You can now get a small, color Brederode poster

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

English Captain: Thomas Plunkett

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

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

English Captain: William Hazard

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

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

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

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

• Daniel Corneliszoon Brackman
• Jan Duijm
• Jacob Wolfertszoon

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

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

English Captain: Henry Stradling

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

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

Spanish Armada guns

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

English Captain: William Whitehorne

William Whitehorne served in the Commonwealth navy. William Whitehorne commanded the prize Little Charity (32 guns) in 1653, and he fought in the Battle of Scheveningen. Later in 1653 until 1654, he commanded the 4th Rate Pelican (42 guns).In December 1653 he ship was lying with the ships in the "Ellence Roads". From 1655 to 1656, he commanded the 4th Rate Gainsborough. In 1658, he commanded the 3rd Rate Speaker, and was commander-in-chief in the Downs. Later in the year, he commanded the 2nd Rate London, still as commander-in-chief. In 1659, he commanded the 3rd Rate Gloucester. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, "English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938
2. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
3. R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 1966
4. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol. VI, 1930

Dutch Captain: Jacob Cleijdijck (Cleydyck or Kleijdijck)

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

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

English Captain: Benjamin Sacheverelli

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

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

English Captain: Shadrach Blake

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

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

"Captain Volderij" is actually Joris Caulerij

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

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

Dutch Captain: Claes Arentszoon Sloot (Sloodt)

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

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

English Naval Officer: Prince Maurice

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

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

English Captain: Thomas Ashley

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dutch Captain: Jan Reynderszoon Wagenaer

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

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

English Captain: Francis Allen

Francis Allen served in the Commonwealth and Restoration navies. In 1650, he commanded the hired merchant ship James. From later in 1650 until 1653, he commanded the 5th Rate Recovery. He seems to have fought in the Battle of Scheveningen ini 1653, in the Recovery (26 guns). On 3 September 1653 (Old Style), he still commanded the Recovery. From later in 1653 until 1660, the commanded the 4th Rate Advice. By 19 November 1653 (Old Style), he commanded the Advice. On 17 December 1653, he was operating off the coast of Holland. In 1661, he was appointed to command the 3rd Rate York. He died sometime before 1689. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, "English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938
2. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
3. David Syrett, R. L. DiNardo, The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy 1660-1815, 1994
4. J.R. Tanner, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts in the Pepysian Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Vol.I, 1903

Some speculative thinking about names of Enkhuizen Directors' ships

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Z   Vlissingen            34     ?        ?

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

Philips van Almonde's fleet that bombarded Copenhagen in 1700

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

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

2 bomb vessels
2 fireships
2 ammunition ships

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

The VOC ship Roos, taken by the English

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

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

English Burden:  687 tons

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

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

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

Another look comparing English and Dutch measurements

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

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

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

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

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

The Voyage to Norway in September to November 1653

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

Michael Baumber's book General-At-Sea

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

This Blogger server seems to be having troubles

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

Dutch Naval Officer: Cornelis Beekman

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

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

A Dutch ship's armament from 1616

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

Lower deck:

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

Upper deck:

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

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

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

Information from January 1639 to September 1640

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

Ship         Crew Lasts Commander          Dates

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

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

The Koning Radbout (or Radboud)

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

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

Build dates and sizes from the 23 April 1632 document

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

Ships built in 1628

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

Ships built in 1629

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

Ships built in 1630

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

Ships built in 1631

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

The Dutch fleet in about 1636

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

Rotterdam

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

Amsterdam

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

Zeeland

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

North Holland

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

Rotterdam ships in service in 1628

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

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

The English ship, the Hope

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

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

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

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

1585  4      2        6      10      4         2      1     4      6     12

1599  4      2        9      11      4         2            4      2

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

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

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

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

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

The Amsterdam ship Achilles remains a mystery

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

English Captain: Richard Dickinson

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

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

English Captain: John Aylett

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

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

English Captain: Thomas Ewens

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

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

English Captain: Humphrey Connisby (or Consby)

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

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

English Captain: Robert Hatubb

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

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

English Captain: Arnold Brown

Arnold Browne definitely served in the Restoration navy. Someone named Arnold Browne commanded the hired ship London in 1653, so perhaps that was the same man. Anderson's Mariner's Mirror article called him Arthur Browne, but the list of captains from 1642 to 1660 was done much later, so that list is more authoritative. Arnold (or Arthur) Browne fought in the Battle of the Gabbard where he was assigned to James Peacock's division in the Red Squadron. In 1661, Arnold Browne was appointed to command the 3rd Rate Dunkirk. In 1663, he was operating under Thomas Allin's command in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1664, he was appointed to command the 3rd Rate Anne. He was dismissed from the service sometime in 1664. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, "English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938.
2. R. C. Anderson, The Journals of Sir Thomas Allin, Vol.I 1660-1666, 1939.
3. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
4. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898.
5. David Syrett, R. L. DiNardo, The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy 1660-1815, 1994.

English Captain: Richard Hodges

Richard Hodges served in the Commonwealth and Restoration navies. In 1654, he commanded the 5th Rate Basing. From 1654 to 1655, he commanded the Dutch prize Rosebush. From 1657 until 1660, he was back in command of the Basing. At the Restoration, the Basing was renamed Guernsey. He continued in command of the Guernsey until 1662, when the Duke of York appointed him to command the Dutch prize Westergate (the former Friesland ship Westergo). In 1664, he was appointed to command the Swallow (46 guns). He fought in the Battle of Lowestoft, whre he was assigned to the Earl of Sandwich's division in the Blue Squadron. From December 1665 until March 1666, he was at Tangier in Sir Jeremy Smith's fleet. In June 1666, he fought in the Four Days' Battle, where he was assigned to Sir Christopher Myngs' division in Prince Rupert's squadron. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
2. R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 1966.
3. J.R. Tanner, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts in the Pepysian Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Vol.I, 1903.

English Naval Officer: Robert Wilkinson

Robert Wilkinson served in the Restoration navy. In 1665, the Duke of York had appointed him as captain of the Dutch prize Charity (46 guns) (the former Amsterdam Directors' ship Groote Liefde). He fought in the Battle of Lowestoft in June 1665. He was assigned to the Duke of York's division in the Red Squadron. In the initial passes in the battle, the Charity and John & Abigail got caught on the far side of the Dutch fleet, opposite from the English side, and was taken. Several ships had gotten too far to leeward. Frank Fox writes that Robert Wilkinson "foolishly tacked and threw his ship squarely in the path of the enemy". Frank also writes that Robert Wilkinson had fought hard in defence of his ship, but the Charity was boarded and taken. He was finally appointed as Lieutenant of the Dragon by Prince Rupert in 1672. Later in 1672, he was appointed as First Lieutenant of the Newcastle. Finally, on 30 June 1678, the King appointed him as First Lieutenant of the 2nd Rate Royal Katherine. Sources:

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

English Naval Officer: John Waterworth

John Waterworth served in the Restoration navy. In 1662, he was appointed Lieutenant of the 3rd Rate Fairfax. In 1664, he was appointed Lieutenant of the three ships, in turn: the 3rd Rate Bristol, the 3rd Rate Resolution, and the 2nd Rate Swiftsure. In 1665, he was appointed as Captain of the Dutch prize Bear (42 guns). He fought in the Battle of Lowestoft, where he was assigned to Robert Sansum's division in the White Squadron. Later in 1665, he was appointed as Captain of the Bonaventure (48 guns). In June 1666, he fought in the Four Days' Battle, where he was assigned to Sir Christopher Myngs' division in Prince Rupert's squadron. Later in 1666, the Duke of Albemarle and Prince Rupert appointed him Captain of the Dunkirk. He fought in the St. James's Day Battle on 25 July 1666 (old style), where he was assigned to Sir Thomas Teddiman's division in the White Squadron. In 1668, the Duke of York appointed him Captain of the St. David. Later in 1668, he became commander of the 3rd Rate Princess. In 1669, he was appointed Captain of the old 4th Rate Constant Warwick. In 1672, he was appointed as Captain of the 3rd Rate Anne (58 guns). He was assigned to Sir John Harman's division in the Red Squadron. He was killed in the Battle of Solebay on 28 May 1672 (Old Style). Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, Journals and Narratives of the Third Dutch War, 1946.
2. Julian S. Corbett, "A Note on the Drawings in the Possession of The Earl of Dartmouth Illustrating The Battle of Solebay May 28, 1672 and The Battle of the Texel August 11, 1673", 1908.
3. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.
4. J.R. Tanner, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts in the Pepysian Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Vol.I, 1903.

English Captain: John Elliot

John Elliot was a fireship commander in the Restoration navy. He commanded the Tulip fireship in 1666. Later in the year, he commanded the Fox fireship. He fought in the St. James's Day Battle in the Fox. He was attached to the Red Squadron. On 9 and 10 August, he took part in the attack on the Vlie, under the command of Sir Robert Holmes. In 1667, he commanded the Robert fireship. Much later, the King appointed him to command the Castle fireship on 1 February 1678 (they thought the year was 1677, in the Old Style). He was apparently dismissed from the service about 1679, but I am not able to find out why. Sources:

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

English Naval Officer: Thomas Gardiner

Thomas Gardiner served in the Restoration navy. He started as Lieutenant of the 2nd Rate Henry in 1666. Later in 1666, he was appointed as Lieutenant of the Tiger. In 1668, the Duke of York appointed him as Lieutenant of the Bristol. In 1672, Prince Rupert appointed him as Captain of the Barnaby (apparently a hired merchant ship). He is mentioned in John Narborough's journal in September 1672. John Narborough wrote that on 2 September 1672, Thomas Gardiner, in the Barnaby, was sent to Harwich "to convoy the victuallers". In 1673, the King appointed him Captain of the Falcon. On 5 November 1677, the King appointed him Captain of the Assistance. Thomas Gardiner died in 1679. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, Journals and Narratives of the Third Dutch War, 1946.
2. David Syrett, R. L. DiNardo, The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy 1660-1815, 1994.
3. J.R. Tanner, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts in the Pepysian Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Vol.I, 1903.

English Naval Officer: Thomas Berry

Thomas Berry served in the Restoration navy. In 1672, he was appointed as Lieutenant of the Hampshire. In 1673, Prince Rupert appointed him as captain of the Dartmouth. Later in 1673, he was discharged from the service by courtmartial. On 12 August 1678, Sir John Narborough appointed him as Second Lieutenant of the Plymouth. That must have worked out well enough that the Commissioners appointed him as First Lieutenant of the Foresight. On 11 April 1682, the Commissioners appointed him as First Lieutenant of the Gloucester. Not very much later, on 15 June 1682, the Commmissioners appointed him as First Lieutenant of the Henrietta. On 11 May 1687, the King appointed him as First Lieutenant of the Anne. This is somewhat suspect, as the entry is out of order by date. the next entry shows him appointed by Lord Dartmouth as Captain and Master of the Ann yacht on 5 February 1684 (they thought it was 1683, in the old style). On 14 April 1685, he was appointed by the King as First Lieutenant of the Oxford. On 4 April 1688, the King appointed him as First Lieutenant of the Dover. Only a month later, on 3 May 1688, the King appointed him as Captain of the Deptford ketch (10 guns). The Deptford ketch was wrecked on the coast of Virginia on 26 August 1689 with almost all hands, including Captain Thomas Berry. 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.

English Captain: Hugh Hide

Hugh Hide served in the Restoration navy. He was appointed captain of the 4th Rate Adventure in 1661. In 1662, he was appointed to command the 5th Rate Richmond. In 1663, he was appointed to command the old prize, the Guinea frigate. In 1664, he was appointed to command the 4th Rate Jersey (48 guns). He fought in the Battle of Lowestoft, where he was assigned to Sir George Ayscue's division in the Blue Squadron. Sources:

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

English Captain: Charles Howard (Haward)

According to Frank Fox, Charles Howard (or Haward) served in the Restoration navy. In 1665, the Duke of York appointed him to command the yacht Merlin. Charles Howard apparently took command of the Garland sometime after the Battle of Lowestoft. In early June 1666, he was at Plymouth, where he was assigned to the Western Station. On 25 July 1666, his ship was lying in the Thames-Medway area, needing more men. He commanded the Garland (28 guns) in the attack on the Vlie on 9 to 10 August 1666. In 1672, he was appointed as lieutenant of the Assistance. Sources:

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

More about the capture of the Elias, Leiden, and Klein Harder

On 25 December 1666, a force of English warships fought five Dutch frigates and took three. The ships captured were the Leiden (built in 1647), the Klein Harder (probably built in 1658), and the Elias (built in 1665). The Leiden and the Klein Harder seem to have been burnt, while the Elias was taken into the English service. The English warships included the Warspite (Robert Robinson), Jersey, Diamond, St. Patrick, Nightingale, and Oxford. They were to convoy home a fleet of merchantmen from Gothenburg. Sources:

1. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898.
2. A. Vreugdenhil, Ships of the United Netherlands 1648-1702, 1938.

English Captain: Richard Goodlad

Richard Goodlad served in the Restoration navy. In 1665, the Duke of York appointed him captain of the 5th Rate Pembroke (28 guns). On 25 July 1666, he was at Harwich with his ship, ready for sea. On 9 to 10 August 1666, he took part in the attack on the Vlie commanded by Sir Robert Holmes. Later in 1666, the Duke appointed him as captain of the 4th Rate Foresight. Sources:

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

English Captain: Charles O'Bryan

Charles O'Bryan served in the Restoration navy. In 1665, he was appointed by the Duke of Albemarle as lieutenant of the Jersey (48 guns). Later in 1665, he was appointed by the Duke of York as Second Captain of the Royal Charles, the fleet flagship. From there, he was appointed by the Duke of York as captain of the Dutch prize West-Friesland. In June 1666, his ship was lying in the Thames without a crew, as they had been removed to improve the manning of other ships. On 25 July 1666 (old style), he fought in the St. James's Day Battle, where he commanded the Advice (48 guns). He was assigned to Sir Edward Spragge's division in the Blue Squadron. On 9 to 10 August 1666, he took part in the raid on the Vlie, under the command of Sir Robert Holmes. In 1668, he was appointed captain of the Leopard. I do not have a source which mentions his service after taking command of the Leopard, or even that indicates on what date he took command. Sources:

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

Robert Holmes' squadron in the attack on the Vlie 9-10 August 1666 (old style)

This the composition of Sir Robert Holmes's squadron in the attack on Vlieland and the ships in the Vlie, from Frank Fox in his book, The Distant Storm:

Ship         Guns Crew Commander

Tiger        40   180  Robert Holmes, John Wetwang as flag captain
Advice       48   180* Charles O'Bryan
Hampshire    42   160  William Coleman
Dragon       40   160  Thomas Room Coyle
Assurance    38   150  John Narborough
Sweepstakes  36   140  Francis Sanders
Fountain     36   130  Thomas Leggatt
Garland      28   110  Charles Howard
Pembroke     28   110  Richard Goodlad
Fanfan, yacht 2    30  William Harris

Fireships

Bryar        12    16  Joseph Paine
Richard       4    16  Henry Brown
Lizard        6    14  Joseph Harris
Fox           6    12  John Elliot
Samuel        4    12  William Seale

Dutch Captain: Jacob de Reus

Jacob de Reus served the Amsterdam Chamber of the VOC. He fought in the Battle of Lowestoft in June 1665, where he commanded the Marseveen. The Marseveen was quite large, having dimensions of 170ft x 39ft x 18-1/4ft. The Marseveen had been completed in 1660. At the time of the Battle of Lowestoft, she carried 78 guns, consisting of 4-24pdr, 24-18pdr, 6-12pdr, 20-8pdr, 22-4pdr, and 2-steenstukken. The Marseveen was assigned to Lt-Admiral van Wassenaer's 1st Squadron. At 6pm, at the end of the battle, the Marseveen (78 guns), Ter Goes (46 guns), and Zwanenburg (30 guns) turned to fight the pursuing Blue Squadron. The fighting became so hot that the Marseveen was forced to turn, and ran aboard the other two ships, and became entangled. At that point, they surrendered to the Earl of Sandwich, but an over-eager English fireship commander, Captain Gregory, attacked the surrendered ships and burnt them. Of the three crews, there were about 100 survivors. Sources:

1. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.

Dutch Captain: Cornelis de Rechter

Cornelis de Rechter (or Karsten de Rechtere) served the Amsterdam Chamber of the VOC. He fought in the Battle of Lowestoft, where he commanded the fine ship Huis te Zwieten (70 guns). Frank Fox described the Huis te Zwieten as the best Dutch ship captured by the English. He served with De Ruyter's fleet in August 1665, and then was at sea with the fleet in early September. He was assigned to Tjerk Hiddes de Vries's squadron. The Dutch fleet had become scattered, and the Huis te Zwieten was one of four VOC ships taken by the English by early 9 September. 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.

Rotterdam ships: 1828 to 1632

I made this chart in early 2003 of Rotterdam ships from the period 1628 to 1632 (or should it be 1633?):

Ship                             1628   1629   1630   1631   1632

Ewer, jacht or frigate, 50 lasts X      X             X      X
Salamander  110 lasts            X      X      X      X      X
Leeuw  180 lasts                 X      X      X      X      X
Leeuwinne  170 lasts             X      X      X      X      X
Prins Hendrick  170 lasts               X      X      X      X
Sonne (Zon)  170 lasts                  X      X
Grasmeijer  140 lasts                   X      X      X      X
Sint Jacob, boat 50 or 80 lasts  X             X      X      X
Amelia  100 lasts                                     X      X
Neptunis                         X      X      X      X      X
Dolphijn                         X      X      X      X      X
Orangieboom                      X      X      X      X      X
Groene Draeck  150 lasts         X      X      X      X
Eendracht                        X      X      X      X      X
Swarten Leeuw  110 lasts         X      X      X      X      X
Zeekalf                          X      X             X      X
Vliegende Arent                  X      X      X      X      X
Tonijn                           X      X      X      X      X
Jonas                            X      X      X      X      X
Keijser Carol  170 lasts                X      X      X      X
Cleyne Orangieboom  100 lasts    X             X      X       
Wafende Maen  140 lasts          X      X      X      X      X
Oude Abraham  170 lasts          X      X      X      X      X
Prins Willem                                          X      X
Tijger                                                X
Postpaert  100 lasts             X      X      X      X       
Bruijnvisch  120 lasts           X      X      X             X
Cleyne Neptunis                  X      X      X             X?
Gelderlant  180 lasts            X      X                     
Swarten Arent, jacht 100 lasts   X      X      X
Sint Antonis  60 lasts           X      X
Zeeridder  180 lasts             X      X
Engel  60 lasts                                       X      X
Sint Anthonis  140 lasts         X
Drie Coningen  130 lasts         X
Dubbele Arent                    X

This is based on a number of documents from the Nationaal Archief that I received in early 2003.

Dutch Captain: Cornelis Muts

Cornelis Muts served the Amsterdam Chamber of the VOC (the East-India Company). In 1665, he fought in the Battle of Lowestoft, where he commanded the ship Beurs van Amsterdam (52 guns). He was assigned to Vice-Admiral Volkert Schram's 7th Squadron. There is an excellent drawing of his ship in Frank Fox's book, A Distant Storm, on page 94. The Beurs van Amsterdam had an unusually high head, turned way up, for better seagoing on the voyage around the Cape of Good Hope. He was still with the fleet in August, now under the command of Michiel De Ruyter. In August, Cornelis Muts was assigned to Cornelis Tromp's 3rd Squadron. He still commanded the Beurs van Amsterdam. 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.

Dutch Naval Officer: Jean Baptiste de Graef

Jean Baptiste de Graef served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He commanded the fireship Gouden Appel (which had a crew of 24 men) in the attack on Chatham. He was said to have "lost his courage" during the operation. Sources:

1. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.II, 1859.
2. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "Vlootlijst tocht naar Chatham", 2005.

The flag used by the Spanish Dunkirkers

The Spanish Dunkirkers flew the ragged cross of Burgundy on their ships. I had first become familiar with this flag when I was researching a portrait of Abraham van der Hulst that showed a ship in the background with a lion on the upper stern and flying the ragged cross flag of Dunkirk. We never were able to find the motivation behind the ship with the Dunkirk flag, but there must have been some personal connection to Abraham van der Hulst. There are paintings of what may be Witte de With's fight with Michiel Doorn from circa 1640. This is another. There is a very good Van de Velde drawing reproduced in Dr. De Boer's book about Tromp and the Dunkirkers. I have not been able to find a copy online. Thanks to Andrew for pointing this out to me.

I just ordered some of the useful references for the Dutch navy from 1688 and later

I just ordered some books that cover the Dutch navy from 1688 and later. That has been a weak part of my library. If De Jonge does not cover a naval officer, I have no other options for men who were not flag officers. These are what I ordered:

1. De admiraliteit van Amsterdam in rustige jaren, 1713-1751 : regenten en financiën, schepen en zeevarenden, Bruijn, J.R.
2. De vloot van den Koning-Stadhouder 1689-1690, WARNSINCK, J.C.M.
3. THE DEFEAT OF JAMES STUART'S ARMADA 1692, Aubrey, Philip.

Dutch Captain: Jacob Kleyburg

Jacob Kleyburg served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He lived from 1666 until 1712. Unfortunately, De Jonge does not list him, so all I know is what is listed by Heinsius. Sources:

1. Anthonie Heinsius (Institut voor Nederlandse Zeegeschiedenis), Brieven van Anthonie Heinsius 1702-1720.

Dutch Captain: Pieter Constant

Pieter Constant served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was appointed captain in 1676. He set sail on 16 March 1676 from the Texel, headed for Cayenne under the command of Jacob Binckes. Pieter Constant commanded the Zeelandia (44 guns). The Zeelandia was the ship commanded by Jacob Huyrluyt and then Nicolaes Marrevelt in the First Anglo-Dutch War. On 5 May, he took part in the capture of Cayenne. On 31 May, Binckes ships removed the populace from the island Marie Galante. On 15 July, they took 7 prizes. On 26 September, they attacked Tobago. On 3 March 1677, the French squadron under the command of D'Estrees attacked Tobago, and the Zeelandia was stranded and burnt by the French. De Jonge has a good map of the battle. Pieter Constant was severely wounded, to the bone, a wound that took years to heal. In 1682, he commanded the Cornelia (46 guns) which was employed as a convoyer in the Mediterranean Sea. On 17 November 1683, he sailed to Algiers, in the Cornelia, to liberate slaves by buying their freedom. This account relies heavily on my translation of Carl Stapel's document. Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005.
2. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.II, 1859.
3. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "Pieter Constant", 2005.

Peter's alternate site for the Dutch Navy

I noticed this for the first time, this morning: Peter's Alternate Site for the Dutch Navy (the site is in Dutch: "de Alternatieve site over onze Koninklijke Marine").

Dutch Naval Officer: Carel Godin

Carel Godin served the Admiralty of Zeeland. He was born in Utrecht on 2 March 1677 and died about 1734. He was lord of St. Laurens. He was promoted to Captain either on 27 October 1702 or perhaps 1706. In 1707, he helped to bombard Toulon. He commanded the Veere (58 guns). Afterwards, he was in Van Wassenaer's small group of ships that went to Genoa. Here, he ship is listed as having 56 guns. He was on an expedition against Algiers in 1721. He commanded the ship Nassau (52 guns and a crew of 320 men). He was appointed as a Schout-bij-Nacht either on 1 January or 20 October 1722. He went to Algiers in 1723 to conclude peace. He flew his flag on the Sandenburg (42 guns with a crew of 250 men). The Dey of Algiers refused, though. On 9 January 1730, he was appointed as Vice-Admiral. Sources:

1. Luc Eekhout, Het Admiralenboek: De Vlagofficieren van de Nederlandse marine 1382-1991, 1992.
2. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.IV, 1861.

One tidbit from the 15 July 1652 list of the Dutch fleet

One of the documents that I received early in 2005 was a list of the fleet commanded by Tromp on 15 July 1652. That list is similar enough to what is in Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet for 4 August 1652, there is not much new. One thing that got my attention was that Lt-Commandeur Nicolaes Marrevelt commanded Captain Huyrluyt's ship. That was the Zeelandia (36 guns). Presumably, Nicolaes Marrevelt had been Jacob Huyrluyt's lieutenant in the famous incident off the Start where Anthony Young had stopped the convoyers and 7 straatsvaarders. Shots were exchanged, and eventually, Anthony Young let the convoy proceed. Some reports say that there were three Dutch warships convoying the 7 rich merchantmen, but we only know the names of two: the Zeelandia (36 guns) commanded by Jacob Huyrluyt and the Campen (38 guns) commanded by Joris van der Zaan.

Dutch warships at Scalaway after the storm in August 1652

The Dutch fleet, under the command of Lt-Admiral Tromp was caught in a strong storm off the Shetland islands in early August 1652. Some of the ships took shelter at Scalaway, after the storm. This is the list of those ships, from Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet:

In Schalaway (somewhat speculative, as the names are often misspelled):

Key: 
A      = Admiralty of Amsterdam
A-Dir  = Amsterdam Directors
Ed-Dir = Edam Directors (Noorderkwartier)
Ha-Dir = Harlingen Directors (Friesland)
Ho-Dir = Hoorn Directors (Noorderkwartier)
R      = Admiralty of Rotterdam (the Maze)
Ve-Dir = Veere Directors

Rank       Commander                      Adm/Dir guns crew Ship    
commandeur Auke Balck                     A       46   150  Vrijheid            
kapitein   Jan Olivierszoon               Ve-Dir  38   125  Wapen ter Veere               
kapitein   Dirck Pater                    A-Dir   28   105  Blauwe Arend
kapitein   Gerbrandt Schatter             A       26    95  Dolphijn
kapitein   Jan Jansz Boermans             A       28   100  Prins Willem
kapitein   Cornelis Naeuoogh              A-Dir   34   125  Sint Mattheus
kapitein   Hendrik Ernestus de Bertrij    R       ?    ?    Hollandia
kapitein   Ariaen Heeres Cleyntie         Ha-Dir  28   100  Vergulde Pelicaen
kapitein   Cornelis Janszoon Poort        A-Dir   34   125  Kroon Imperiael
kapitein   Dirck Juynbol                  R       30   131  Gelderland
kapitein   Quirijn van den Kerckhoff      R       26   110  Maria
kapitein   Frederick Bogaert              A-Dir   28   115  Engel Michiel
kapitein   Bruijn van Seelst              A-Dir   38   135  Groote Liefde
kapitein   Cornelis Jansz Brouwer         A-Dir   28   105  Valck
kapitein   Jacob Pieterszoon Hoeck (Houck)Ho-Dir  30   110  Sampson
kapitein   Bastiaen Bardoel               A-Dir   28   110  Engel Gabriel
kapitein   Andries Douweszoon Pascaert    Ha-Dir  28   105  Sint Vincent
kapitein   Jacob Syvertsen Spanheym       A-Dir   34   120  Elias
kapitein   Jan Frederikszoon Houckboot    Ed-Dir  30   110  Vergulde Meerman
kapitein   Hendrick de Raedt              A-Dir   28   130  Zwarte Leeuw
kapitein   Leendert Haecxwant             R       22    90  Utrecht
commandeur Allert Adriaenszoon            R       ?    ?    Sint Jacob, fireship        

This is based on the list in Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet, from the Maritiem Museum Prins Hendrik, in Rotterdam and annotated from my research results.

Dutch Naval Officer Hendrik de Grave

Hendrik de Grave served the Admiralty of the Maze. He was born in Amsterdam on 5 December 1670 and died there on 25 March 1749. He was appointed as a lieutenant in 1691. In 1698, he was promoted to Extra-Ordinary Captain. In 1713, he was promoted to Captain. He was sent in 1716 to the North. Czar Peter recognized his service, where he distinguished himself. In 1722, he was appointed as a Schout-bij-Nacht, and commanded an expedition to Algiers. He complained about the weakness of his squadron. He commanded similar expeditions to Algiers in 1728 and 1729. On 8 May 1744, he was appointed as a Lieutenant-Admiral and as fleet commander. He commanded a relieve squadron to England during 1744 and 1745. Sources:

1. Luc Eekhout, Het Admiralenboek: De Vlagofficieren van de Nederlandse marine 1382-1991, 1992.
2. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.IV, 1861.

Dutch Naval Officer: Jan Corneliszoon Ockerse

Jan Corneliszoon Ockerse served the Admiralty of Zeeland. He was born in Zierikzee on 17 November 1673 and he died at Middelburg on 10 June 1740. He was appointed as a captain in 1698. He commanded in the attack on Vigo Bay in 1702. He also took part in the capture of Gibraltar in 1704 and Barcelona in 1705. He commanded the Katwijk (72 guns) at Gibraltar. He fought in the Battle of Velez Malaga on 23 August 1704, still in the Katwijk. In 1705, he captured the French ship le Marquis (56 guns). In 1718 or 1719, he was promoted to Schout-bij-Nacht. On 25 July 1721, he was promoted to Vice-Admiral. On 9 January 1730, he was promoted to Lieutenant-Admiral. Sources:

1. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898.
2. Luc Eekhout, Het Admiralenboek: De Vlagofficieren van de Nederlandse marine 1382-1991, 1992.
3. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.III, 1860.

Dutch Captain: Isaac Sweers de Jonge

Isaac Sweers, the son of the famous admiral, lived from 3 December 1671 to 5 November 1732. He was promoted to captain in 1696. He was hurt in the fight with Jean Bart's squadron during his attack on the eastern fleet. Sources:

1. Anthonie Heinsius, De Brieven van Anthonie Heinsius 1702-1720.
2. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.III, 1860.
3. Annette Sweerts, "Some people and families around the Dutch family Sweers (Sweerts de Landas)", 2001.

Dutch Captain: Matthias Boudaen

Matthias Boudaen served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was born in Amsterdam on 21 January 1674 and died there on 3 March 1722. In 1696, he was appointed as an extra-ordinary captain. In 1698, he was promoted to captain. In 1703, in the Overijssel, he overtook one of Duguay-Trouin's ships. He commanded at Gibraltar in 1704 and at Barcelona in 1705. He helped relieve Gibraltar twice. The French ship l'Arrogant struck to him. He also took l'Ardent. He joined the Mediterranean Sea fleet in 1708. He accompanied an English squadron through the straits of Gibraltar. He helped to captured two Spanish galleons in 1710. He convoyed merchant ships to Spain and Portugal. In 1717, he was appointed as a Schout-bij-Nacht. He gave advice about building better sailing ships in 1721. Sources:

1. Luc Eekhout, Het Admiralenboek: De Vlagofficieren van de Nederlandse marine 1382-1991, 1992.
2. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.III, 1860.
3. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.IV, 1861.

Lists of the Dutch fleet

I have a number of lists of captains, and sometimes guns and crew, as well, in the Dutch fleet in 1652. One list is from 15 July 1652, prior to the storm in the Shetlands. That is somewhat similar to the list in Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet (from the Prins Hendrik Museum in Rotterdam). I also have alist from 20 September 1652 that has some nuggets that are not available anywhere else. We also know that there is a list, in a pamphlet, of the fleet on 30 June 1652. As usual, the process of transcribing and analyzing is timeconsuming.

An example of what is in the 20 September 1652 list follows:

Capitein Cornelis Jacobsz. Brouwer, 't ship de Vergulde Valck, ingecomen den 20 dito, helst onder boort 21 Meij, van 110 coppen. Volck victualen... [the rest is unintelligible].

As usual, reading one of the documents takes time, as often, it takes days or weeks to recognize the squiggles as words in archaic Dutch. (Admittedly, this example leaves something to be desired).

Dutch Captain: Jan (or Jacob?) van der Goes

Jacob van der Goes served the Admiralty of the Maze. In 1696, he commanded the Maas (or Maze) (72 guns) in the fleet commanded by Philips van Almonde. He was assigned to Philips van Almonde's squadron. I am somewhat confused, because there is also mentioned a Jan van der Goes. De Jonge's list for 1696 clearly identifies the captain of the Maze as Jacob van der Goes. However, the index only mentions Jan van der Goes. We also know that in May 1699 and in 1700, Jan van der Goes commanded the Wassenaer (60 guns). In 1699, he was in the convoy service in the Mediterranean Sea, and in 1700 was still in the Mediterranean. He helped to take Carthagena in 1706. He helped to strengthen Port Mahon until the place was forced to surrender. In 1708 and 1709, he was with the winter fleet. Sources:

1. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.III, 1860.
2. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.IV, 1861.
3. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "Wassenaar 1693", 2005.

Dutch Captain: Andries Stilte

Andries Stilte served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. In 1686, he commanded the frigate Oudkarspel (36 guns). In that year, he refused to let the French search his ship. In 1688, still commanding the Oudkarspel, he was in the fleet that carried Willem III to England. In 1692, the Oudkarspel ran aground in the Slenk as was sunk. In 1693, he was with the Allied squadron in the Mediterranean Sea under the command of Sir George Rooke. He fought in the Battle of the Smyrna fleet, where he commanded the Gelderland (72 guns). Sources:

1. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898.
2. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.III, 1869.

Dutch Naval Officer: Jacob de Jongh

Jacob de Jongh was born in Enkhuizen about 1640. He died at Enkhuizen on 4 December 1718. He served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. He was appointed as a lieutenant in 1665. He was promoted to Captain in either 1674 or 1688. He must have been the commander of the Noorderkwartier (68 guns) in the Battle of La Hougue in June 1692. He also must have commanded the Maagd van Enkhuizen (72 guns) in 1696 with the fleet commanded by Philips van Almonde. On 23 October 1699, he was appointed as Schout-bij-Nacht. In 1705, he was in the fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. On 11 April 1709, he was appointed as Vice-Admiral. On 17 Ferbruary 1713, he was appointed as Lieutenant-Admiral. Sources:

1. Luc Eekhout, Het Admiralenboek: De Vlagofficieren van de Nederlandse marine 1382-1991, 1992.
2. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.III, 1869.
3. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.IV, 1861.

Dutch Captain: Gerrit Hooft

Gerrit Hooft served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. In 1688, he commanded the Nijmegen (46 guns) in the fleet that took Willem III to England. In July 1689, he was in a group of three frigates commanded by Paulus van der Dussen. They fought a sharp action against four Dunkirkers not far from the Texel. Gerrit Hooft was unlucky to be killed by a cannonball. Sources:

1. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.III, 1869.

The attack on the Smyrna Fleet in June 1693

A large fleet of merchant ships from England, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden sailed for the Mediterranean Sea, convoyed by a force commanded by Sir George Rooke. The fleet was commonly called the "Smyrna Fleet". The convoying force was a mixed fleet of English and Dutch warships:

Ship                 Guns Commander

Royal Oak              64 Gerard Elwes, flagship of
                          Vice-Admiral Sir George Rooke
Breda                  62 flagship of Rear-Admiral Thomas Hopsonn
Monmouth               58 Peter Pickard
Lumley Castle (M)      56 George Meester
Monck                  52 Stafford Fairborne
Lion                   52 Thomas Gardner
Loyal Merchant (M)     50 Philip Harris
Princess Anne (M)      48 William Wakelin
Tiger Prize            48 Robert Sincock
Woolwich               46 Christopher Myngs
Newcastle              46 John Baker
Chatham                44 John Leader
Smyrna Factor (M)      40 Edward Littleton
Sheerness              28 John Norris
Lark                   16 Peter Wotton
Admiraal Generaal      84 Rear-Admiral P. van der Goes
Gelderland             72 Andries Stilte
Zeeland                64 Philip Schrijver
Wapen van Medemblik    64 Juriaan van der Poel
Oost-Stellingwerf      52 ?
Nijmegen               50 ?
Schiedam               50 W. van Rechteren
Wapen van den Schermer 44 ?
Salamander, bomb vessel   ?
Suzanna, bomb vessel      ?
Dispatch, brigantine    2 Thomas Peacok
Speedwell, fireship     8 Thomas Simonds
Vulture, fireship       8 William Lindsey
Muscovia Merchant, storeship
                        Daniel Parsons
two Dutch fireships

The battle went badly for the Allies, as two Dutch ships were lost, the Wapen van Medemblik and the Zeeland, as well as 92 merchantships "taken, burnt, or sunk". The result could have been worse, if the French captains had followed Tourville's orders. The battle was fought near Lagos, Portugal and Cape St. Vincent. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 1966.
2. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898.
3. A. Vreugdenhil, Ships of the United Netherlands 1648-1702, 1938.

From my translation of an article from Oud-Holland 17

This is the start of my translation of this article:

The First War with England and W. van de Velde the Elder 1) by P. Haverkorn van Rijsewijk

Translated by James Bender

The battle near Folkestone between Maarten Tromp and Blake, on 19 May 1652, was followed in July by the first war between the Netherlands and England. It began under unfavorable circumstances for our land. The Dutch fleet was weaker than the English and was hampered by the merchant fleets, which were given to them and furthermore by the administration here that was as bad as that in England was good. The war took an unfortunate turn in July when Tromp set to see from the Zeeland coast. He wanted to attack Ayscue, who was near the Downs, watching for Dutch merchant vessels. Adverse winds, however, impacted execution of his plan. After that, he wanted to follow Blake, who went to the North Sea to destroy the Dutch herring fleet. Storms prevented him from doing this, as well. On 16 August he headed homeward with undone business. His actions had failed so badly that his policies were subjected to intense scrutiny. He was dismissed and Witte Corneliszoon de With was appointed in his place.

In the beginning of August, M. A. De Ruijter sailed with a Zeeland squadron to escort a merchant fleet through the Channel. On 26 August he beat Ayscue near Plymouth. This was the first battle in this war and the last of Ayscue. Against the return of De Ruijter, Blake sailed, after defeating a French fleet near Calais on 14 September. In the Channel, he united with Penn, to combine against De Ruijter. This threat to the county was foreseen and a fleet was collected near the Wielings, under the command of Vice-Admiral Witte Corneliszoon de With. De Ruijter passed Penn in the night, unobserved, and on 2 October, near Dunkirk and Nieuport, he met the dispatched fleet. On 8 October, the State's fleet was seen, not far from the Kentish Knock, somewhat North of Blake's fleet, which was somewhat more numerous. Blake immediately sailed their way, with great resolve. They had the advantage of the wind, larger ships with larger cannons. The Dutch made the initial mistake of firing at the masts and sails, rather than the ship hulls. When about 20 captains, mostly Zeelanders, fled, so Blake achieved the victory and sailed triumphantly back to England, while the defeated Dutch fleet turned back toward Goeree on 10 October.

One result of this defeat was that Maarten Harpertsz. Tromp was restored as commander of the fleet. On 1 December he set sail to sea fro the Meuse, burned with merchant vessels destined for Bordeaux to get wine. Jan Evertsen operated near him with some warships and 70 merchant vessels. By that time, our fleet was comprised of approximately 90 ships, 8 fireships, and some small craft, accompanied by more than 400 merchant vessels. On the 4th or 5th of December, they anchored at the latitude of Dunkirk. On the 9th, Tromp was near the Southern entrance to the Downs, where Blake was situated. He left his hiding place, however due to the change of wind, he had to anchor at the latitude of Dover. Tromp was near the same area, only to the leewards, on the next afternoon, about 3 o'clock, when the two fleets started fighting near Dungeness, near the Singels. The Dutch were now more powerful than the English, and twenty ships, mostly hired merchant vessels, and were with Blake during the encounter. These had to turn toward Dover, and on the next day, he was back in the downs, where the most ships were there in the Thames. After his victory, Tromp accompanied the merchant vessels to the Isle of Rhé, taking several English prizes along the way. He stayed near Bordeaux to wait for the returning merchant fleet.

Dutch Captain: Christiaan Bernhard, Graaf van Bentheim

Christiaan Bernhard, Graaf van Bentheim served the Admiralty of Amstedam. In 1683, he served as a volunteer in the fleet. He fought in the Battle of La Hougue, where he commanded the Edam (50 guns). He was assigned to Philips van Almonde's division. In 1694, he was sent to Carthagena in the West Indies. In 1696, he served with the fleet under the command of Philips van Almonde, where he commanded the ship Zeeland (64 guns). In the West Indies, he captured the Spanish San Christo. He died of disease in 1697. Sources:

1. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.III, 1869.
2. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "Vlootlijst La Hogue 2 juni 1692", 2005.

Dutch Naval Officer: Jacob Jan van Cooperen (or Koperen)

Jacob Jan van Cooperen (or Koperen) served the Admiralty of the Maze. He was born in Rotterdam in 1669 and died there in December 1732. He was appointed as a lieutenant on 27 July 1690. On 20 February 1691, he was appointed as a captain-lieutenant-at-sea. In 1693, he was promoted to extra-ordinary captain. On 15 February 1698, he was promoted to full captain. He fought in the Battle of Vigo Bay, where he commanded the Wassenaar (60 guns). Finally, on 22 September 1713, he was appointed as a Schout-bij-Nacht by the Admiralty of the Maze. In 1706, he was one of the seamen who took part in the storming of Alicante. In 1708, he was part of the force that strengthed Lisbon. In 1711, he cruised on the coast of Catalonia. In 1711, he was sent to Naples and Tuscany. In 1714, he took his division to the Baltic. In 1725, he was sent to the Algerian coast. Sources:

1. Luc Eekhout, Het Admiralenboek: De Vlagofficieren van de Nederlandse marine 1382-1991, 1992.
2. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.III, 1869.
3. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.IV, 1861.
4. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "Wassenaar 1693", 2005.