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.