Ron van Maanen on the Friesland ship Groningen

Ron van Maanen has quite a bit about the Friesland ship Groningen, captured by the English in 1665. He wonders if this is the same ship as the Groenwolt that is mentioned in the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654. That is my conclusion, at least, as Dr. Weber apparently thought that, at least that is my interpretation of his listing for the Black Spread Eagle (the captured Groningen) in his book about the Four Days' Battle. He has a variety of measurements and quite a few gun lists for different dates. This is based on Ron's list:

The ship Groningen

Date         Length    Beam  Hold     Height between decks
2 March 1654 134ft     34ft  14ft     7-1/2ft
1665         132ft     31ft  14-1/2ft 6-1/2ft
1665         132-1/2ft 32ft  16ft     6ft

Guns   24pdr 18pdr 12pdr 8pdr 6pdr
1665         10    12    18    6
1665    2     6    14    16    2

Sources:

1. H.A. van Foreest and R.E.J. Weber, De Vierdaagse Zeeslag 11-14 Juni 1666, 1984
2. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated but circa 1992

When I saw that the Admiralty of Zeeland had two ships, one with 18 guns and another with 20 guns in 1652, I thought it must be a mistake

My reaction to seeing the list derived from the 1652 Hollandsche Mercurius that showed Lambert Bartelszoon's ship carrying 18 guns and having a crew of 100 men and Johannes Michielszoon's ship with 20 guns and a crew of 100 men, I thought it must be a mistake. The figures were repeated in Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet, so I started to take them more seriously. Now that I have Witte de With's journals, I know that the figures are correct. The May 1653 list from Witte de With's letters (E8811) oddly enough lists these ships as Zeeland Directors' ships. As Johannes Michielszoon had been killed in the Three Days Battle (Portland), there was a different captain (Jan Hoesen). At this date, the two ships had 90 men crews. I have speculated that Lambert Bartelszoon's ship was the Japonder, which had been purchased in 1652 with 12 guns on board. By 1653, the Japonder was renamed Dordrecht. Ron van Maanen says that by March1653, the Dordrecht had a crew of 70 sailors and 20 soldiers, and carried 4-12pdr, 7-6pdr, and 6-3pdr. The length of the jacht Dordrecht was probably 100 ft, despite the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654, which gave the figure as 85ft. Sources:

1. Pieter Casteleyn, Hollandsche Mercurius, 1652
2. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated, but circa 1992
3. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652
4. Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654, 1654
5. Witte de With, letters from 1653 to 1658, Archive E8811 from the Riksarkivet, Stockholm

Ron van Maanen has the dimensions of the Vrede (1653) in Maas feet

I like to see examples where we have the dimensions for a ship in both Maas feet (12 inches per foot) and Amsterdam feet (11 inches per foot). I noticed that Ron van Maanen lists the dimensions for the Rotterdam frigate Vrede (1653) in both measures:

The frigate Vrede

In Maas feet:
Length:  101-3/4ft       Beam:  25ft     Hold:  11ft

In Amsterdam feet:
Length:  111ft           Beam:  27ft-3in Hold:  12ft

Sources:

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

The small frigate Gelderland only had 22 guns

The small frigate Gelderland, seemingly built in 1639, really seems to be a 22-gun ship, as is indicated by the 26 February 1652 document. Ron van Maanen has the following references:

4 March 1652:  100ft x 23ft x 8ft
16 Nov 1652:   4-12pdr, 10-8pdr, 6-6pdr, 4-4pdr
25 March 1653: 4-12pdr, 10-8pdr, 6-6pdr, 4-4pdr
1654:          2-12pdr, 10-8pdr, 6-6pdr, 4-4pdr
13 April 1655: 4-12pdr, 8-8pdr, 6-6pdr, 4-4pdr
17 July 1655:  100ft long (Maas feet)

Lists of ships

Ron van Maanen's list has dates for gun lists and even dimensions. From that, there are obviously some significant lists. Sadly, I do not have the references for them. Just having dates is insufficient to find the lists, but at least we know that they exist. Some examples:

1. Admiralty of Zeeland 29 March 1653 this seems be a very significant list
2. Admiralty of Amsterdam 16 November 1653
3. Admiralty of Amsterdam 5 April 1653
4. Admiralty of the Maze 25 March 1653

I need to more seriously analyzed Ron's lists to find the lists, so that I can differentiate between the lists and dates for information about individual ships

Ron van Maanen says that Hendrick Jansz Camp commanded the Wapen van Nassau in early 1653

Hendrick Jansz Camp is one of the few captains mentioned by name in Ron van Maanen's list. Ron says that Hendrick Jansz Camp commanded the ship called Wapen van Nassau (130ft x 32ft x 12ft, 7ft height between decks). The ship was also known as the Wapen van Friesland. That differs from what the researcher who contributed to De Sneuper wrote. He calls that ship the Groningen (36 guns). Sources:

1. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated but circa 1992
2. E. Smits, "OVERZICHT SCHEPEN IN VLOOTLIJSTEN EN ANDERE STUKKEN BEHORENDE BIJ DE FRIESE ADMIRALITEIT VAN 1597 TOT 1795", De Sneuper, 1995

Ron van Maanen says that Hendrick Jansz Camp commanded the Wapen van Nassau in early 1653

Hendrick Jansz Camp is one of the few captains mentioned by name in Ron van Maanen's list. Ron says that Hendrick Jansz Camp commanded the ship called Wapen van Nassau (130ft x 32ft x 12ft, 7ft height between decks). The ship was also known as the Wapen van Friesland. That differs from what the researcher who contributed to De Sneuper wrote. He calls that ship the Groningen (36 guns). Sources:

1. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated but circa 1992
2. E. Smits, "OVERZICHT SCHEPEN IN VLOOTLIJSTEN EN ANDERE STUKKEN BEHORENDE BIJ DE FRIESE ADMIRALITEIT VAN 1597 TOT 1795", De Sneuper, 1995

Ron van Maanen has a bit more information about the old Rotterdam 40-gun ship Gelderland

I was looking at Ron van Maanen's list and saw that he had some additional information about the old (in 1652) Rotterdam ship Gelderland (40 guns). This is the ship that was commanded by Michiel Fransz van den Bergh during the First Anglo-Dutch War. The usual dimensions that have been published are in Maas feet of 12 inches: 118ft x 28ft x 12-1/2ft. My estimated dimensions in Amsterdam feet of 11 inches are: 128-1/2ft x 30-1/2ft x 13-1/2ft. Ron says that the ship was 250 lasts, which seems to be the standard, if nominal size for the 40-gun ships of about 128ft. The ship was built in 1634. Ron has the list of guns for three dates: 11 November 1652, 25 March 1653, and the 1654 list from the Staet van Oorlog te Water. The lists are probably all the same armament. The first and third gun lists are: 18-18pdr, 12-12pdr, 8-6pdr, and 2-4pdr. The middle list has the following: 2-18pdr, 16-16pdr, 12-12pdr, 8-6pdr, and 2-4pdr. This seems like it could be more correct, and the others included the 16-pdr guns as 18 pdrs. Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2006
2. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated but circa 1992

The VOC frigate Sphaera Mundi in 1665

Ron van Maanen has the dimensions for the frigate Sphaera Mundi that fought in the Battle of Lowestoft in June 1665. The Sphaera Mundi was a ship belonging to the Middelburg Chamber of the VOC, and was commanded by Simon Loncke (1635-1676). These are the details about the Sphaera Mundi:

The frigate Sphaera Mundi, Capt. Simon Loncke

Length from stem to sternpost:  126ft
Beam:                            28ft
Hold:                            13-1/2ft
Height between decks:             6ft

40 guns

Crew:
140 sailors
 60 soldiers

Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2006
2. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated but circa 1992

To some extent, we can match the pages of the outline list from July 1653 with Witte de With's journal

Now that we have Witte de With's journal, with most captain's names in the lists, we can start to fill out the details contained in the outline document of ships at Vlissingen in early July 1653. The latter document essentially lists all ships at the Battle of the Gabbard, in June 1653, although it omits almost all captains' names and all but a few ship names. Since our analysis centers on matching captain's names to ships, we can deal relatively easily with the list. For example, the list from July 1653 has the four Rotterdam Directors' ships listed:

number 56  unready. small and unready
number 57  unready, as 56
number 57  unready. Fluit of war
number 58  ready. (the Dutch is something like "mit dat de Bark vermaekt werda")

From Witte de With's list, we see the captains, and we can add information that we know:

Adm   Ship          Guns  Crew   Captain
R-Dir Hollandia     26     95    Ruth Jacobsz Buys
R     Roskam        24     95    Corstiaen Elderszoon
R-Dir Sint Pieter                Sijmon Cornelisz van der Meer
R-Dir Prins         38    168    Jacob Cleijdijck

We believe that the Roskam was actually hired by the Admiralty of the Maze (Rotterdam). Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005
2. Staten Generaal 1.01.04 Inv. Nr. 5556, "List of ships at Vlissingen on 2 July 1653", 1653
3. Witte de With, journals from 1652 to 1658, Archive E8812 from the Riksarkivet, Stockholm

The Geldersche Ruiter in 1665

Ron van Maanen says that the ship Gelderesche Ruiter, captured by the English in 1665, was an East Indiaman. The was the ship also known as the Ruyter van Gelder. He has the details:

The ship Gelderesche Ruiter

Length from stem to sternpost:  140ft
Beam:                            29ft
Hold:                            14ft
Height over hold:                 7ft

46 guns:
4-18pdr, 18-12pdr, 12-8pdr, 14-6pdr, 8-3pdr
(This doesn't add up.  There are an extra 10 guns somewhere here)

Crew: 200 men

Sources:

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

Felip Joosten's ship in September 1652

Witte de With's journal for September 1652 lists the guns and crew for Felip Joosten's ship: 38 guns and a crew of 138 men. Then I looked at my unpublished list of Dutch captains and ships, "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", and realized that he commanded a ship named Hollandia. I immediately wondered if this ship was that used by Jan Evertsen as his flagship. Perhaps Felip Joosten was Jan Evertsen's flag captain. In any case, Felip Joosten's ship seems to be the same ship, as there was no other 38-gun ship named Hollandia. That ship was 120ft x 29ft. By late 1652, Adriaan Bankert commanded the ship and was Evertsen's flag captain. The Hollandia was eventually lost at the Battle of Scheveningen. By then, Jan Evertsen flew his flag in a new ship, the Vlissingen. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.V, 1912
2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2006
3. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated, but circa 1992
4. Witte de With, journals from 1652 to 1658, Archive E8812 from the Riksarkivet, Stockholm

There is no evidence of the Achilles of 1644 in the First Anglo-Dutch War

As of now, there is no evidence that the ship listed as number 2 in Vreugdenhil's list, a ship named Achilles, built in 1644, participated in the First Anglo-Dutch War. I had assumed that Dirk Schey's ship was the Achilles of 1644, but the list of Amsterdam ships from the Wrangell Collection dispelled that mistaken idea. What was clear is that Dirk Schey's ship was the ship listed as number 1 in Vreugdenhil's list and which has a minor appearance in the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654. Dirk Schey's ship is hardly recognizable, as the Staet was probably Vreugdenhil's source for ship number 1, and that listing says the armament was 32 to 40 guns. The actual listings for the First Anglo-Dutch War all attribute an armament of 28 guns to Dirk Schey's ship. I can only positively identify Dirk Schey's ship in the list in The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, circa page 310. While there are lists that mention the Achilles, built in 1644, as late as 1655 (in an appendix to De Vlootbouw in Nederland), no other document can be shown to mention the ship. The other Achilles seems to be disappear after March 1653. 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. Witte de With, journals from 1652 to 1658, Archive E8812 from the Riksarkivet, Stockholm
5. list of Amsterdam hired ships from the Wrangell Collection, Riksarkivet, Stockholm

The 12 gun yacht Graaf Willem was listed anywhere

One striking thing is that now that we have access to Witte de With's journals, that the Friesland jacht Graaf Willem (12 guns) listed in Vreugdenhil as number 27 is not visible in any published or unpublished source for 1652 and 1653 that I have seen. The only Friesland jacht that is seen in the First Anglo-Dutch War is the hired 16-gun jacht Waterhond. The implication had been that Jan Coenders' ship in 1653 was the jacht, but he actually commanded a hired ship named Graaf Willem (24 guns and a crew of 85 men), as we can see in Witte de With's lists. That explains why only the 16-gun jacht is listed in the March 1653 list in Vol.I of Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen.

Noorderkwartier hired ships in 1652 and 1653

Another black hole of information surrounds the ships hired by the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier in 1652 and 1653. The ships and captains are easily listed, although there actually be more from later in 1653:

Adm    Ship              Guns  Crew  Captain
N      Prins Maurits     28    105   Cornelis Taenman
N      Burcht (?)        24    100   Pieter Aldertszoon
N      Alkmaar           28     95   Jan Warnaertsz Capelman
N      Burgh van Alkmaar 24     95   Gerrit Nobel
N      a ship            ?     ?     commandeur Bourgoigne
N      Nieuw Kasteel     ?     ?     Claes Allertszoon
N      Peereboom         24     80   Tijs Tijmensz Peereboom
N      Profeet Samuel    30    ?     Reynst Cornelisz Sevenhuysen
N      Rode Leeuw        24     85   Reynst Cornelisz Sevenhuysen
N      Scheletje         24     70   Teunis Vechterszoon
N      Stad Medemblik    26    100   Pieter Schellinger
N      Tobias            26     90   Willem Ham/Jan Ham
N      Wapen van Holland 30          Herman Munnekes (Munnick)

Why are there are there no details of ships hired by the Admiralty of Rotterdam or the Rotterdam Directors?

One mystery, given that the warships built by the Admiralty of Rotterdam, or Admiralty of the Maze, were generally listed with a good deal of information about the ships. In the 1628 to 1633 timeframe, you just did not see dimensions listed, but Rotterdam had the gun lists in most cases. The Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654 had the dimensions (although usually in Maas feet) and lists of guns carried as well. The Admiralty of Amsterdam, during the same period generally had the same sort of data listed, as well. Perhaps the least well documented admiralty was Zeeland. I was surpiised to see that for ships hired in Amsterdam, we had dimensions for ships hired by the Admiralty of Friesland in 1652.

Now, that we have found information about the Amsterdam hired ships for 1652 and 1653, I have seen Ron van Maanen's list of Dutch warships for 1600 to 1800, and was amazed to see that he has a good bit of information about ships hired by the Noorderkwartier Directors, the Zeeland Directors, and to a lesser extent, the Admiralty of Zeeland and Friesland. The only thing he has for the Admiralty of Rotterdam was the gun list for the hired ship Gulden Beer on 25 March 1653. From Dr. Elias, we had the gun list for the English prize Rozenkrans (the former English Garland). There is seemingly nothing else for Rotterdam hired ships. That seems odd, given that the notary archives for Rotterdam have survived. We might expect, given what was found in Amsterdam, that we might find something similar in Rotterdam. I understand that the Zeeland notary archives did not survive World War II. We can only hope that there is notary information about hired ships in the archives in the cities of north Holland (Hoorn, Monnikendam, Edam, Medemblik, and Enkhuizen).

Pieter Adriaansz van Blocker's ship, the Liefde

Pieter Adriaansz van Blocker commanded a Hoorn Directors' ship that was apparently named the Liefde. I reached that conclusion after studying Ron van Maanen's list. On 30 June 1652, Pieter Adriaansz van Blocker was in Jan Evertsen's squadron with the fleet. He took part in the voyage to the Shetlands in July to August 1652. In September 1652, his ship was lying in the Duijntjes with Witte de With's fleet. He presumably fought in the Battle of the Kentish Knock, and was also in the Battle of of Dungeness, where he was assigned to Pieter Florissen's squadron. The Liefde was a very long and narrow ship:

The ship, the Liefde, Capt. Pieter Adriaansz van Blocker

Length from stem to sternpost:  135-1/2ft
Beam:                            27ft
Hold:                            13-1/2ft
Height over hold:                 6-1/4ft

28 guns
Crew: 110 men in August 1652

Sources:

1. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898
2. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.II, 1900
3. Dr. S. R. Gardiner, and C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.III, 1906
4. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated but circa 1992
5. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652

In September 1652, the crews of some Amsterdam ships had become quite small

In Witte de With's journal for September 1652, we can see that the crews of some of the Amsterdam and Amsterdam Directors' ships had become quite small. This is a list of examples:

Adm    Ship              Guns  Crew   Captain
A      Leiden            30     92    Cornelis Jol (also called Hoola)
A      Zutphen           26     91    Ewout Jeroensz
A      Hollandsche Tuin  24     70    Hillebrandt Jeroensz
A      Gouden Leeuw      24     59    Gillis Tijssen Campen
A      Hollandia         32    107    Albert Claesz de Graeff
A      Zeelandia         34    105    Lt-Commandeur Nicolaes Marrevelt
A-Dir  Faam              28     96    Jacob Swart
A-Dir  Witte Lam         30     80    Cornelis van Houten
A-Dir  Arke Troijane     28     88    Abraham van Campen
A-Dir  Sint Francisco    28     91    Stoffel Juriaensz

Sources:

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

Some captains of Amsterdam Directors' ships

From the journals of Witte de With, I now know the names of two new captains. The guns and crew are as of 11 September 1653:

Adm    Ship                 Guns Crew Captain         Length Beam Hold  Height
A-Dir  Hercules             27   104  Capt. Veeneman  120    28.5 13    7
A-Dir  Keurvorst van Keulen 32   124  Sijmon Dootjes  131    30   13.25 7

Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Directors Ship Information", 2004
2. Witte de With, journals from 1652 to 1658, Archive E8812 from the Riksarkivet, Stockholm

The Prins Willem and Henrietta Louise in September 1652

Perhaps the guns and crews for the two large East Indiamen that fought in the Battle of the Kentish Knock on 8 October 1652 might be of interest to someone. The journals of Witte de With have figures that I did not expect to see:

Adm    Ship              Guns  Crew  Captain
Mi-VOC Prins Willem      56    283   Jacob Gaeuw
Mi-VOC Henrietta Louise  48    228   Pieter Marcuszoon

Dr. Ballhausen actually has a reaasonable figure for the Prins Willem in his book, on page 365, where he gave 56 guns and a crew of about 280 men. For the "Louisa Hendrika", a variation of the Henrietta Louise name, he gave the figure of 45 guns and a crew of about 220 men, which were oddly enough, not far from the truth. Sources:

1. Dr. Carl Ballhausen, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654, 1923
2. Witte de With, journals from 1652 to 1658, Archive E8812 from the Riksarkivet, Stockholm

Dutch warships on 17 April 1653 and somewhat later (corrected)

There is a list of ships in The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, which we can better complete than at any time in the past (this was corrected for the Zwarte Bul):

Ships that sailed for the rendezvous at the Wielingen,
 after Witte de With had sailed:
Adm    Ship             Guns Crew  Captain
A      Bommel           34   110   Pieter van Braeckel
A      Zutphen          26   120   Hillebrandt Jeroenszoon
A      Westfriesland    28   110   Hendrick Huyskens
A-Dir  Catherina        28   110   Jacob Jansz Coppe
R-VOC  Wapen van Nassau 32   124   Jan Arensz van der Werff
N      Stad Medemblik   30   108   Pieter Schellinger

Ships that sailed on 23 April 1653

F      Postpaert        30   106   Isaac Codde
A-VOC  Gerechtigheid    34   105   Evert Swart
A-VOC  Mercurius        36   110   Pieter de Bitter
En-Dir Vergulde Zon     28   115   Jacob Claesz Duijm
Ha-Dir Sint Vincent     28   110   Ariaan Heeres Kleijntje

The following ships were lying in the Texel roads in late April 1653:

A      Vrede            44   192   Commandeur Gideon de Wildt
A      Overijssel       30   114   Jan van Kampen
A      Gouda            30   114   Jan Egbertsz Ooms
A      Gelderland       30   114   Cornelis van Velsen
A      Zeelandia        34   130   Nicolaes Marrevelt
A      Hollandsche Tuin 24    97   Lt-Commandeur Joris Block
Mi-VOC Zwarte Bul       36   139   Willem Folkertszoon
Ed-Dir Halve Maan       30   107   Hendrick Pieterszoon
A-Dir  Sint Matheeus    34*  125*  the ship formerly
                                    commanded by Cornelis Naeuoogh
A-Dir  Faam             28   130   Jacob Cornelisz Swart (apparently)

Ship recently arrived in the Texel in late April 1653:

A      Vrijheid               50   207   Abraham van der Hulst
A      Campen                 40   158   Willem van der Zaan
N      Casteel van Medemblick 28   106   Adriaan Houttuijn

Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910
2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005
3. Witte de With, journals from 1652 to 1658, Archive E8812 from the Riksarkivet, Stockholm

Jan Coenders' ship Graaf Willem

Jan Coenders did not command the 12-gun jacht Graaf Willem, but did command a fluit hired in Groningen in April 1653. That can be seen in Witte de With's journals. Ron van Maanen has the details of the Graaf Willem:

The fluit Graaf Willem, Capt. Jan Coenders

Length from stem to sternpost:  129ft
Beam:                            28ft
Hold:                            12ft
Height over hold:                 6-1/2ft

26 guns:
14-8pdr, 9-6pdr, 3-4pdr

Crew: 90 men

Sources:

1. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated but circa 1992
2. Witte de With, journals from 1652 to 1658, Archive E8812 from the Riksarkivet, Stockholm

Friesland ships in the First Anglo-Dutch War

A list from Witte de With's journals for 17 September 1652 gives the list of Friesland ships with the fleet on 17 September 1652:

Admiralty of Friesland
                                      Weeks of
Captain                    Crew  Guns  Victuals  Ship (not in journal)
Capt. Belevelt            
Capt. Wigglema             108   29    13        Frisia
Capt. Degelcamp             77   28    11        Gelderland
Capt. Adriaan Bruijnsvelt  103   28    13        Breda

The list had changed by May 1653:

Admiralty of Friesland

Captain                    Crew  Guns  Ship (not in journal)
Capt. Jacob Codde          106   30    Postpaert
Capt. Coenders              85   24    Graaf Willem
Capt. Tijmen Claesz        110   28    Westergo
Capt. Bulter                    (42)   Kameel

Directors' ships of Friesland

Captain                    Crew  Guns  Ship (not in journal)
Capt. Kleijntje            110   28    Sint Vincent

The list for July 1653 is more difficult to read:

Admiralty of Friesland

Captain                        Crew  Guns  Ship
Lt-Commandeur Buijbe Juckes     109   30
(Capt. Jan Coenders)             90   26    Graaf Willem
the Lt of Capt. Bruynsvelt      116   32    Breda (not in journal)
Capt. Cornelies Alles Oosteroon  60   16    Waterhond (not in journal)
Capt. Wagenaer                  134   34    Graaf Hendrick (not in journal)

There is also information about the fleet in September to November 1653:

Admiralty of Friesland

Captain                    Crew  Guns  Ship
Capt. Bruynsvelt           124   32    Breda
Capt. Wagenaer             120   34    Graaf Hendrick

Directors' ships of Friesland

Captain                    Crew  Guns  Ship
Capt. Kleijntje            101   28    Sint Vincent

Zeeland Directors' ships with Witte de With's fleet in October 1653

Witte de With's journal does not specify the cities as was the custom in 1652, but he lists the names and captains of the Zeeland Directors' ships in his fleet. We should be able to supply the guns and crew for those ships from earlier lists in the journal:

Ship             guns  crew  Captain
Leeuw            34    126   Pensen
Leeuwinne        34    110   Vermeulen
Luipaart         37    130   Tieby
Milde Marten     26    100   Jan Matthijsz (or hired by the Adm.)
Haes             30    110   Bastiaan Sempsem
Gecroonde Liefde 34    128   Marcus Hartman
nieuw Vlissingen 39    145   Jacob Wolfertsz
Dubbele Arent    28    108   Teunis Poort

Hendrick Adriaansz Glas

From the journals of Witte de With, I have found that Hendrick Adriaansz Glas served the Amsterdam Directors, and commanded the Amsterdam Directors' ship Burgh. There is a document that shows that the Burgh fought in the Three Days Battle (Portland), as the ship needed repairs following the battle. Captain Glas and the Burgh seem to have served through the rest of 1653. There is a document from the Nationaal Archief that gives the details of that ship, but Ron van Maanen's document also has them:

The ship, the Burgh, Capt. Hendrick Adriaansz Glas

Length from stem to sternpost:  130ft
Beam:                            30ft
Hold:                            12ft

34 guns (April 1653): 4-24pdr, 14-12pdr, 10-8pdr, 4-6pdr, 2-2pdr

Crew: 112 men

Sources:

1. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated but circa 1992
2. Witte de With, journals from 1652 to 1658, Archive E8812 from the Riksarkivet, Stockholm

The lists from the Witte de With archives from Sweden have overturned a lot that I had thought to be true

There are numerous examples of where I was mistaken or the published sources were mistaken about ships. Especially, Witte de With's journals from 1652 to 1658, archive E8812, have shown that often, published sources were mistaken and that estimates I had made were wrong. Some examples of the real information:

Captain                 Adm    Ship       Guns Crew Notes
Joost Bulter            F      Kameel      42       (not the Groningen Directors)
Pieter de Bitter        A-VOC  Mercurius   36  110  (not 40 guns and a crew of 200)
Frederick Stellingwerf  F      Zevenwolden 34  133  (not 38 guns and a crew of 135)
Pieter Gorcum           Z      ?           24   90  (not 17 guns and a crew of 60)

Another reason to think that the Engel Gabriel and Engel were the same ship

I suspect that the Engel Gabriel (28 guns) is the same as the Engel (28 guns). There is basically no record of the service of the 28-gun Engel Gabriel, but there is for the 28-gun Engel, which was commanded by Maarten Schaeff. The Engel Gabriel was hired on 19 June 1652, and had the following dimensions: 120ft x 27-1/2ft x 12-3/4ft. The armament was 6-12pdr, 12-6pdr, 8-4pdr, and 2-3pdr. The crew was 100 men. This is from the papers of Dr. Simon Hart, from the Gemeentearchief Amsterdam. Ron van Maanen has the following about the Engel on 5 April 1653: 4-12pdr, 12-8pdr, 10-4pdr, and 2-3pdr. The crew was between 100 and 110 men. I believe that the armament could have evolved to this, after the big upgunning of ships after the Battle of the Kentish Knock. Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships and Captain 1652-1654", 2006
2. Dr. Simon Hart, papers from the Amsterdam notarial archives, Gemeentearchief Amsterdam: Arch. nr. 883, Inv. nr. 471
3. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated, but circa 1992

A second Friesland ship Sint Nicolaas

Ron van Maanen was confused by the fact that there were apparently two ships named Sint Nicolaas that served in the First Anglo-Dutch War. I think that very likely, the small ship, the Groninger Sint Nicolaes was the ship sunk in the collision, and larger Sint Nicolaas that was still in service in 1653 was another (quite obviously). I have thought that this Sint Nicolaas might have been the ship commanded by Capt. Belevelt that is mentioned in the fall of 1652 by Witte de With. These are the details provided by Ron:

The ship Sint Nicolaas

Length from stem to sternpost:  116ft
Beam:                            26ft
Hold:                            12 or 12-1/4ft

Height over hold:                 5-1/2 or 5-3/4ft

24-32 guns

Crew: 76-90 men

Sources:

1. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.II, 1900
2. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated but circa 1992

The Groninger St. Nicolaes

We have a copy of a page from Dr. S. Hart's papers (numbered 1379) that has the notary record for hiring what the page calls the "Groninger St. Nicolaes". The ship was hired in Amsterdam on 10 June 1652. The captain was Andries van den Bouckhorst. Ron van Maanen has an entry in "Dutch Warships 1600-1800" about this ship, which he calls the "Groeningen Nicolaes". This seems to be the ship that was sunk by collision in the summer of 1652. Capt. Bouckhorst was apparently drowned when the ship sank. The dimensions from Ron van Maanen are: 106ft x 25-1/2ft x 11ft. All the numbers in the notary record are spelled out, which is a challenge for me. He lists the armament, which was 24 guns: 4-8pdr, 8-6pdr, 10-4pdr, and 2-2pdr. The list of ships in De Ruyter's convoying fleet gave the armament as 23 guns. Sources:

1. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.II, 1900
2. S. Hart, papers from the Amsterdam notarial archives, Gemeentearchief Amsterdam: Arch. nr. 883, Inv. nr. 471
3. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated but circa 1992

The Amsterdam ship Dolfijn built in 1633

The Amsterdam ship Dolfijn (1633) fought in the First Anglo-Dutch War and was lost at the Battle of Scheveningen on 10 August 1653. The ship was commanded by Gerbrand Schatter. Ron van Maanen has some more details beyond what we had known:

The ship Dolfijn, Capt. Gerbrand Schatter

                             "traditional"    5 April 1653
Length from stem to sternpost:  116ft      or 120ft
Beam:                            25ft      or  28ft
Hold:                            12ft      or  10-1/2ft
Height over hold:                 ?        or   6-1/4ft

32 guns:
16 November 1653:  8-12pdr, 12-8pdr, 12-6pdr, 4-4pdr
 5 April 1653:     8-12pdr, 16-8pdr, 8-6pdr

Crew: (1 April 1653)
100 sailors and 20 soldiers

Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005
2. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated but circa 1992

The Beurs van Amsterdam

Ron van Maanen has the details about the ship Beurs van Amsterdam, which fought in the Battle of Lowestoft in 1665. I have supplemented that with information from Brandt and Frank Fox's book, A Distant Storm. The Beurs was apparently a VOC ship that had been built in 1654. This was another ship where the number of guns was increased by carrying many of the smallest guns, which seems to have not been worthwhile. These are the details:

The ship Beurs van Amsterdam, Capt. Cornelis Muts (in June and August 1665)

Length from stem to sternpost:  130ft
Beam:                            31-1/2ft
Hold:                            12-3/4ft
Height over the hold:             7ft

52 guns:
 4-18pdr
20-12pdr
10-3pdr

Crew: 190 sailors and 45 soldiers in August 1665

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

What is apparently the Vlissingen Directors' ship Dubbele Arend

Ron van Maanen has some details about a ship hired by the Vlissingen Directors called the Arend. All of the indications are that this ship is the Dubbele Arend, originally commanded by Allert Janszoon, but which was commanded by his luitenant Teunis Poort after late 1652. He certainly commanded the Dubbele Arend at the Battle of Dungeness, and apparently after that. This is what Ron has on this ship:

The ship Dubbele Arend, Capt. Allert Janszoon

Length from stem to sternpost:  112ft
Beam:                            26ft
Hold:                            12ft
Height over the hold:             6ft

26 guns (as of 19 December 1652):
 2-12pdr
10-8pdr
10-6pdr
 4-4pdr

Crew:  100 men (Ron says 98-118 men)

An alternative set of data for the Engel Gabriel, Isaac Sweers' ship

One set of information from the papers collected by Dr. S. Hart from the Gemeentearchief Amsterdadm is about the Engel Gabriel. The inventory is signed by Isaac Sweers, so that is pretty definitive that it is about his ship. These are the details from that document. They differ from the dimensions in the document from the Wrangell Collection. I have filled in some of the missing information from the Wrangell Collection and from The First Dutch War, Vol.IV:

The ship Engel Gabriel, Capt. Isaac Sweers

Length from stem to sternpost:  136ft
Beam:                            29ft-6in
Hold:                           (13-6in?)
Height over the hold:             7ft

36 guns:
18-12pdr
 2-8pdr
12-6pdr
 4-4pdr

Crew: (130 men)

My source for the name of Cornelis Rocusz Fincen's ship is Dr.Ballhausen's book

I was just looking at my unpublished paper, "Dutch Captains", and saw that my source for the name of Cornelis Rocusz Fincen's ship's name is Dr. Ballhausen's book. Dr. Ballhausen wrote that the Zierikzee Directors' ship was named Liefde. This was a ship that carried 34 guns and had a crew of 110 men. Ron van Maanen doesn't list a Zierikzee Directors' ship, so he is of no help in verifying the name.

The hired ship Engel Gabriel (28 guns)

I noticed that the Amsterdam hired ship Engel Gabriel (28 guns) had Evert Pietersz Swart as its skipper (schipper) in mid-1652. In 1653, he commanded the VOC ship Gerechtigheid. The papers of Dr. S. Hart from the Gemeentearchief Amsterdam have some pages devoted to the ship Engel Gabriel:

The ship Engel Gabriel, schipper Evert Pietersz Swart

Length from stem to sternpost: 120ft
Beam:                           27-1/2ft
Hold:                           12-3/4ft
Height above hold:               6ft

28 guns:
 6-12pdr
12-6pdr
 8-4pdr
 2-3pdr

Crew: 110 men

This ship is not mentioned by Ron van Maanen and I am unclear on what role the ship played in the First Anglo-Dutch War. We do have many details about the ship, however.

The ship Frisia, blown up in the Three Days Battle

Ron van Maanen as the details about the ship Frisia, commanded by Schelte Wiglema (or is it Wichelma?) in 1652 and early 1653. The ship was destroyed by explosion at the Three Days Battle (the Battle of Portland), probably on the first day, 28 February 1653. There are some troubling aspects of Ron's information, in that there are notes dated 4/1653 and 20/5/1653, which are both after the ship was lost. I have experience with at least two other lists which had a ship that had already been lost (the West Capelle, lost at the Battle of Scheveningen). The lists were the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654 and the 1655 list summarized in an appendix to De Vlootbouw in Nederland. This is the information that Ron has about the Frisia, augmented by what I already knew. I never expected to know any of this:

The ship Frisia, Capt. Wigelma

Length from stem to sternpost:  120ft
Beam:                            28ft
Hold:                            11ft
Height over hold:                 7ft

28 guns:
2-12pdr
4-10pdr
10-6pdr
4-5pdr

Crew: 100 to 110 men

De Ruyter's flagship in the summer of 1665: the Delfland

Ron van Maanen has the details about the Delfland, which served as Michiel De Ruyter's flagship in the summer of 1665. In his list, Dutch Warships 1600-1800, he says that the Delfland was built for Spain and hired by the Delft chamber of the VOC.

The ship Delfland

Length from stem to sternpost:  153ft
Beam:                            37ft
Hold:                            15ft
Height over hold:                 7-3/4ft

64 guns:
Lower deck:   4-24pdr, 20-18pdr
Upper deck:   20-12pdr
Quarter deck: 16-6pdr
Cabin:        4-3pdr

70 Guns 29 April 1665:  1-36pdr, 4-24pdr, 21-18pdr, 20-12pdr, 24-8pdr 

Another mystery solved: the West Cappelle in 1653 and 1654

Ron van Maanen's document "Dutch Warships 1600-1800" provides an answer to another question. We knew that Claes Jansz Sanger's ship, the West Cappelle was taken by the English and destroyed at the Battle of Scheveningen in 1653. Captain Sanger was taken prisoner, in the process. However, the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654 listed the ship, still as being the ship built in 1638, as did Dr. Elias in an appendix to De Vlootbouw in Nederland. Ron says that a new, smaller West Cappelle was built in 1654, and continued in service until 1667. Ab Hoving, several years ago, told me that he had thought that would prove to be the explanation.

The ship Batavia, which fought in the Battle of Lowestoft

Nicolaas Naalhout commanded the ship Batavia at the Battle of Lowestoft. Ron van Maanen says that the Batavia had been purchased on 1 April 1665 at Zaandam by the Rotterdam Chamber of the VOC. The ship was returned to the VOC by the navy in 1666. Ron also has details of the ship in his document:

The ship Batavia, Capt. Naalhout

Length from stem to sternpost:  136ft
Beam:                            29ft
Hold:                            14ft
Height over hold:                 7ft

44 guns:
Lower Deck: 20-12pdr
Upper Deck: 16-8pdr, 8-3pdr

Crew: 148 men

The ship Westfriesland

The Wrangell Collection document has new information about the ship Westfriesland, commanded by Hendrick Huyskens in 1652 and 1653. The ship was said to have been hired for f2000 and the crew employed for f1114. This is the data from the document:

]
The ship Westfriesland, Capt. Huyskens

Length from stem to sternpost:  118ft
Beam:                            28ft
Hold:                            10-1/2ft
Height over hold:                 6-1/2ft (het bovenet)
28 guns:
 4 brass pieces    12 lbs
16 gotelingen       8 lbs
 4 brass pieces     6 lbs
 2 drakes           6 lbs
 2 iron gotelingen  3 lbs

Crew:  90 men

My listing for the Amsterdam Directors' ship Alexander

This is my listing in my new format for the Amsterdam Directors' ship Alexander:

Adm    Ship                  Date  Acq    Length Beam  Hold  Height Over Hold
A-Dir  Alexander             1652  h      131.5  27.75 13    6.75           

Date        Sailors Soldiers  Guns  Gun list
08/11/1652   95               28    4-br 12pdr,8-12pdr,8-8pdr,6-6pdr,2-3pdr

Note        Commander                    Fate Ship    Fate Captain   Notes
13/03/1652  Jan Meyckes (Maijkers)                                   hired
29/05/1652  Jan Meyckes (Maijkers)                                   Battle of Dover
30/06/1652  Jan Meyckes (Maijkers)                                   with the fleet in Jan Evertsen's squadron
04/08/1652  Jan Meyckes (Maijkers)                                   Voyage to the Shetlands


Sources
Dr. Carl Ballhausen, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654, 1923
Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898
Nationaal Archief  1.03.02 Inv. nr. 8, 8 November 1652
Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652

From the notes of Ron van Maanen, Cornelis van Velsen's ship Gelderland

Cornelis van Velsen commanded the ship Gelderland during the First Anglo-Dutch War up to the Battle of the Gabbard, when the ship was lost in action due to a gunpowder explosion. Ron van Maanen's notes have the information about the ship:

The ship Gelderland, Capt. Cornelis van Velsen
Length from stem to sternpost:  112ft
Beam:                            28ft
Hold:                            11ft
Height above hold:                6-1/2ft
28 guns:
16-10pdr
10-6pdr
2-3pdr

Crew:  100 men

Sources:

1. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.V, 1928
2. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.II, 1900
3. Ron van Maanen, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Warships 1600-1800", undated, but circa 1992

A candidate for Gijsbert Malcontent's ship

My study of Ron van Maanen's list of ships: Dutch Warships 1600-1800 suggests a candidate for Gijsbert Malcontent's ship in 1652 and up to the Three Days' Battle in 1653:

The ship Maagd van Enkhuizen, hired by the Enkhuizen Directors
in service in 1653

Length from stem to sternpost:  120ft
Beam:                            28ft
Hold:                            unknown
Height over hold:                 7ft

28 guns
crew: 110 men

We have hopes of receiving information about Ron's sources for individual ships. They are needed so that we can find the documents he saw, so that we might find information about captains, which Ron did not record.

The hired ship Jupiter

The Admiralty of Amsterdam hired the ship Jupiter for service in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship was commanded by Cornelis Janszoon. These are the particulars from three pages in the papers of S. Hart, from the Gemeentearchief Amsterdam:

The ship Jupiter, Capt. Cornelis Jansz.

Length from stem to sternpost:  130ft
Beam:                            30ft
Hold:                            14ft
Height over hold:                 7ft

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

We know from a list in The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, that the crew consisted of 100 men.

The fireship Graaf Sonderlandt

The papers of S. Hart, from the Gemeentearchief Amsterdam, has one sheet about the Amsterdam fireship Graaf Sonderlandt:

The fireship Graaf Sonderlandt

Length from stem to sternpost:  107ft
Beam:                            23ft
Hold:                            11ft
Height above hold:            5ft

From the document from the Wrangell Collection, we know that the crew was 18 men.

17th Century Naval Wargaming seems to be having trouble (Blogger-type trouble: thanks, Google)

I seem to not able to see this blog, right now, although it has been working today. The problem seems to be with the server that this blog is on.

The extended format for ship information: the Achilles

This is in the style that I am trying for my extended ship information in my document of Dutch ships that served from 1652 to 1654.

Adm    Ship                  Date  Acq    Length Beam  Hold  Height Over Hold
A      Achilles              1652  h      131    29    13    7-7in           

Date        Sailors Soldiers  Guns  Gun list
      1652  100      20       28    4-12pdr,12-8pdr,8-4pdr,2-2pdr

Note        Commander                    Fate Ship    Fate Captain   Notes
    8/1652  Dirck Schey                                              Fitting out in Amsterdam and the Texel
    8/1652  Dirck Schey                                              Lying off the Duijntjes with De With
    9/1652  Dirck Schey                                              at anchor in the Schooneveld
   12/1652  Dirck Schey                                              in Witte de With's squadron
    3/1653  Dirck Schey                                              At Havre de Grace

Sources
De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen
Wrangell Collection document 1652

The Friesland fireship Vergulde Buys, hired in Amsterdam

Friesland hired their ships in Amsterdam in 1652. One of those ships hired was the ship Vergulde Buys, which served as a fireship. These seem to be the particulars (from the notes of S. Hart, from the Gemeentearchief Amsterdam):

The ship, the Vergulde Buys

Length from stem to sternpost:  112ft
Beam:                            23-1/2ft
Hold:                            10-1/2ft
Height between decks (?):         5ft

Perhaps I will be able to read more in a few days, but that is about the extent of what I can currently read.

The 136ft Charter ships

The middle-sized ship built as part of the First Anglo-Dutch War building program was 136ft long. Their nominal dimensions were:

Length from stem to sternpost:  136ft
Beam:                            34ft
Hold:                            14ft
Length on the keel:             113ft
Height between decks:             7-1/2ft

Pieter Florissen's flagship Jozua was a prominent member of this charter. The Jozua was apparently completed in 1654 (or was it 1655?), and was mentioned obliquely in the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654, in July. Of the 64 ships included in the First Anglo-Dutch War building program, 15 ships were to be built to the 136ft Charter. Seven were to built in what Dr. Elias called increment III and eight were in increment IV. Rotterdam was to build some 134ft-long ships and no 136ft ships. The actual dimensions seem to have varied:

Adm Ship              Date  Dimensions 
N   Gelderland        1654  136ft x 36ft x 13-1/2ft
Z   Hof van Zeeland   1653  136ft x 34ft x 13-3/4ft
A   Huis Tijdverdrijf 1655  136ft x 34ft x 14ft
N   Jozua             1654  136ft x 34ft x 14ft
A   Stad en Lande     1653  136ft x 34ft x 14ft

Their armament varied considerably over time:

Date  Adm Ship          Guns
1654  N   Jozua         4-brass 24pdr,18-18pdr,10-12pdr,10-8pdr,4-6pdr,4-4pdr
1666  N   Jozua         18-brass 18pdr,8-brass 12pdr,10-brass 8pdr,2-6pdr,6-4pdr,2-3pdr,2-2pdr,4-unknown
1654  A   Stad en Lande 4-brass 18pdr,18-18pdr,4-brass 8pdr,16-8pdr,6-brass 6pdr drakes
1666  A   Stad en Lande 22-18pdr,22-8pdr,16-3pdr

The arming plan for the Stad en Lande in 1666 seems pretty strange, in that they got the number of guns up to 60 by putting on 16-3pdr guns of little weight and effect. Sources:

1. Johan E. Elias, De Vlootbouw in Nederland 1596-1655, 1933
2. H.A. van Foreest and R.E.J. Weber, De Vierdaagse Zeeslag 11-14 Juni 1666, 1984
3. Ron van Maanen, "De Dutch in Danish Waters", undated
4. Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654, 1654

The 130ft Charter ships built in 1653 and 1654

The vast majority of ships built for the Dutch wartime building program initiated from late 1652 were of the 130ft charter. One standard set of dimensions was 130ft x 32ft x 13-1/2ft. The height between decks was 7 feet. As built, a few were armed with just 32 guns, at least in 1654, but the standard armament for much of the 1650's was 40 guns. Of the first 30 ships, 19 were to be built to this charter, although the actual number built was smaller. The Zeeland ships actually were built with a 34ft beam. The Noorderkwartier ships had a hold depth of only 12ft (for example, the Jupiter). The Zeeland ships, at least, had a keel length of 108ft. In July 1654, the Amsterdam ship Landman carried 44 guns: 4-brass 24pdr, 6-brass 12pdr, 18-iron 12pdr, 12-8pdr, and 4-brass 6pdr drakes. The Stavoren was one of the ships initially armed with only 32 guns, in July 1654: 4-brass 24pdr, 4-brass 12pdr, 16-iron 12pdr, 4-iron 9pdr, and 4-brass 6pdr drakes. Sources:

1. Johan E. Elias, De Vlootbouw in Nederland 1596-1655, 1933
2. Ron van Maanen, "De Dutch in Danish Waters", undated.
3. Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654, 1654

English naval officer: Sir John Munden

Sir John Munden served in the English navy in from the 1670's until the early 1700's. He was appointed 2nd Lieutenant of the St. David on 30 November 1677. He was appointed Lieutenant of the Constant Warwick on 16 July 1681. The King appointed him Lieutenant of the Mary Rose on 17 June 1685. On 11 July 1686, the King appointed him as First Lieutenant of the Charles galley. He was appointed to command the Half Moon fireship on 23 July 1688. He was promoted to Captain on 14 December 1688 and the Earl of Dartmouth appointed him to command the Edgar. He fought in the Battle of Beachy Head in 1690, where he commanded the Coronation (90 guns). In 1692, he fought in the Battle of Barfleur, where he commanded the Lennox (70 guns). In 1697, he cruised in the Mediterranean Sea to help suppress piracy. He commanded the Winchester (60 guns). On 14 April 1701, he was appointed Rear-Admiral of the Blue. On 1 July 1701, he was knighted. On 2 September 1701, he commanded an Anglo-Dutch squadron which escorted Admiral Benbow's squadron as they sailed for the Caribbean. On 28 January 1702, he was appointed Rear-Admiral of the White. He had been appointed Rear-Admiral of the Red on 30 June 1701. He was dismissed from the service sometime in 1702. He had commanded a squadron sent to Spain, and tried to intercept 13 French warships, but he could not catch them, and they got into Corunna. He was put before a court martial and was acquitted of all charges. The Queen was unhappy, nonetheless, and had the Lord High Admiral dismiss him from the service. Sir John Munden died in 1718. William Laird Clowes considers that he was mistreated. Sources:

1. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898
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

The ship Hoop (24 guns) hired in 1652

Another ship from the list of ships hired in 1652 is the ship Hoop (24 guns) commanded by Wolphert van Brederode. The Hoop took part in a convoy to Muscovy sometime from August 1652 and was paid off, probably late in the year. These are the details:

The ship the Hoop, Capt. Brederode

Length from stem to sternpost:  120ft
Beam:                            26ft
Hold:                            11-1/2ft
Height between decks:             6ft

24 guns:
 8 gotelingen     8 lbs
12 gotelingen     6 lbs
 6 gotelingen     3 lbs
 2 gotelingen     2 lbs

Crew:  70 men

The Frisian ship Breda

Jan Glete had sent me a copy of a document written by Ron van Maanen sometime in the past (presumably the man on the linked page is the same one). That document gives some new dimensions for the Frisian ship Breda. I also know the armament for the Breda from the Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654 (at least the armament at that date):

Length:  120ft
Beam:     28ft or 29ft
Hold:     1x-1/2ft (probably 11-1/2ft).
Height between decks:  7ft

32 guns (all iron):
6-12pdr
10- 8pdr
12- 6pdr
4- 4pdr

Crew: 80 to 112 men

Sources:

1. Ron van Maanen, "De Dutch in Danish Waters: Part 1. The Dutch fleet in 1658 and 1659", unknown date
2. Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1654

I have a document that definitively shows that Jacob Cornelisz Swart commanded the Faam in 1653

I have a document that shows definitively that Jacob Cornelisz Swart was captain of the Amsterdam Director's ship Faam, at least in early 1653. This is the only handwritten document that I recall seeing that has his full name: Jacob Cornelisz Swart with the information about his ship, the Faam. In case that you are not familiar with this ship, which served from early 1652 until at least late 1653, here are the specifications:

The ship, the Faam, kapitein Jacob Cornelisz Swart

Length from stem to sternpost:  116ft
Beam:                            28ft
Hold:                            11ft
Height between decks:             7ft

28 guns:
4-brass 12pdr
8-iron  12pdr
8-iron   8pdr
6-iron   6pdr
2-iron   3pdr

Crew:  105 men

Vreugdenhil was apparently wrong about the two Catarinas possibly being the same ship

In his list, published in 1938, Vreugdenhil speculated that numbers 100 and 230 in his list might be the same ship. Since we now have specifications for both ships, we can see that they were extremely likely to be different ships. Number 100 was the 24-gun ship assigned to the Fishery Protection Squadron, and was captured by the English on 22 July 1652. We have information about the Catarina (28 guns) (as the ship is called) from 30 January 1653 from the Nationaal Archief. The information about the Catharina (24 guns) is from the pages from the Wrangell Collection. The two ships, if you believe the sources, were quite different. The Amsterdam Directors' ship had the following characteristics:

Catarina

hired by the Amsterdam Directors in January 1653

Captain:  Jacob Jansz Coppe

Length from stem to sternpost:  125ft
Beam:                            29-1/4ft (or 28-1/2ft)
Hold:                            12-1/2ft
Height between decks:             7ft

28 guns:
12-12pdr
 6-8pdr
 8-6pdr
 2-3pdr

Crew:  110 men


Catharina

Hired by the Admiralty of Amsterdam on 4 June 1652

Captain:  Dirck Bogaart

Length from stem to sternpost:  116ft
Beam:                            25ft
Hold:                            11-1/2ft
Height between decks:             6-1/2ft

24 guns:

6-8pdr
8-6pdr
4-4pdr
4-3pdr
2-brass bases, 3pdr

Crew: 70 to 80 men

It turns out that I know the height between decks for more ships than I knew

I had only recently become interested in recording the height between decks for Dutch ships. It turns out that a document provided me by Jan Glete in September 2004 written by Ron van Maanen, has that information for ships involved in operations in 1658. Here are some examples. Note that the actual measurement for the Eendracht's length was 152ft, despite being intended to be 150ft long:

Adm Ship                Date Guns Sailors Soldiers Length    Beam     Hold     Ht bet decks
R   Eendracht           1653 72   240     75       152ft     38ft     15ft-3in  7ft-9in
R   Rotterdam           1639 34    91     20       115ft-5in 27ft-3in 10ft-10in 6ft
R   Wapen van Dordrecht 1655 42   130     30       127ft-7in 32ft-5in 13ft-3in  7ft-4in
A   Landman             1653 40   136              130ft     32ft     13-1/2ft  7ft
A   Zon                 1640 40   115     24       130ft     31-1/2ft 12ft      7ft
A   Westfriesland       1648 28   100              118ft     28ft     10-1/2ft  6-1/2ft
N   Jozua               1653 50   150              136ft     34ft     14ft      7-1/2ft

Mystery ships and the Admiralty of Amsterdam in 1652 and 1653

Especially with respect to ships built as warships by the Admiralty of Amsterdam, I don't believe in "Mystery Ships". Abraham van der Hulst seemed like a compelling case for the existence of a "Mystery Ship" (one that we did not know about from published sources). The problem with the concept of "Mystery Ships" is that the ships in service with the Admiralty of Amsterdam in 1652 and early 1653 were very well-defined. The relevant documents are the following:

The Board of Admiralty in Amsterdam to the States General, dated 5 August 1652
  This is a summary of the ships in service and their employment, 
  although only captains are mentioned (published in The First Dutch War, Vol.I)

List of ships under the control of the Admiralty Board of Amsterdam
  This is undated by from the contents, appears to be from about mid-March 1653
     (published in The First Dutch War, Vol.IV)

Staat der Nederlandsche Zeemagt, in Maart des jaars 1653
   This is an outline of the strength of the Dutch navy, organized by 
     admiralty, and not listing ship names or captains, but is a 
     summary list. Many ships can be identified from the outline and
     the sailors and soldiers in the crew are specified for the 
     Admiralty of the Maze and the Admiralty of Amsterdam
      (published as Appendix XXII to Vol.I of Geschiedenis van het
        het Nederlandsche Zeewezen)

The Hoop, ship of Joris Collerij (Colerij, or Caullerij)

Another ship in the list from the Wrangel Collection is the 28-gun ship Hoop, commanded by Joris Collerij (Colerij or Caullerij). The Hoop was with Tromp's fleet on 30 June 1652 in Pieter Florissen's squadron. He was also with the fleet on the voyage to the Shetlands, and is listed in Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet. His ship was paid off either in late 1652 or early 1653. This is the information about the Hoop from the Wrangel Collection document:

the ship, the Hoop, Capt. Collerij
Length from stem to sternpost:  120-1/2ft
Beam:                            25-1/2ft
Height between decks:             6ft-1in
28 guns:
 4 guns            10 lbs
 4 iron gotelingen  8 lbs
12 iron gotelingen  6 lbs
 6 iron gotelingen  3 lbs
 2 iron gotelingen  2 lbs

Crew: 90 men

The hired ship Patientia from the document from the Wrangel Collection

The Patientia as a 24-gun hired ship commanded by Adriaan van Loenen in 1652. The ship was eventually paid off. The Patientia seems to have been employed as a convoyer. In August, the ship was said to have been allocated to a convoy to the Sound. This is the information from the Wrangel Document. Striking features are the length and narrow beam and the extremely light armament:

The ship Patientia, Capt. van Loenen (it says "von Loenen")
Length from stem to sternpost:  130ft
Beam:                            25ft
Hold:                            11ft
Height between decks:             6-1/2ft
24 guns:
 4 gotelingen        8 lbs
10 gotelingen        6 lbs
 4 gotelingen        4 lbs
 4 gotelingen        3 lbs
 2 gotelingen        2 lbs

Crew:  70 men

Built as a warship or hired?

The entire question about which ships were built as warships and which were armed merchant ships that were hired seems to be pretty complicated. There is the document from the Wrangel Collection that lists ships as being hired that other sources say had been built as warships. There are other sources, such as the list of ships in Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet. That list indicates that Dirck Juynbol's ship, the Gelderland (30 guns) was built as a warship. There are ships specifically listed as being part of the 100 ships of the Extraordinary Equipage:

R=Rotterdam
A=Amsterdam
Z=Zeeland
Adm Ship           Guns Crew Commander
R   Roskam           26 105  Corstiaen Eldertszoon
R   Maria            26 110  Crijn van der Kerckhoff
R   Prins te Paard   38 120  Corstiaen Corstiaenszoon
A   Hoop             28  90  Joris Collerij
A   Keyser           24  80  Jan ter Stegen
Z   a ship           28 100  Lambert Bartelszoon
Z  a fast storeship  20 100  Johannes Michielszoon
Z   Meermin          34*120* Jacob Wolfertszoon
Z   a ship           26* 90* Daniel Cornelisz Brackman
Z   Gecroonde Liefde 24  90* Dingeman Cats

We have thought that the Roskam was built as a warship, circa 1639, but cannot be sure. The Meermin and Gecroonde Liefde were also almost certainly built as warships, as well. We need to see if there is any explanation about why this would be the case, as well as with the Campen and other ships from the Wrangel Collection list that are said to be hired. There are other ships in the Hendrick de Raedt list that were almost certainly hired, but the list is silent on the subject (such as the Roode Leeuw, 24 guns, the ship of Reynst Cornelisz Sevenhuysen).

The Campen and the other warships in the 1652 list

The fact that the Campen appears in the list of ships "hired" in 1652 is a concern, in that the ship was almost certainly built as a warship, and was completed in early 1652 (prior to 29 May by some time). There were others that we are certain were built as warships, as well, such as the Edam, Star, Westfriesland, and Gouda. I have had concerns about the Campen (Kampen) before I ever saw the list from the Wrangel Collection. I have been trying to see the funding mechanisms behind the various ships in service from 1648 until 1654. At the Peace of Munster in 1648 at the end of both the Thirty Years War and the Dutch war of indepence, the Staten Generaal authorized funds for forty convoyers. As special operations were planned, additional funding was provided, such as that for Witte de With's expedition to Brazil from late 1647 until early 1650. Another ten ships were sent to Brazil, and these returned in May to June 1652. Starting in 1651, 36 warships that had been inactive were fitted out and manned for service a cruisers. The cruisers were activated because of worsening relations with England. By March 1652, war tensions had been increased, and the Staten Generaal ordered the hiring of 150 ships, fifty by the Directors of the port cities and 100 by the admiralties. There is circumstantial evidence that some of the 100 ships were purpose built warships that had been inactive or that were just completed, such as the Campen. The VOC had agreed to provide 6 ships in 1652, as well. By late 1652, the disadvantage that the Dutch faced against the English was so great that an initial building program of 30 new ships was initiated. Later in 1653, another 30 ships were authorized to be built. When it was clear that the war was coming to an end in late 1653, the Directors' ships were released from service, as were the VOC ships. In fact, some of the VOC ships were released in later 1652, as the large retourschepen were considered largely unsuitable as warships. There were several purchases of ships, as well, starting with the Groningen by the Admiralty of Friesland in later 1652. This whole topic is one that I intend to explore further.

Two 12 gun ships hired by Amsterdam in 1652

An interesting (to me) feature of the document that Jan Glete sent me is that there are two 12 gun vessels mentioned as being hired in 1652. One is named the Adelaar (Adeler) and the other is the Prinses Amelia. The Adelaar was commanded by Arent Warnaertszoon, who the document describes as "Captain". The Adelaar is armed with 8 iron 3pdrs and 4 chambered brass 3pdrs. The ship Prinses (Princesse) Amelia is armed with 6 iron gotelingen of 3 lbs and 2 brass guns of 3 lbs, and 4 drakes of 3 lbs. No commander is mentioned for the Prinses Amelia. I am guessing about this, but I would think that the Adelaar is the ship mentioned in Vreugdenhil's list as number 326 and the Prinses Amelia is probably the "Prinses" mentioned as number 339 in the list.

Perhaps the 3 pdrs for Claes Sael's ship should be 8 pdrs

The three pounders listed for Claes Sael's ship, the Maria, are in the position where eight pounders would be shown. Perhaps the 3pdr is a copier's error. (This is in the document that I received from Jan Glete, from the Wrangel Collection in the Swedish archives).

Joris van der Zaan's ship, the Campen, in 1652

Joris van der Zaan apparently commanded the Campen from earlier in 1652 up until he was killed in the Three Days Battle (the Battle of Portland). He was present in the confrontation with Anthony Young, at the Start, in May 1652, immediately prior to the outbreak of the war. His brother, Willem van der Zaan appointed captain of the Campen after the Three Days Battle. The Campen, contrary to what I had believed, was hired in 1652 for f3,500. We did know that the ship appeared on the scene in 1652. The Campen was, in fact, one of the Hundred Ships of the Extraordinary Equipage, according to this document. This is the information from the document that Jan Glete sent me:

The ship Campen
Length from stem to sternpost:  128ft
Beam:                            32ft
Hold:                            13ft
Height between decks:             7ft
40 guns:
 4 brass guns       18 lbs
 2 brass guns       12 lbs
 2 brass guns        8 lbs
 2 brass guns        6 lbs
14 iron gotelingen  12 lbs
16 iron gotelingen   6 lbs
Crew: 120 men

The list of ships hired by the Admiralty of Amsterdam, apparently in early 1652

The list of ships in the document sent me by Jan Glete is very striking. Included are ships that are usually thought of as purpose-built warships. The document is convincing, as it gives the amounts paid to hire the ships. The ships were all part of the "Extraordinary Equipage", the 100 ships to be hired by the five Admiralties in 1652. These are the large ships included in the document, in this order:

Name             Guns Crew Captain
Star               28   90 Jacob Paulusz Cort
Edam               30   90 Barent Cramer
Hollandia          32   90 Albert de Graeff
Hoop               28   90 Joris Collerij (one of many spellings)
Goude Leeuw        24   75 Gillis Thyssen Campen
Marcus Curtius     24   70 Hendrick Kroeger
Hollandsce Tuin    24   70 Hillebrandt Jeroenssen (Jeroenszoon)
Patientia          24   70 Adriaan van Loenen
Catharina          24   70 Dirck Bogaert
Keijser            24   70 Jan ter Stegen
Hoop               24   70 Wolphert van Brederode
Aartsengel Michiel 40  120 Emmanuel Zalingen
Campen             40  120 Joris van der Zaan
Engel Gabriel      36  120 Isaac Sweers
Drie Coningen      36  120 Lucas Albertszoon (Albertssen)
Amsterdam          30  100 Simon van der Aeck
Gouda              28   90 Jan Egbertsz Ooms
Maria              30  100 Claes Sael
Westfriesland      28   90 Hendrick Huyskens
Amelia             28   90 Willem van der Zaan
Sampson            26   90 Hendrick Adriaanszoon
Achillis           28   90 Dirck Schey

The Aartsengel Michiel from the papers from Jan Glete

The Aartsengel Michiel (the papers from Jan Glete just call the ship the Engel Michiel) was hired in 1652, fought in the Battle of Plymouth, under De Ruyter's command, and probably fought in the Battle of the Kentish Knock. Later in 1652, the ship was sent to the Mediterranean Sea, where it operated as a storeship for the fleet there. I have seen the Aartsengel Michiel described as a fluit. The Aartsengel Michiel is number 90 in Vreugdenhil's list. Vreugdenhil had a note that the Aartsengel Michiel's guns were "small", but that was not true in 1652, at least according to the document that Jan Glete sent me from the Wrangel Collection in the Swedish archives. This is what that document has:

The ship, the Engel Michiel

Length from stem to sternpost:   142ft
Beam:                             32-1/2ft
Hold:                             14-1/2ft
Height between decks:              7ft

40 guns:
 4 iron gotelingen of 18lbs
16 iron gotelingen of 12lbs
16 iron gotelingen of  8lbs
 4 iron gotelingen of  4lbs

De huyr van 't schip        3100
de gagie van 't 120 coppen  1490
de matroosen van 120 coppen 1271
Extraordinaris                60
huyr van 20 stucken          400

I do not understand the reference to 120 men twice, as I have understood the presence of the first sort of reference to mean that this was the cost of hiring the crew. The second is a reference to 120 sailors.

A small, 24 gun hired ship for the Admiralty of Amsterdam

In 1652, Gillis Thijssen Campen (as it is written on the page) commanded the small, 24 gun ship Gouden Leeuw. The striking thing is the light armament carried. This is the data from the information that I received from Jan Glete:

The ship Gouden Leeuw, Capt. Gijllis Thijssen Campen

Length from stem to sternpost:    113ft
Beam:                              26ft
Hold:                              12ft
Height between decks:               6-1/2ft

24 guns:
6 iron gotelingen   8 lbs
8 iron gotelingen   6 lbs
4 iron gotelingen   4 lbs
4 iron gotelingen   3 lbs
2 iron gotelingen   2 lbs

Crew of 75 men

Given that the Gouden Leeuw was essentially used as a small ship of the line, with the fleet, I can see why the ship was paid off in October. It may also have been in poor condition. During the summer of 1652, Gillis Thyssen Campen was assigned to Witte de With's squadron of ten ships.

Claes Sael's ship Maria had an odd armament

For a 30-gun ship, Claes Sael's ship Maria had a very light weight of broadside. This is the information:

The ship of Capt. Sael named Maria

Length between stem and sternpost:  134-3/4ft
Beam:                                29ft
Hold:                                13ft-9in
Height between decks:                 6ft-3in

36 guns:
 4 iron gotelingen   12 lbs
16 iron gotelingen    3 lbs
 6 iron gotelingen    6 lbs
 4 iron gotelingen    4 lbs

Lucas Albertssen's ship, the Drie Coningen

From the pages that Jan Glete sent me, from the Wrangel Collection at the Swedish National Archives, the ship Drie Coningen is listed. This was the ship commanded in the summer and fall of 1652 by Lucas Albertssen (or Albertszoon). The ship was very long and narrow:

The ship Drie Coningen, kapitein Lucas Albertszoon

Length from stem to sternpost:  145ft
Beam:                            30ft
Hold:                            14-1/2ft

36 guns:
16 gotelingen of 12 lbs
10 gotelingen of  8 lbs
 6 gotelingen of  6 lbs
 4 gotelingen of  4 lbs

The Drie Coningen fought in the Battle of Plymouth in August, in De Ruyter's fleet and then at the Battle of the Kentish Knock on 8 October 1652. The ship very likely continued in service for the rest of the war, although confirming that is more difficult. Lucas Albertssen was likely dismissed in late 1652.

A tidbit: the ship Star commanded by Jacob Paulusz Cort

I receive mail from Prof. Jan Glete, today. It contains data for ships of the Admiralty of Amsterdam, dating from 1652. This is from the listing for the ship Star, commanded by Jacob Paulusz Cort. The dimensions match those that are known, but it includes the height between decks and the list of guns carried:

The ship Star, Captain Cort

Length from stem to sternpost: 120ft
Beam                            28ft
Height between decks             6-1/2ft

28 guns: 
 
 6 brass guns of  12 lbs
 2 brass drakes of 3 lbs
12 gotelingen of  8 lbs
 8 gotelingen of  6 lbs

The crew was 90 men

Climatology research in the Caribbean

For a study of 17th Century hurricanes and tropical storms, a researcher is interested in information about merchant and warships that were in the Caribbean and for which log books or journals might exist. Send me any information that you might have and I will pass it on to the researcher. I have also cross post this on the other 17th Century naval history-related blog (Anglo-Dutch Wars).

Peter Padfield on tactics at the Battle of the Kentish Knock

In The Tide of Empires, Peter Padfield writes about the tactics used at the Battle of the Kentish Knock. He says that both sides fought in informal lines of battle. Unlike what Michael Baumber writes about Blake, Peter Padfield says that the English sailed north in a "column some six miles along". He shows that the Dutch sailed to the west-northwest in an informal line, with ships divided as to their squadron commander. As the English tried to turn onto the same tack as the Dutch, the James and the Resolution grounded on the Kentish Knock. They pretty easily got off and went on the other tack. The Dutch had also had to go to the southeast to keep off the Kentish Knock sandbar. The Dutch were divided into four squadrons with De Ruyter's squadron in the van, Witte de With in the center, and Gideon de Wildt in the rear. Cornelis Evertsen's reserve squadron was behind the line. As the Dutch ships took damage, John Mildmay, in the Nonsuch (40 guns) took the Gorcum (30 guns) and apparently, the Maria (30 guns). On 9 October 1652, the next day, the English abandoned the Gorcum, as they thought the ship was "in a sinking condition". The Dutch crew, led by Willem Adriaansz Warmont took the Gorcum back and it was taken back to the Netherlands. One other ship, the Burgh van Alkmaar (24 guns) apparently blew up. Many other ships took considerable damage, as you would expect when a fleet of inferior ships tried to fight in line of battle with an English fleet with at least 7 First and Second rates. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, "English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938
2. Michael Baumber, General-at-Sea, 1989
3. Peter Padfield, The Tide of Empires: Decisive Naval Campaigns in the Rise of the West, Vol.I, 1979
4. A. Vreugdenhil, Ships of the United Netherlands 1648-1702, 1938

Witte de With on 8 and 9 October 1652

Witte de With wrote that the wind on 8 October 1652 was from the west-southwest. A galjoot joined inthe morning. The commandeur, Frans Denich, had been sent with dispatches. When he saw that he would be boarded by the English, he threw them overboard. He pretended to be a Hamburger and was let go. The weather had been rough, so the fleet was scattered, as some of the ships had dragged their anchors. They saw the English fleet, commanded by Robert Blake, at noon. The English had 73 ships. The Dutch tried to concentrate their ships. A feature of Witte de With's journals is that he recorded the direction of the sun. The sun was to the southwest by south, and the fleet was concentrated, except for the Prins Willem and the Louise Hendrika, both East Indiamen from the Middelburg Chamber of the VOC. We believe that Witte de With saw that the two great ships were present, and he wanted to be on board a larger ship than the 120ft Prinses Louise (36 guns). He wanted to be on his favorite ship, the Brederode (54 guns), but Tromp's people would not let him aboard. He settled for the 170ft Prins Willem (40 guns), which turned out to be a horrendous sailer. Witte de With and the Prins Willem were in the center of the Dutch fleet. The fleets closed and because the Prins Willem was the closest Dutch ship (they were not in a line), the ship quickly accumulated sail, rigging, and spar damage. Michiel De Ruyter was in the Louise Hendrika, and his ship was also quickly disabled. To Witte de With's chagrin, the ships behind him fired through the Prins Willem ("which, in my opinion, is a great brutality and outrage"). The fleets separated in the night. The Dutch let their ships drift with sails furled all night, as they were to the leeward of the English. In the morning, with the English two miles to the windward, the Dutch held a council of war. Witte de With complained about captains not doing their duty in the battle. With the advice of De Ruyter and Cornelis Evertsen de Oude, they decided that it would be a mistake to close the English in a situation where the wind was very light to calm. The Dutch were now to the windward of the English, beyond range of their guns. Late on the 9th, as the Dutch sailed towards home, several fast English ships fired a few rounds at the rear Dutch ships. This is based on the account in Witte de With's journal, as translated and quoted in The First Dutch War, Vol.II.

Mr. Van Dongen's paper about Witte de With

I have enjoyed reading Mr. Antoine van Dongen's paper about the life of Witte de With. Witte de With had been Piet Hein's flag captain for the capture of the Spanish silverfleet, but when Piet Hein was appointed as luitenant-admiraal, he chose Maarten Tromp as his flag captain. It was on the Groene Draeck (26 guns) that Piet Hein was killed in action by a 6pdr shot in an action with Spanish Dunkirkers during 1629. After Piet Hein was killed, both Witte de With and Maarten Tromp left the navy for a period. Witte de With was successful with a fish business, while Tromp was "director of a ship's wharf". When Witte de With returned to the navy in 1637, he found that Tromp had been appointed as luitenant-admiraal. Very soon, after Witte de With had been blockading Dunkirk, Tromp had him brought before a courtmartial, in a proceeding where the witnesses committed perjury. Witte de With was acquitted, and it could not have helped the relationship in the future. Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005
2. Antoine Francois van Dongen, "Making Waves": the life and times of Admiral Witte de With (1599-1658), 2005

English Naval Officer: John Baker

John Baker served in the navy in the late 17th and early 18th Centuries. He was appointed as a Lieutenant on 14 November 1688. He was promoted to Captain on 12 October 1691. He commanded the Newcastle (46 guns) in the Convoy for the Smyrna Fleet in June 1693, and fought in the defence of the convoy. In 1694, he commanded the Monmouth (66 guns) in a squadron dispatched to the Mediterranean Sea to attack "a large French convoy". In the event, the English staged a boat attack and caused great damage. On 12 October 1702, he fought in the action in Vigo Bay, where he commanded the Monmouth. He again commanded the Monmouth (70 guns) in the captured of Gibraltar in 1704. He also fought in the Battle of Velez Malaga on 13 August 1704, where he was again in the Monmouth (70 guns). On 17 January 1708, he was appointed as Rear-Admiral of the White. He was sent to Ostende to bring back troops to reinforce northern Britain. On 21 December 1708, he was appointed as Rear-Admiral of the Red. He was dispatched to Cadiz with a convoy of transports, but did not arrive in time, causing the attack to be abandoned. In 1710, he commanded a small squadron which chased an took some French ships in the Mediterranean. In 1712, he commanded a squadron cruising off Portugal. From 3 June 1713 until 1714, he was a member of parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis. From 1715 until 10 November 1716, he was member of parliament for the same constituancy. On 15 June 1716, he was appointed as Vice-Admiral of the White. He died on 10 November 1716. Sources:

1. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898
2. David Syrett, R. L. DiNardo, The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy 1660-1815, 1994

More about Isaac Sweers' ship than you wanted to know

I can't leave the topic of Isaac Sweers' ship alone. The issue is that the only Amsterdam ship named Engel Gabriel known to have been hired at a time when he could commanded it was the 28-gun ship on 19 June 1652. Isaac Sweers seems to have taken command in July, if I understand correctly. The problem is that a document, published in The First Dutch War, Vol.II gives the ship as having a crew of 130 men. This is the same as the entry in the list published on pages 308 to 310 in The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, where the Engel Gabriel was said to have carried 36 guns and had a crew of 130 men. Not only that, but I realized that in De Jonge's list of ships in service in March 1653, that the loss of the Engel Gabriel is mentioned in the form of the 36-gun ship sunk in the Three Days Battle. I think it unlikely that the 28-gun ship was upgunned to 36 guns, although it is not totally impossible. More like, there was another ship hired, named Engel Gabriel, which is either not recorded in information that has been seen, or has not been discovered, yet. There is only one example of a ship that has been radically upgunned to this extent, and that was Michiel De Ruyter's flagship, Jan Thyssen's ship, the Witte Lam. The Witte Lam was a Vlissingen Directors' ship that started the war with 32 guns and was eventually upgunned to 40 guns. The Witte Lam must have been a substantial ship, as the Witte Lam repeatedly took heavy damage, survived, and was repaired.

English Naval Officer: Sir David Mitchell

Sir David Mithcell served in the English Navy from the late 17th to the early 18th Centuries. He was appointed as a Lieutenant on 16 January 1678. He was promoted to Captain on 1 October 1683. He was flag captain to Admiral Herbert at the Battle of Bantry Bay on 1 May 1689. He commanded the Elizabeth (70 guns). He also commanded the Elizabeth in the Battle of Beach Head in 1690. At the Battle of Barfleur in 1692, he was flag captain to Admiral Russell on the Britannia. On 7 February 1693, he was appointed as Rear-Admiral of the Blue. ON 4 July 1693, he was appointed as Vice-Admiral of the Blue. He was knighted in 1694. He commanded a squadron left by Admiral Russell at Cadiz, until Russell returned. There are some other dates, which I am think mean that on 26 October 1691, he was appointed as a Major of Foot in the Marine Regiment and on 14 October 1695, he was appointed as Lieutenant-Colonel of Foot in the Marine Regiment. From 31 May 1699, he was appointed as a Commissioner on the Admiralty Council. On 28 January 1702, he was appointed as Vice-Admiral of the White. He died on 1 June 1710. Sources:

1. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898
2. David Syrett, R. L. DiNardo, The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy 1660-1815, 1994

I suspect that the real date for the list of Dutch warships in The First Dutch War and Hollandsche Mercurius is later than June 1652

I suspect that the real date for the list in Vol.I of The First Dutch War, which is derived from a list in the Hollandsche Mercurius, is later than June. There are a number of reasons to think that, several being the Rotterdam Directors' ship situation and partly because of the ship that probably is that of Pieter Adriaansz van Blocker. If I am correct, his ship was hired by the Hoorn Directors on 19 July 1652. I just have circumstantial evidence to back me up: the other Hoorn Directors' ship is one we know, the Sampson (30 guns and a crew of 110 men), the ship of Jan Pietersz Houck.

Another comment about the "Wapen van der Vere"

The handwriting on the document from the Zeeuws Archief clearly is "Wapen van der Vere". The city is usually writen as Veere, and "van der Vere" is not the current usage. However, in the US, at least, there are many people with "van der" in their name. There is a web page by Steve Vandiver (probably derived from Van der Veere) that says, among other things:

Origins of the Van Der Veer Name

The name itself means of the ferry or of the village of Veere. Dutch dictionaries also list veer as meaning feather, but I have seen no surname references using it in that context. Veere, Zeeland, The Netherlands, which was once the location of a Roman fort and is now named for a ferry that was established at it's present location. This village is commonly associated with the Van Der Veer name. De Kampveersche Toren or The Campveere Tower is pictured at right [go to Steve's link to see it] and named after Campveere, as Veere was known as in 1281 for a ferry that sailed to Campum on the other side of the lake. I visited Veere in Sept 2001, a definite must see for anyone traveling to The Netherlands.

Which Engel Gabriel did Isaac Sweers command in 1652 and 1653?

One question is which ship named Engel Gabriel did Isaac Sweers command in 1652 and 1653? The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, on page 310 gives the ship as carrying 36 guns and having a crew of 130 men. Ship number 108 in Vreugdenhil's list matches that description (at least the guns and being lost in 1653). There is another list, this time of ships that served in De Ruyter's fleet in July to September 1652, and Isaac Sweers is included. His ship's name is omitted as is the number of guns. His crew is given as 130 men. Vreugdenhil apparently thought that ship number 16 in his list was the Engel Gabriel commanded by Adriaan van den Bosch in 1653. The number of guns is not specified but only that the ship was built in 1636 and was a States' ship. We happen to know, thanks to Carl Stapel, that a ship named Engel Gabriel, with 28 guns, was hired on 19 June 1652 in Amsterdam. We apparently have to accept this ship as the one commanded by Isaac Sweers and which was sunk by gunfire in the first day of the Three Days' Battle, on 28 February 1653. The 28 gun Engel Gabriel is about the same size as Pieter Florissen's ship, the Monnikendam, which was eventually armed with 36 guns and had a crew of 138 men. The Engel Gabriel is somewhat smaller, but not by a lot. If the ship had its armament increased to 36 guns, they could have been rather light. I am not particularly comfortable with this assessment, but there is no real other option.

I am converting documents to 7.5pt font and adding the day of the month

In my current work, where I have entries that are like notes with a date, I had only been using month and year (although in the largest list, I do occasionally use the day of the month, a well). I decided that I needed to add the day of the month, as I want to add the date that ships were hired.

I have long wanted to use a smaller font size than 8pt in Word, but the selection list only goes down to 8pt. I learned that you can type in sizes like 7pt or 7.5pt. 7.5pt is still readable, while 7pt is probably too small (at least to read the Word document, not printed). I am in the process of converting the documents that I am currently updating to use the 7.5pt font size. This allows more room for things like more precise dates.

Cornelis Tromp only arrived back in the Netherlands in late 1653

While Cornelis Tromp had left Cadiz for home on 27 August 1653, he did not actually reach home until later. He arrived at the Isle of Ré on 18 September. The situation was such that he was asked to stay with the ships he had in company and wait until his chances of returning safely were better. He waited amonth, and he sailed, arriving back in the Netherlands in November 1653.

The Dutch had left 10 hired merchantment in the Mediterranean Sea to protectt shipping. They were commanded by Adriaan Rodenhaes. He stayed in the Mediterranean Sea until early 1654. He was ordered to pay off the hired ships, and no Dutch warships or hired merchantmen remained in the Mediterranean Sea. Adriaan Rodenhaes had received the order to pay off the ships on 9 February 1654.

Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, "The First Dutch War in the Mediterranean," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.49, No.4, November 1963
2. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol. VI, 1930

A research project about captured Dutch ships

There is a research project being pursued to look at correpondence taken from Dutch ships captured by the English. This is the link to the page. A longtime reader sent me an email about this project. I would be particularly interested in seeing information about Dutch ships taken in the First Anglo-Dutch War, which served in the English navy.

What if the English report was correct, and Sipke Fockes' ship on 29 May 1652 carried 37 guns?

I know that Sipke Fockes' ship in 1652 and early 1653 was the Sint Maria, which carried 28 guns. This is quite at odds with the English report that they took a ship of 37 guns on 29 May 1652, but abandoned it, as it appeared to be about to sink. The Dutch recovered the ship and towed it in, in a dismasted condition. Thanks to Carl Stapel, we have wind of a Sint Maria of larger dimensions that could have carried 37 guns. I hope to have access to the document to assess the information.

Leading up to Dungness in December 1652

Jan Evertsen's journal, as transcribed and translated in The First Dutch War, Vol.III, is interesting to me. I have copies of the original, in handwritten Dutch, to compare with points that seem to possibly be wrong, such as the list of captains at C.T. Atkinson had misread (he read "Hermes Mumincx", instead of the correct "Herman Munnick"). Jan Evertsen's journal is a convenient way to know the days of the week that corresponded to dates. Jan Evertsen also gives the wind direction:

30 November 1652  Saturday   Wind slight, E and E by SE, overcast
 1 December       Sunday     Wind SE and SSE, overcast and sprinkles of rain
 2 December       Monday     Wind SE and SE by E, thick, drizzling rain
 3 December       Tuesday    Wind slight, SSE, overcast
 4 December       Wednesday  Fair weather at daybreak, wind NW, and NNW, 
                                 backing to SW, the fleet sailing NW by W, and WNW
 5 December       Thursday   Half gale and rain, wind SSW, fleet sailing to SE
 6 December       Friday     Strong wind from SW and SSW, sailing to the SE
 7 December       Saturday   Fair weather, the wind from SW, SSW, and S
 8 December       Sunday     Thick weather, the wind from WSW and W
 9 December       Monday     Overcast and very cold, the wind from WNW and W
10 December       Tuesday    The Battle of Dungeness, wind NNW and NW by W

Dutch hired ship armaments

The one Dutch hired ship for which I have so far seen an armament for 1652 had a mix of 12pdrs and 6pdrs on the lower tier, 4pdrs on the quarterdeck (I am guessing), and 2-3pdr, either on the forecastle or the poop. I have seen hired ships, but they were all Directors' ships. They often carried a standard armament, probably with a mix of 12pdrs and 8pdrs on the lower tier, 6pdrs on the quarterdeck, and the same 2-pdrs.

Zeeland Directors' ships in March 1653

This is my attempt at listing the Zeeland Directors' ships in service in mid-March 1653:

Directors’ ships of Middelburg

Rank      Name                          Adm/Dir  guns crew Ship            Sources
kapitein  Jan Penssen                   Mi-Dir   30   110  Goude Leeuw     1DW1, 1DW2,1DW6
kapitein  formerly Johannes Regermorter Mi-Dir   30   105  ?               1DW1, raedt                                      
kapitein  Claes Janszoon Gaeuw          Mi-Dir   30   105  Leeuwin                    

Directors’ ships of Vlissingen

Rank      Name                          Adm/Dir  guns crew Ship            Sources
kapitein  Jan Thijssen                  Vli-Dir  40   145  Witte Lam       1DW1, ball, salt
kapitein  Cornelis Evertsen de Jonge    Vli-Dir  26   110  Vlissingen      raedt, 1DW1, 1DW2
kapitein  luitenant Teunis Poort        Vli-Dir  26   110  Dubbele Arend   raedt, 1DW1, schet3
kapitein  Bastiaan Centen               Vli-Dir  30   108  Haes in ’t Veld     

Directors’ ship of Zierikzee

Rank      Name                          Adm/Dir  guns crew Ship            Sources
kapitein  schipper Crijn Mangelaer      Zi-Dir   34   110  Liefde          raedt, 1DW1, ball

Directors’ ship of Veere

Rank      Name                          Adm/Dir  guns crew Ship            Sources
kapitein  Jan Olivierszoon              Ve-Dir   38   125  Wapen ter Veere raedt, zdir            

Ships named Amsterdam in 1653

We had thought that the ship Amsterdam commanded by Paulus Egbertsz Sonck at the Battle of Scheveningen was the new ship completed in 1653 that carried 50 guns. The reason to doubt this is that after the Battle of Scheveningen, the ship Amsterdam was listed as having carried 5,000 lbs. of gunpowder (50 barrels) and as having 1,900 lbs. remaining. This is quite out of line with a 50 gun ship. The Campen, a 40-gun ship, had started the battle with 94 barrels of gunpowder (9,400 lbs.) and ended the battle with 66 barrels (6,600 lbs). More likely, the Amsterdam was the ship previously commanded by Sijmon van der Aeck, carrying 30 guns and having a crew of 100 men. We now believe that Jan Gidionsz Verburch (or Verburgh) commanded the new Amsterdam (50 guns and a crew of 170 men) on Witte de With's voyage to Norway to convoy back merchants ships stranded there by the English blockade. Certainly, Jan Gidionsz Verburch commanded the Amsterdam built in 1653 in July 1654 and in 1658, where he fought in the Battle of the Sound. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.V, 1912
2. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol. VI, 1930
3. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005
4. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.VI, 1930
5. G. L. Grove, Journalen van de Admiralen Van Wassenaer-Obdam (1658/59) en De Ruyter (1659/60), 1907

English Captain: James Coppin

James Coppin served in the Commonwealth navy. In 1649, he commanded the Seaflower ketch. From 1650 until 1651, he commanded the Margaret ketch. Both of the ketches were hired merchantmen. From 1651 until 1652, he commanded the Hart, a 6th Rate (14 guns and a crew of 60 men). He was killed in action with the Dutch, along with 8 of his men. His ship was captured, probably in August 1652, although the exact date is uncertain. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898

English Captain: William Wheatley

William Wheatly served in the Commonwealth navy. In 1649, he commanded a small vessel, the Warspite (not the old ship, now hulked). This Warspite was in service from about 1646 until 1650. He was appointed to command the Warspite in April 1649 by Robert Blake and Richard Deane. In 1650, William Wheatly commanded the Cygnet fireship. He seems to have not served after 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

My current estimate of Zeeland ships in service in mid-March 1653

I keep refining and doing more analysis in support of my list that attempts to fill in details to De Jonge's outline for March 1653. The date appears to be into March, after the The Three Days Battle (Portland) and before they had received word in the Netherlands about the results of the Battle of Livorno. This represents my current thinking about ships in service for the Admiralty of Zeeland. The biggest news is my estimate of Jan Duijm's ship. This is the list:

Admiralty of Zeeland

States’ ships

Rank               Name                             Adm/Dir  guns Sailors Soldiers Ship                  Sources
vice-admiraal      Jan Evertsen                     Z        36   116     ?        Hollandia             1DW1, 1DW2, jonge1
                   flag captain Adriaan Bankert

kapitein           Jacob Wolfertszoon               Z        34   100     ?        Meermin               jonge1
kapitein           Adriaan Nicolaesz Kempen         Z        32   100     ?        Wapen van Zeeland     jonge1, schet5, paintings

kapitein           Joost Willemsz Block             Z        32    85     ?        Wapen van Zeeland     jonge1

kapitein           Frans Krijnsz Mangelaer          Z        28   111     ?        Liefde                vreug, 1DW2, 1DW6, jonge1
commandeur         Cornelis Evertsen de Oude        Z        28   111     ?        Wapen van Zeeland     
kapitein           Adriaan Jansz den Oven           Z        28   111     ?        Neptunus              
kapitein           Gillis Janszoon                  Z        28    85     ?        Zeeridder             jonge1
kapitein           Joost Bankert’s luitenant        Z        26    85     ?        Liefde                jonge1, 1DW2
kapitein           Claes Jansz Sanger               Z        26    85     ?        West Capelle          
kapitein           formerly Cornelis Kuijper        Z        26    85     ?        Ter Goes              
kapitein           Jan Duijm                        Z        26?   85     ?        Sint Jan?              
kapitein           Claes Jansz Sanger               Z        26    85     ?        West Cappelle         
kapitein           Dingeman Cats                    Z        24    85     ?        Gekroonde Liefde      jonge1, vreug, 1DW4

kapitein           Pieter Gorcum                    Z        17    50?    ?        Dordrecht             jonge1, staet54, 1DW2           

kapitein           Cornelis Kuiper                  Z        14    40     ?        Jager(Gloeyenden Oven)jonge1, schet3

More about "Charters"

The Dutch referred to a warship specification as a "Charter". These are some examples that seem charter-like, using Amsterdam feet as the measure:

250 lasts   128 feet long   
200 lasts   125 feet long
200 lasts   120 feet long
170 lasts   116 feet long

More formerly, were the ships built in the First Anglo-Dutch War building program. There were three official charters, but there was wide variation from them:

Large  150ft x 38ft x 15ft
Medium 136ft x 36ft x 14ft
Small  130ft x 32ft x 13.5ft

The reality was that many of of the 130ft ships, such as the Noorderkwartier ship Jupiter, were built to a variation of those dimensions: 130ft x 32ft x 12ft. Armament seem to have not been specified by Charters. Armament were more driven by the availibility of guns, at least in the 1650's and 1660's. Frank Fox says that the Dutch had solved their gun supply problem by the 1670's, so that the Zeven Provinciën could have a complete lower tier of 36pdrs. A good source on Charters is Dr. Elias's book De Vlootbouw in Nederland.