 5th Rate Conventry from 1658 to 1660 up to the Restoration when he was dismissed. He returned to the navy in 1664, when the Duke of York appointed him to command the hired ship John and Katherine. He commanded her from 9 September 1664 until 20 January 1665. After that, he commanded the Portland. He fought in the Battle Lowestoft, in June 1665, where he was assigned to Prince Rupert's division in the White Squadron. He fought in the Four Days' Battle, where he was assigned to Sir George Ayscue's division in the White Squadron. Frank Fox says that John Aylett was one of six captains dismissed after the battle. The Portland was damaged in a collision, and he put into Harwich on Saturday, 3 June, during the battle. In 1668, he was appointed to command the Forester. The family website says that he was killed when the old 5th Rate Oxford had been given to the Governor of Jamaica in 1668. In 1669, she exploded killing those who attended a Council of War, including John Aylett. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
2. R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 1966.
3. Frank Fox, "Hired Men-of-War, 1664-7", Part II, The Mariner's Mirror Vol.84 No.2 (May 1998).

English Captain: Thomas Ewens

Thomas Ewens served in the Restoration navy. In 1664, the Duke of York appointed him as captain of the Kent. In June 1665, he fought in the Four Days' Battle, where he was assigned to Robert Sansum's division in the White Squadron. From December 1665 until March 1666, he was with Sir Jeremy Smith's Tangier fleet. In 1666, he joined the fleet in the Four Days' Battle sometime in the period of 3-4 June (old style). In late May, he had taken a prize and he sent it to the Downs to the flagship with the message that a Swede had reported that 75 Dutch warships had sailed from the Texel on 21 May and another 18 warships from Zeeland. King Charles II received the report in London, after in arrive late on 30 May. The Kent was rumoured to have surrendered and to have been recaptured. In any case, Thomas Ewens was dismissed from the service after the battle for cowardice. Sources:

1. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.
2. J.R. Tanner, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts in the Pepysian Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Vol.I, 1903.

English Captain: Humphrey Connisby (or Consby)

Humphrey Connisby (or Consby) served in the Restoration navy. In 1660, he was appointed as Lieutenant of the Assistance. In 1661, he was appointed as Lieutenant of the St. George. He was promoted to Captain in 1662 and given command of the Sorlings. In 1663, he was appointed as captain of the Guernsey. Thomas Allin's journal indicates that in June 1664, Humphrey Connisby was operating with Allin in the Mediterranean area. In June 1665, he fought in the Battle of Lowestoft, where he was assigned to Sir George Ayscue's division in the Blue Squadron. He was discharged from the service by the Duke of York in 1665, presumably for not doing well at the Battle of Lowestoft. By August, he was gone from the navy. Sources:

1. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.
2. David Syrett, R. L. DiNardo, The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy 1660-1815, 1994.
3. J.R. Tanner, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts in the Pepysian Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Vol.I, 1903.

English Captain: Robert Hatubb

Robert Hatubb served in the Restoration navy. He commanded the hired ship George (40 guns) from 18 February 1665 until 28 September. He was apparently appointed as a captain in 1664, but the George was not hired until early 1665. He fought in the Battle of Lowestoft, where he was assigned to Sir William Berkeley's division in the Red Squadron. During the operation against Bergen, he was with the main fleet, and not present. He took part in the actions of 3 and 9 September 1665, shortly before his ship was paid off. Robert Hatubb was apparently not employed again, although he seems to be performed credibly. He at least was not courtmartialed or dismissed. Sources:

1. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.
2. Frank Fox, "Hired Men-of-War, 1664-7", Part II, The Mariner's Mirror Vol.84 No.2 (May 1998).
3. David Syrett, R. L. DiNardo, The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy 1660-1815, 1994.
4. J.R. Tanner, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts in the Pepysian Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Vol.I, 1903.

English Captain: Arnold Brown

Arnold Browne definitely served in the Restoration navy. Someone named Arnold Browne commanded the hired ship London in 1653, so perhaps that was the same man. Anderson's Mariner's Mirror article called him Arthur Browne, but the list of captains from 1642 to 1660 was done much later, so that list is more authoritative. Arnold (or Arthur) Browne fought in the Battle of the Gabbard where he was assigned to James Peacock's division in the Red Squadron. In 1661, Arnold Browne was appointed to command the 3rd Rate Dunkirk. In 1663, he was operating under Thomas Allin's command in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1664, he was appointed to command the 3rd Rate Anne. He was dismissed from the service sometime in 1664. 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, The Journals of Sir Thomas Allin, Vol.I 1660-1666, 1939.
3. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
4. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898.
5. David Syrett, R. L. DiNardo, The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy 1660-1815, 1994.