I received my other Doeke Roos book, today

The last of the Doeke Roos books that I had ordered arrived today. This one was Zeeuwen en de VOC. The book is a small volume, but heavy for its size. The pages are slick, and there are 186 numbered pages. The cover is a reproduction of an oil painting showing a fleet of ships. The inside is profusely illustrated with black and white photographs, mostly of artwork. Sadly, I don't see anything in the book that would be of immediate interest.

I expect to finally be able to obtain the documents from the Zeeuwse Archief

I just heard today that I will be able to obtain the copies of documents from the Zeeuwse Archief (Zeeland Archives) about the Zeeland Directors' ships from the First Anglo-Dutch War (as I understand what these are). Ivo van Loo also informed me of a recently published article by Arjan Otte, "Zeeuwse zeezaken. Een admiraliteit rond de Eerste Engelse oorlog, 1651-1655" in Tijdschrift voor Zeegeschiedenis 23 (2204) pp. 142-157. The documents that I will be receiving are from what Ivo van Loo had written me about a year ago: "At the Zeeuws Archief you can find information about 'director's ships' in the accounts in the archives of the Rekenkamer van Zeeland (Zeeland auditor's office)(Zeeuws Archief, Arch. Rekenkamer II, inv. nrs. 1179a en 1179b)."

I have a problem that I need to fix

In many posts, I copied and pasted text from a Word document file, not realizing that there were forward and backward quotes that are different from the standard double quote. In the Mozilla Firefox browser, these are really badly rendered. I have started to fix this, but it will take a while, if I can take the time to fix all of the places.

English Captain: Edmund Curtis

Edmund Curtis served in both the Commonwealth and Restoration navies. From 1650 to 1651, he commanded the Hector (22 guns) , a Royalist prize. From 1651 to 1653, he commanded the 4th Rate Guinea (34 guns) (the "Guinea frigate"). He fought at the Battle of the Kentish Knock. In early 1653, he fought at the Battle of Portland. At the Battle of the Gabbard, he was in Samuell Howett's division. He also fought in the Battle of Scheveningen. In September 1653, he still commanded the Guinea. From later in 1653 to 1654, he commanded the 4th Rate Ruby. By December 1653, he was in command of the Ruby (44 guns). From1656 to 1660, he commanded the 4th Rate Newcastle. At the Restoration, he continued in command of the Newcastle. Andrew says that he was sent to the Mediterranean as part of a squadron of four ships to convoy merchant ships. I have not been able to find any other information about further service. Andrew says that he died sometime prior to 1688. Sources:

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

English Captain: Gabriel Sanders

Gabriel Sanders served the Commonwealth and Restoration navies. From 1650 to 1652, he commanded the Weymouth pink. From 1653 to 1660, he commanded the 4th Rate Tiger. He fought in the Battle of Portland, in early 1653, in the Tiger (40 guns). At the Battle of the Gabbard, he fought in Samuell Howett's division. Samuell Howett was Rear-Admiral of the Red. He almost certainly fought at the Battle of Scheveningen, as well. Gabriel Sanders was a captain in the Restoration navy in 1660, but there is no further information about him. 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.

Nico Brinck agrees that the ship was almost certainly the Prins Maurits

I received mail from Nico Brinck, and he gave me a new drawing of an iron 12pdr cast in Sweden. The gun seems to have been 8ft-9in long and weighted 3208 lbs. The gun was cast by Finspong, in Sweden and was used by the Admiralty of Friesland. Nico said that the passage from Dr. Elias' book about the loss of Cornelis Taenman's ship was more solid evidence than what they had used to associate the Tobias with the gun and captain. The gun is marked with crossed anchors and "A I F" (Admiraliteit in Friesland). Dr. Elias wrote that the ship was the Prins Maurits. She was lost while fighting in the rear-guard at the Battle of Scheveningen. The ship was lost off the Maasbank, where they found the wreck.

English Captain: Leonard Lidcott

Andrew says that Leonard Lidcott was an army major. In 1648, he was assigned to the navy. In 1648, he was assigned as captain of the Dutch prize Satisfaction. From 1649 to 1650, he was captain of the 3rd Rate Garland. In 1650, he was assigned as captain of the 2nd Rate Rainbow. R. C. Anderson suggests that Leonard Lidcott may never have actually served at sea, despite these assignments. Certainly in the summer of 1648, Francis Penrose commanded the Satisfaction. Neither Michael Baumber nor The Letters Of Robert Blake mention Leonard Lidcott. 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: Jonas Reeves

Jonas Reeves served both the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth navies. In 1647, he commanded the 4th Rate Fellowship. He was in the Summer Guard for 1647. By the Winter of 1647, he was at Deptford, as the 4th Elizabeth was building. From 1648 until 1653, he commanded the Elizabeth (36 guns). In 1651, he took part in the fight to defeat the Royalists on the island of Jersey. He spent the First Anglo-Dutch War in the Mediterranean Sea. He took part in the Battle of Monte Cristo on 28 August 1652, under the command of Richard Badiley. He also fought the Battle of Livorno, on 4 March 1653. He was in Richard Badiley's division, which was only lightly engaged. After the battle, they withdrew from the Mediterranean Sea. I have not been able to determine the date or manner of his death, except that he died in 1653. 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 First Dutch War in the Mediterranean," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.49, No.4, November 1963.
3. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
4. Michael Baumber, General-at-Sea, 1989.
5. J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962.

The bronze 18pdr drawing

Nico Brinck's drawing of a bronze 18pdr was drawn in 1996. The gun is clearly marked as belonging to the "Admiraliteit van West-Frieslant" (the archaic spelling is because the gun was forged in 1632). The bore of the gun is 138mm. The length of the bore is 17.67 calibers.

Dutch guns

I just received a note from Nico Brinck. They were able to recover four guns from a wreck off Rotterdam that they believed to be the Tobias (28 guns), whose captain's name was Taneman or Taenman. He said that the ship had been lost in the Battle of Terheide in 1653. The guns that they recovered were a bronze 18pdr that weighed 3,480 Amsterdam pounds, a bronze 6pdr that weighted 1,875 lbs, and two cast iron Swedish guns from the Finspong foundry. The guns were a 12pdr and a 6pdr. The weights are unreadable, but he says that comparable guns were 3,200 lbs and 1,800 lbs. There is a bronze 24pdr drake on his web page that he says is from the Admiralty of Zeeland. The weight is unreadable. From what I know, Cornelis Taenman fought in the rearguard at Terheide (Scheveningen) and his ship was sunk and he was killed. We think that his ship was named Prins Maurits (which carried anywhere from 28 to 32 guns). He did serve the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier (and Westfriesland).

English Captain: Henry Bethell

Henry Bethell served in the Parliamentarian navy. In 1642, he was captain of the Mary Rose (26 guns). Robert Fox had preceded him in command, as Robert Fox had commanded the Mary Rose in the Summer Guard for 1642. This was the 300 ton ship built at Deptford in 1623. She was eventually wrecked on the Flanders coast in 1650. In 1643, he commanded the 2nd Rate James (50 guns and a crew of 260 men), and served in the Summer Guard for 1643. From 1644 to 1645, he commanded the 3rd Rate Bonaventure (557 tons, 36 guns, and a crew of 170 men). He was assigned to the Summer Guard for 1644. In the Summer Guard for 1645, he was assigned to the "North Squadron". He commanded the 3rd Rate Leopard in the Summer Guard for 1646. He was stationed in the Downs. From 1647 to 1648, he commanded the 3rd Rate Garland. In the Summer Guard for 1647, he was assigned to the Western Guard. For the Summer Guard of 1648, he was appointed as a Rear-Admiral as of 17 March 1648. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
2. House of Commons Journal, Volume 5, 17 March 1648.
3. J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962.

My copy of "Twee Eeuwen Varen en Vechten 1550-1750" arrived today

Nico Brinck had recommended two books to me about 17th Century Dutch naval history. This is the second of the ones he told me to buy, and is written by Doeke Roos: Twee Eeuwen Varen en Vechten 1550-1750. The book is about the Evertsen family, and the famous admirals. I would translate the title as something like: "Two Centuries of Sailing and Fighting" (or Sail and Fight). I purchased my book from "JOOT" (Just out of Time). The cost was 35 Euros plus almost as much for shipping it fast. The book was published in Vlissingen in 2003. An interesting piece of information is that Doeke Roos was born in 1932.

English Captain: William Goodson

William Goodson served the Commonwealth navy, eventually as a flag officer. From 1650-1651, he commanded the hired merchantman, Hopeful Luke (34 guns). In 1653, he commanded the Entrance (44 guns) at the Battle of Portland. Then he was Rear-Admiral of the Blue, with his flag on the Rainbow (58 guns) at the Battle of the Gabbard and presumably at the Battle of Scheveningen. Later in 1653, he commanded the 2nd Rate Unicorn. Certainly, on 3 September he was in command. In December, he was in "Ellence Roads" with the Winter Guard. In November, George Monck's intention was to move William Goodson to the 2nd Rate George, but that doesn't seem to have happened. From 1654 to 1655, he was Vice-Admiral, West Indies, with his flag on the 2nd Rate Paragon. Michael Baumber says that William Goodson and his sea regiment saved General Venables from a rout at Santo Domingo. From 1655 to 1656, he was Admiral, West Indies, with his flag on the Torrington. From 1656 to 1657, he was again Admiral, West Indies, this time with his flag on the Marston Moor. Later in 1657, he transferred his flag to the Dutch prize Mathias. In 1658, he commanded the 3rd Rate Speaker. From 1658 to 1659, he was a Vice-Admiral, with his flag on the 2nd Rate Swiftsure. 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. Michael Baumber, General-at-Sea, 1989.
4. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "English Ships 1652-1654", 2004.

I just ordered two more Doeke Roos books

I have known about these books by Doeke Roos for over a year. Today, I finally ordered them:

• Zeeuwen en de VOC
• Zeeuwen en de Westindische Compagnie

I hope that I may learn something new from them about ships used in the First Anglo-Dutch War. So far, my recent purchases have not been very useful. The book about de Admiraliteit van Friesland only has one page devoted to the First Anglo-Dutch War, and there was nothing there I didn't already know.

I received my copy of the book de Admiraliteit van Friesland

When I arrived home yesterday, my copy of Thea Roodhuyzen's book, de Admiraliteit van Friesland, had come in the mail. This is a new book copywrite 2003. I have an older, much smaller format book, somewhere, that is entirely different. It's main feature is having plans of Frisian ships from the early 1700's.

English Captain: Michael Nutton

Michael Nutton served both the Commonwealth and Restoration navies. From 1653 to 1655, he commanded the Satisfaction (32 guns), a Dutch prize. He seems to have fought in the Battle of Scheveningen. From 1656 until 1660, he commanded the 5th Rate Norwich. He was a captain in the Restoration navy in 1660, and died sometime before 1689. I have not been able to find any details of his service after 1660, however.

English Captain: William Gregory

William Gregory served in both the Commonwealth and the Restoration navies. In 1648, he was temporarily in command of the Warwick. In 1649, he commanded the 6-gun shallop Spy. From 1651 to 1652, he commanded the Horsleydown shallop (4 guns). In 1659, he commanded the fireship Cornelian. In 1665, he commanded the fireship Dolphin at the Battle of Lowestoft. He captured the 18-gun yacht Ruiter, and then burned a group of three Dutch ships that had surrendered (Marseveen, Ter Goes, and Zwanenburg), killing almost all their crews. If the authorities could have captured Captain Gregory, he would have been courtmartialed. He escaped, and was not heard from again. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
2. J. J. Colledge, Ships of the Royal Navy, 2nd Ed., 1987.
3. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.

English Captain: Robert Batten

Robert Batten seems only to have been employed as a captain at the Battle of Dungeness, where he was killed. He commanded the Garland (44 guns). At the beginning of the Battle of Dungeness, Tromp tried to bring the Brederode (54 guns) alongside Blake's Triumph. Robert Batten, closely supporting Blake, brought his ship, the Garland, between Blake and Tromp. When a second English ship arrived, the Anthony Bonaventure (36 guns) commanded by Walter Hoxton, Tromp's situation became desperate. Tromp was saved by the arrival of Jan Evertsen, in the Hollandia (38 guns). He helped Tromp defeat the weaker Anthony Bonaventure, killing Walter Hoxton. They then dealt with Robert Batten and the Garland. Apparently, the English blew up a deck on the Garland, as the fighting became increasingly intense. The Garland surrendered, after Robert Batten was killed. The Brederode was a wreck, while the Garland was also heavily damaged, and had rudder damage. She was sailed back to the Netherlands, and fought for Rotterdam later in 1653. She was renamed Rozenkrans. She was lost at the Battle of Scheveningen, where she was recaptured and then burnt. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
2. Michael Baumber, General-at-Sea, 1989.
3. Dr. S. R. Gardiner, and C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.III, 1906.

I ordered two books that Nico Brinck recommended to me

Nico Brinck decided it was too hard to try and fill in gaps to my list of ships and captains about which I have missing information. He recommended two books, instead, which I ordered. One of them I may already have, although I could not find my copy. The book is Thea Roodhuyzen and is titled De Admiraliteit van Friesland. I don't remember the title of the other book, but it is by an author who has written about Zeelanders and the WIC and EIC (VOC).

English Captain: Robert Sanders

Robert Sanders (or Saunders) served in both the Commonwealth and Restoration navies. From 1650 to 1652, he commanded the 6th Rate Star (22 guns and a crew of 80 men). In the Star, he fought at the Battle off Dover in May 1652. In 1652, he commanded the 4th Rate Assurance (36 guns) and fought at the Battle of the Kentish Knock. In 1653, he commanded the 4th Rate Ruby (42 guns). He was in William Penn's division at the Battle of the Gabbard. In this battle, William Penn was Admiral of the White. Robert Sanders also fought at the Battle of Scheveningen. From 1653 to 1654, he commanded the 3rd Rate Essex. From 1654 to 1655, he commanded the 4th Rate Dover (40 guns). He set sail at Christmas day, 1654, with William Penn's expedition to the West Indies. From 1657 to 1659, he commanded the 3rd Rate Torrington (52 guns). In 1665, Robert Sanders commanded the Loyal Merchant (44 guns) at the Battle of Lowestoft. He was in Sir William Berkeley's division. Sir William Berkeley was Rear-Admiral of the Red. At the time of the Four Days' Battle, Robert Sanders was captain of the new St. Patrick, and was fitting her out. He was at Bristol, still fitting out the St. Patrick at the time of the St. James's Day Battle. 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. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898.
5. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.
6. Brian Lavery, The Ship of the Line, Vol.I, 1983.

English Captain: Benjamin Blake

Benjamin Blake was the admiral's younger brother. He commanded the Paradox (14 guns) in 1649. From 1650 to 1652, he commanded the Assurance. He was in Nehemiah Bourne's squadron in the opening battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War. He fought at the Battle of the Kentish Knock as captain of the Triumph (62 guns). His older brother, Robert, thought that Benjamin had not fought hard enough at Dungeness, so he removed him from command. He must have been Robert's flag captain at Dungeness. He was later restored to command, and from 1654 to 1656, he commanded the Gloucester, including on the expedition to the West Indies. In 1657, he commanded the new 2nd Rate Dunbar. Benjamin Blake inherited the family estate in Bridgwater after his brother's death. 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. Michael Baumber, General-at-Sea, 1989.

English Captain: Jacob Reynolds

Jacob Reynolds served both the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth navies. In 1648, he commanded the Dove. In 1649, he commanded the Crescent. From 1651 to 1652, he commanded the Nightingale. He was present at the beginnings of the First Anglo-Dutch War, being in Anthony Young's squadron, off the Start, when they stopped Joris van der Zaan, Jacob Huyrluyt, and their the seven Straatsvaarders they were convoying. He had been relieved as captain of the Nightingale before the Battle of the Kentish Knock. In 1653, he commanded the 4th Rate Kentish (46 guns), and fought at the Battle of Portland. In April, he was with the Generals at Portsmouth, with the core of the main fleet. He was in John Lawson's division at the Battle of the Gabbard. John Lawson was Admiral of the Blue. Captain Reynolds also seems to have fought at the Battle of Scheveningen. He also served in the Restoration navy, starting in 1664 as a captain. In June 1665, he commanded the Great Gift, off the coast of Guinea. In June 1666, he was convoying merchant ships to Barbadoes. He commanded the 4th Rate Hope. In late July 1666, he was in Barbadoes, still in the Hope. He died in 1688. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, “English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War,” The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938.
2. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
3. C.T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910.
4. Michael Baumber, General-At-Sea, 1989.
5. Frank L. Fox, A Distant Storm: The Four Days' Battle of 1666
6. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898.
7. David Syrett, R. L. DiNardo, The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy 1660-1815, 1994.

English Captain: Edward Hall

Edward Hall served the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth navies. From 1644 to 1646, he commanded the Antelope (34 guns). In 1648, he again commanded the Antelope, until the ship went over to the Royalists with Prince Rupert. In 1649, he commanded the Adventure (36 guns) and Triumph (62 guns). In 1650, he commanded the Liberty (ex-Charles) (44 guns), until she was wrecked. In 1651, he commanded the Triumph. In 1652, he commanded the Andrew. The Andrew had a crew of 280 men in early 1652. Michael Baumber says that Edward Hall was "pensioned off" in 1652. 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. Michael Baumber, General-at-Sea, 1989.
4. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898.

Andrew says of George Dakins...

Andrew says that George Dakins had replaced Charles Thorowgood as captain of the Worcester, and fought bravely at the Battles of Dungeness (December 1652) and Portland (February 1653). At the Restoration, George Dakins was dismissed from the navy because he was "an irreconcilable Anabaptist". Andrew says that he then commanded a merchant ship that traded with the Mediterranean area.

English Captain: George Dakins

George Dakins commanded the Falcon shallop in 1648. In 1649, he moved up to the Tenth Whelp. From there, he commanded the Greyhound, in 1650. From 1650-1653, he commanded the 4th Rate Advice. In 1653, he commanded the Worcester and then the Andrew. He commanded the Worcester at the Battle of Portland, where he was wounded. Finally, in late 1653, he commanded the Paragon, and continued in command until 1654. In 1654, he was Rear-Admiral, West Indies, with his flag on the Torrington. In 1655, he moved back to the Paragon, still as Rear-Admiral, West Indies. In 1659, he commanded the Bristol. 1660, up until the Restoration, he was back in command of the Worcester. George Dakins did not serve after the Restoration. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
2. Michael Baumber, General-At-Sea, 1989.

English Captain: Roger Martin

Roger Martin (or Mostin) served both the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth navies. From 1644 to 1645, he commanded the hired merchantman Providence (16 guns and a crew of 54 men). He served in the Summer Guard and Winter Guard for 1644. From 1651 until 1653, he commanded the 4th Rate Diamond (42 guns). Immediately prior to the Battle of Portland, Captain Martin, in the Diamond, was stationed off of Land's End. He was recalled to the fleet before he was able to provide any useful information. That was a mistake made in the run up to the battle: the English recalled all their scouts from the Western Approaches. At the Battle of Portland, he was Rear-Admiral of the White, with his flag on the Diamond. In 1653, he commanded the Speaker (56 guns) and then the Bristol (46 guns). In the Speaker, he was William Penn's flag captain. After the Battle of the Gabbard, Blake and Monck recommended Captain Martin for command of one of the new ships, the Bristol. In late June 1653, he was also given command of a squadron that would ply the Channel, protect English shipping, and interfere with Dutch shipping. In December 1653, the squadron was 6 ships, the Bristol now carrying 50 guns. They were to operate between the Lizard and the Scilly Isles. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
2. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.VI, 1930.
3. Michael Baumber, General-At-Sea, 1989.
4. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "English Ships 1652-1654", 2004.
5. J. R. Powell, Ed., The Letters of Robert Blake, 1937.
6. J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962.

New Template

I finally have the new template in place that Violet at CCWDS did for me. She has done all of the web development for me at KentishKnock.com. She had done the work for some friend's website for their Smalltalk consulting business, and so I contacted her in late 2000. She is really into Flash, these days, so her site is really wild (Flash with sound). There is the minor drawback that her present site seems to be almost totally in Russian with Cyrillic alphabet. There is enough Roman characters and English, though, that the site is navigable (at least I find it so).

Dutch Captain: Simon van Panhuis (or Panhuys)

Simon van Panhuis served the Admiralty of Rotterdam (the Maas). He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. In 1665, he started as an army captain over marines. In 1666 and 1667, he fought in the battles of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. In 1672, he was captain of marines on Van Ghent's ship, the Dolphijnj (82 guns). When Van Ghent was slain, he restored the admiral's flag, even though he was severely wounded. The following winter he fought ashore. In 1673, he commanded the Zeelandia (42 guns) at the Schooneveld battles and at the Battle of the Texel. In 1674, he served under Cornelis Tromp on the French coast. This is mostly based on my translation of the entry from Mollema's "Honor Roll", supplemented by my unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1620-1700".

The Groenewold seems to have been renamed Groningen

I have just finished my first reading of a letter from Eimert Smits, the researcher who compiled the information listed at De Sneuper website. I now suspect that the Friesland admiralty ship Groningen was actually the purchased Groenewold, renamed. The length and beam fit, for example: 132ft x 31ft. Eimert Smits indicates that the Groningen was in service in 1652, as Hendrick Janszoon Camp's flagship. I'm starting to understand why that is likely.

Dutch Captain: Dirk Jobszoon Kiela (or Dirk Jacobszoon Kiela)

Dirk Jobszoon Kiela served the Admiralty of Zeeland. I have seen his middle name variously listed as Jobszoon or Jacobszoon. As Prof. Bruijn renders his name as Jobszoon, I accept that as the definitive word. He first appears in command of the frigate Delft (36 guns) in June 1666. He fought in the Four Days Battle, where he was assigned to the 2nd Squadron (Cornelis Evertsen). At the St. James's Day Battle, he was in Jan Evertsen's squadron, again in the frigate Delft (34 guns). He seems to have missed the campaign in the summer of 1667. We next see him in 1671 in command of the Zeeland ship Dordrecht (47 guns). In 1673, he commanded the Ter Veere (44 guns) (also known as Kampveere) at the Schooneveld battles and at the Battle of the Texel, where he was killed. For the entire 1673 campaign, he was assigned to Banckert's squadron. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, Journals and Narratives of the Third Dutch War, 1946.
2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1620-1700", 2004.
3. Gerard Brandt, Het Leven van den Heere Michiel de Ruiter, 1687.
4. J. R. Bruijn, De Oorlogvoering ter Zee in 1673 In Journalen en Andere Stukken, 1966.

English Captain: Anthony Houlding

Anthony Houlding served in the Commonwealth Navy. Hist command was the Warwick (22 guns). From 1650 to 1651, he commanded the 2nd Rate Swiftsure. From 1652 until 1653, he commanded the 4th Rate Ruby, until he was killed. In the opening battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War, Anthony Houlding was in Robert Blake's squadron, originally at Rye Bay. He fought at the Battle of the Kentish Knock in September 1652. In February 1653, he fought at the Battle of Portland, where he was killed in action. Andrew says that he also commanded the Tiger's Whelp (14 guns) (ex-Royalist Mary Antrim) in 1649, but I do not have a reference for that. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, "English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol. XXIV, No.4, 1939.
2. R. C. Anderson, List of English Navy Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
3. R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 2nd Edition, 1966.
4. Michael Baumber, General-At-Sea, 1989.

English Captain: John Lambert

Before the Civil War, John Lambert was a captain in King Charles' navy. He commanded the Nicodemus from 1640 to 1641. From 1643 until 1649, he commanded the Lily (10 guns and a crew of 35 men). During the summer of 1643, he was assigned to the Irish Guard. During 1644, he was in the Summer Guard. At that time, the Lily was said to be of 80 tons, have 8 guns, and a crew of 45 men. The Lily was also in the Winter Guard in 1644. During the summer of 1645, he was with the Guernsey squadron, along with the Dove and the Welcome pink. Again, he continued with the Winter Guard for 1645. During the summer of 1646, he was still at Guernsey. He seems to have been inactive during the winter of 1646. In the Summer Guard for 1647, John Lambert and the Lily were back at Guernsey. He was again inactive during the winter of 1647. He was back at sea in the Summer Guard for 1648. In 1650, he commanded the Dutch prize Satisfaction. In 1651, he commaned the 4th Rate Ruby. From 1652 to 1653, he commanded the 4th Rate Convertine (a Portuguese prize). From 1653 until 1657, he commanded the Lion. He seems to have relieved Charles Saltonstall. He fought at the Battles of Portland, the Gabbard, and Scheveningen. He also commanded the rebuilt Lion from 1658 until 1659. He seems not to have served after the Restoration.

More about Robert Moulton from Andrew

Andrew reports that Robert Moulton commanded the 2nd Rate Vanguard up until May 1665. I happen to have a very poor copy of Granville Penn's book about William Penn (published in 1833), which says that by March 29, 1665, Robert Moulton commanded the Centurion (46 guns) and that Jonas Poole commanded the Vanguard (56 guns). Another source to check would be the journal of the Earl of Sandwich, of which I also have a copy (it is not rare). The journal says that Robert Moulton commanded the Vanguard (56 guns) in the Earl of Sandwich's squadron on 13 September 1665. That lists gives Daniel Keeling as captain of the Centurion on that date. Another list for April 1665 gives Robert Moulton as captain of the Centurion in the Earl of Sandwich's squadron. That list gives Jonas Poole as the Vanguard's captain.

English Captain: Abraham Wheeler

Abraham Wheeler commanded the 6th Rate Greyhound from 1642 to 1644. In the summer of 1642, he was in the Summer Guard and then the Winter Guard. When he was in the Summer Guard for 1643, the Greyhound carried 18 guns and had a crew of 50 men. The Greyhound was not in the Winter Guard for 1643, but was again in service in the Summer Guard for 1644. At that time, the Greyhound was listed as being 120 tons, carrying 12 guns, and having a crew of 58 men. He was dismissed from that command. By the summer of 1645, John Coppin commanded the Greyhound. Abraham Wheeler reappeared in command of the 5th Rate Cygnet from 1646 to 1648. He commanded the Cygnet in the Winter Guard in 1646. In the summer of 1647, Captain Wheeler commanded the Cygnet in the North Sea Fishing Guard. The Cygnet was inactive during the winter, but in the summer of 1648, the Cygnet was assigned to "Guard Milford and to ply about Land's End". Sir George Ayscue was apparently the commander in charge of the four ships in the guard. In 1650, he commanded the 4th Rate Expedition (30 guns). He was with Blake's squadron, in March 1650, off of Portugal, blockading the Royalist squadron. Two letters list Abraham Wheeler as commanding the Expedition, not the Providence (they were sisterships). R.C. Anderson lists Captain Wheeler as commanding the Providence. In 1651, he commanded the 4th Rate Convertine. From 1651 until 1652, when he died, Abraham Wheeler had been captain of the 2nd Rate Triumph. He only appears in The First Dutch War in a list from early 1652. Before the Civil War, he had commanded the Greyhound from 1638 until 1641. Sources:

1. R.C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
2. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898.
3. J.R. Powell, Ed., The Letters of Robert Blake, 1937.
4. J.R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962.

English Captain: John Pearce

There is a good deal of uncertainty about whether there was more than one Captain John Pearce. R.C.Anderson only credits him with serving in the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth navies. We know, however, that a Captain John Pearce served in the Restoration navy, although he came to a bad end. It is possible that the John Kearse who commanded the 8th Whelp in the Scottish squadron was the same man. After reading a great deal of handwriting from the 17th Century, I would think that they would likely be the same, as the "Kearse" name is only listed in 1645. John Pearce (or Pierce) commanded the Weymouth in the Summer Guard in 1646. His station was in the Downs. In the Summer Guard of 1647, he was assigned to the Western Guard. In the Winter Guard of 1647, he was at Guernsey, with the Robert and two ketches. In the summer of 1648, John Pearce now commanded the Hector in the Irish Guard, although Anderson still lists him as commanding the Weymouth until 1649. At least during the summer of 1648, John Bowen commanded the Weymouth, also in the Irish Guard. From 1649 until 1653, John Pearce commanded the 4th Rate Providence. He seems to have fought in the Battles of Portland, the Gabbard, and Scheveningen. From 1657 to 1660, a Captain John Pearce commanded the Lily. R.C. Anderson suggested that there could have been two men with the same name. A Captain John Pearce commanded the Convertine in the Second Anglo-Dutch War. At the Battle of Lowestoft, he was in the Duke of York's division. He was in Prince Rupert's division at the Four Days' Battle. They joined the battle over 3 to 4 June 1653 (Old Style). The Convertine (56 guns) tried to flee the battle on its own, and was taken by two Dutch ships. She was taken by the Wassenaer, seemingly without a fight. A Dutch newsletter reported that the crew had mutinied, afraid that the Dutch would not take their surrender if they fought. Captain Pearce later commanded the 4th Rate Sapphire, after the war. He ran his ship ashore on Sicily in 1671, rather than fight what he thought was a squadron of Algerines. They turned out to be English ships, and he was courtmartialed and shot. Sources:

1. R.C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "English Ships 1652-1654", 2004.
3. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.
4. J.R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962.

English Captain: Robert Moulton, Jr.

Robert Moulton, Jr.'s father, Robert Moulton, Sr., also served in the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth Navies. Robert Moulton, Jr., also served after the Restoration. From 1646 to 1647, Robert Moulton, Jr., commanded the 6th Rate Increase at Chatham, on the Summer Guard in 1646. This seems to have been a prize taken about 1645 (12 guns and 133 tons). In 1647, he also commanded the Satisfaction in the Irish Guard in 1647. This was a prize taken from the Dutch in 1646. From 1649 to 1650, he commanded the frigate Constant Warwick (32 guns). He was with Blake's squadron off of Portugal in the Spring of 1650. His father commanded the Leopard with the squadron. From 1651 to 1652, Robert Moulton, Jr. commanded the 4th Rate Sapphire (38 guns). He fought at Dover in May 1652, in the opening action of the First Anglo-Dutch War. He was in Blake's squadron, originally lying in Rye Bay. He also fought in the Battle of the Kentish Knock. He disappears after the Kentish Knock. The next time we see him mentioned is after the Restoration. He fought at the Battle of Lowestoft, in 1665, in command of the 4th Rate Centurion (46 guns). He was in the Earl of Sandwich's division (the Earl of Sandwich was Admiral of the Blue). At the Four Days' Battle, he was in John Harman's squadron (Rear-Admiral of the White). In this battle, Robert Moulton, Jr. distinguished himself in command of the 3rd Rate Anne (58 guns). The Anne seems to have been disabled on the second day, and left the fleet. Robert Moulton was one of a small number of captains who were praised by the Duke of Albermarle. Sources:

1. R.C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700, Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 2nd Ed., 1966.
2. R.C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
3. Michael Baumber, General-At-Sea: Robert Blake and the Seventeenth Century Revolution in Naval Warfare, 1989.
4. J.J. College, Ships of the Royal Navy, 2nd Ed., 1987.
5. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.
6. Frank Fox, Great Ships: the Battlefleet of King Charles II, 1980.
7. S.R. Gardiner, The First Dutch War, Vol.II, 1900.
8. J.R. Powell, ed., The Letters of Robert Blake, 1937.
9. J.R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962.

English Captain and Admiral: Samuel Howett

Samuel Howett served on the Parliamentarian side in the Civil War and in Cromwell's navy during the Interregnum. In 1645, he commanded the Duncannon in the Irish Squadron. The Duncannon had been a Royalist vessel that must have been captured by 1645. There is a confusing note in The Navy in the Civil War about the Duncannon being handed over by Lord Esmond in 1646. That seems to contradict the list of Parliamentarian ships from 1645. In 1649, he commanded the St. Cleer (persumably the St. Claire). She seems to have been a galliot. They council had thought that she was capable of carrying 16 guns, but they were informed that Samuel Howett had found that was not possible. He was appointed by the Council of State on 6 April 1649 (Old Style). In 1649 and 1650, he commanded the Concord, a Dutch prize. For a period in 1650, Captain Howett commanded the hired merchantman Falcon. In 1651 and 1652, he commanded the 4th Rate Foresight. After that, he commanded the Laurel and by early 1653, was Rear-Admiral of the Red. The new squadron system was only in place by the Battle of Portland. Later in 1653 and into 1654, Samuel Howett commanded the 3rd Rate Speaker and was also Rear-Admiral of the Red. At the Battle of the Gabbard, the Speaker carried 56 guns and had a crew of 300 men. He was George Monck's and Richard Deane's Rear-Admiral. References:

1. R.C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
2. C.T. Atkinson, The First Dutch War, Vol.V, 1907.
3. J.R. Powell, Ed., The Letters of Robert Blake, 1937.
4. J.R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962.

French Chef d'Escadre des Rabesnières

I found that I do have some information about M. des Rabesnières, who commanded the French rear division at the Battle of Solebay. I have two sources:

1. R.C. Anderson, Journals and Narratives of the Third Dutch War
2. Julian S. Corbett, A Note on the Drawings in the Possession of the Earl of Dartmouth Illustrating The Battle of Sole Bay May 28, 1672 and The Battle of the Texel August 11, 1673

I am very fortunate to have the prints of the drawings that accompany the latter booklet, as well. In the Battle of Solebay, M. des Rabesnières flew his flag on the Superbe (70 guns), which was his flagship, as Rear-Admiral of the French Rear Division. The Superbe seems to have been the fifth ship in line in that division. M. des Rabesnières had been present at the council of war that the Duke of York had held, immediately after the French had joined the fleet. They were hoping to intercept the Dutch East Indies fleet at the Dogger Bank, and draw De Ruyter's fleet into a pitched battle. Contrary winds changed the English plans. The combined fleet eventually had to resupply and refit, and did so at anchor at Southwold Bay (Solebay). The Dutch caught them at anchor, although a French frigate, scouting to sea, gave warning so that the fleet was able to get underway. The French ended up on the opposite tack to the English squadrons, heading to the south, fighting Adriaan van Trappen Banckert's squadron. As they got underway to the south, des Rabesnières' ship, the Superbe, was second from the rear of the squadron. He was engaged with Vice-Admiral Star, although at long range. This is captured on the first print from the series. The French were seriously engaged, as des Rabesnières was killed, the Superbe heavily damaged, and the total French casualties are estimated as 450.

My current thoughts about Witte de With

Witte de With was certainly a controversial figure. He never became the main fleet commander for any extended period of time because of his violent temper and because of his rivalry with Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp. Witte de With was not alone in having a temper. I had not realized that Michiel de Ruyter was another flag officer with a violent temper. De Ruyter was accepted, because he was clearly the preeminent admiral in the Dutch navy, after the death of Maarten Tromp. However, De Ruyter reported to Witte de With during the latter part of 1653. Witte de With was always acknowledged to be a skilled admiral, one of the best in the Netherlands, during his professional career. When important operations were planned, he was usually given command. In 1645, he commanded the operation to push a large fleet of merchant ships into the Sound without paying the toll. In late 1647, he was sent, with a small fleet, to try to retrieve the deteriorating situation in Brazil. He was totally without support from the homeland, and finally returned, to keep from losing the entire force from lack of maintenance. He was made the scapegoat, and probably only the death of Prince Willem II kept him from being executed. He was quietly returned to the service with a slap on the wrist, as we would now say. When Tromp was clearly not doing well in the late summer of 1652, Witte de With was given command of the fleet for the Battle of the Kentish Knock. The Dutch should have been badly beaten, but they only lost one ship sunk and one captured. Apparently, they fought in an informal line, and kept the English from closing. The English, under Blake, never were in good order, and some individual ships were badly damaged. Blake rushed into battle with the leading ships, so that despite their large size, they were greatly outnumbered, at the point of contact. Blake didn't seem to comprehend the importance of formation and maneuver, despite having been an army officer. The general animosity towards Witte de With kept the Dutch from recognizing that the battle had gone better than could have been expected. Tromp was restored to command, and so for several more battles, the main fleets were commanded by officers who underperformed (Tromp and Blake). The Dutch was so strong at Dungeness, that despite missteps, they won. Blake was blind to his failings, and blamed his captains for the loss. The Battle of Portland was fought under similar circumstances, except with the English fleet being much stronger. They finally wore down the Dutch and should have annihilated them, but let them go, instead. It wasn't until George Monck took command on the English side that the effects of Tromp's leadership really were shown. The Gabbard was a disaster, more from the manner of the loss than the actual numbers, although they were bad enough. Scheveningen was almost as bad as to material loss, but the surviving vice-admirals kept the battle from turning into the rout that had taken place at the Gabbard. Witte de With was instrumental in forming the rear-guard that kept the English from achieving a Trafalgar-like victory. They needed to do better, as they were up against an English fleet lead by George Monck, who was an able commander. The English also had men like Edward Montagu and William Penn, who were as able as Monck. In the fall of 1653, when a returning fleet of Indiamen needed escort home from Norway, Witte de With lead a fleet of 70 ships to retrieve them. Michiel de Ruyter was his second. Again, when the Dutch needed someone on an independent command, they went to Witte de With, as they recognized his ability. Witte de With continued to gain grudging respect until his death at the Battle of the Sound. There, he was subordinated yet again to an admiral of lesser ability, in this case Jacob Wasseaner van Obdam.

A Foundation for 17th Centuray Naval History Research and Marine Archaeology

In the summer of 2002, I realized that what we need is a foundation for 17th Century naval history research and for marined archaeology. For that to be possible, we need a source of funding. The good news is that there is a great deal of material to be examined. We just need to be able to make funding available so that researchers (like us) would be able spend continuous periods of time examining the available records.

Dutch Captain: David Swerius (Sweers)

David Swerius served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was killed on 21 August 1673, at the Battle of the Texel (Kijkduin). He is first mentioned by Brandt in 1671, when he commanded the small frigate Brak (24 guns and a crew of 77 sailors and 16 soldiers). In May 1672, he commanded the Beschermer (50 guns and a crew of 200 sailors and 45 soldiers). He fought in the Battle of Solebay, and his ship had 15 killed, 17 severely wounded, and 10 lightly wounded. He was in De Ruyter's squadron. David Swerius commanded the Beschermer until his death at the Battle of the Texel. He is listed next in September 1672, with the fleet. At the beginning of the Schooneveld battles in 1673, his ship had a crew of 216 sailors and 29 soldiers. For the Battle of the Texel, the Beschermer had a crew of 200 sailors and 16 soldiers. He was one of six Dutch admirals and captains killed (Isaac Sweers, Jan de Liefde, Jan Pauluszoon van Gelder, David Swerius, Hendrick Visscher, and Dirk Jobszoon Kiela).

I suspect that the correct name is "Sampson"

The name that Grove and I read from the handwritten documents as "Samplon", is almost certainly "Sampson", instead. The handwritten name looks something like "Sampfon", where I put an "f" being a 17th Century, lower-case "s". That is why Brandt wrote the name as "Samson" (actually, something like "Samfon", without the cross on the "f"). The Dutch seem to have written the name as either "Samson" or "Sampson", interchangeably. I will look again at the handwritten text, but this is my current estimate.

Dutch Captain: Hendrick Janszoon de Munnick

Given Hendrick Janszoon de Munnick's presence in the list of ships and captains that took part in the blockade of Danzig in 1656, we must conclude that he was not, in fact, killed at the Battle of Portland. There are a number of cases where we see in The First Dutch War, where there is correspondence telling of a captain's death, and then we find that the writer was mistaken. There is no doubt, however, that his ship, the Wapen van Holland, was sunk at Portland. There were a number of ships of that name taken or sunk, and one of them served with the English fleet as the Arms of Holland. We can be certain that this was not Hendrick de Munnick's ship, as the Arms of Holland was listed on December 27, 1652, in the English service (The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, page 315).

More about Jan Samplon

I have checked my notes for the 1654 list, and Jan Samplon is not listed there. That means that the earliest listing for him is in Brandt, on page 99, where he is called "Jan Samson". Grove's list for the Battle of the Sound gives his name as "Jan Samplon". I also have copies of handwritten documents from right before the Battle of the Sound. I am looking at the page that has his name written, and the name is clearly "Samplon". I have no other sources that refer to Jan Samplon, either before 1656 or after 1658.

Dutch Captain: Jan Samplon (or Samlon)

Jan Samplon served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. The earliest that I have been able to find reference to him was in 1654, in the "Staet van Oorlog te Water" for that year. He commanded a Noorderkwartier ship, and was mentioned in July 1654. He was likely to have been a lieutenant in the First Anglo-Dutch War, but I have not been able to verify that. He was present at the Blockade of Danzig in 1656, under Lt-Admiral van Wassenaer. Jan Samplon commanded the Hollandsche Tuin (39 guns and a crew of 120 men) in that operation. He fought in the Battle of the Sound in 1658, where he commanded the Monnikendam (32 guns and a crew of 97 men). The Monnikendam was lost in the Baltic after the battle, in action with the Swedes, and Captain Samplon may have been killed at that time.

Dutch Captain: Adriaan Teding van Berkhout

Mollema's "Honor Roll" briefly mentions Adriaan Teding van Berkhout. He served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier, and was a lieutenant in 1652. He was promoted to captain in 1665. In 1652-1653, he served as a lieutenant, under Cornelis Tromp, in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1666, he fought in the Four Days Battle and the St. James's Day Battle. We also know that he commanded the Prinses Roijaal (40 guns) from June to August 1665. In 1666, he commanded the Drie Helden Davids (48 guns). In 1671, he commanded the small Noorderkwartier frigate Zierikzee (24 guns and a crew of 87 sailors and 35 soldiers). I have a note that says he commanded the Akerboom at the Battle of the Texel, but I believe that must be an error, and that it was Jacob Teding van Berkhout.

Brandt's biography of De Ruyter

For the period from 1665 until 1676, we are really dependent on Brandt's biography of De Ruyter (Het Leven en Bedrijf van den Heere Michiel De Ruiter) originally published in 1687. For tunately for us, there is a fine facsimile reproduction available that is reasonably priced and readily available. If you have the money, the original is frequently available, although you might have to settle for a later edition. For 1667 to 1676, Vreugdenhil seems to have greatly depended on this work for his list published in 1938.

I need to spend more time studying De Sneuper

I learned some new things from De Sneuper in the last few days. My assessment is that I need to spend more time studying what is there and translating it to English so that I can better read the material. The ship list is useful, in itself. The list of captains is just as useful, if not more so. For example, I learned that Jan Coenders was restored by the Admiralty of Friesland, after being courtmartialed, and that his yacht had the guns fall through the deck, due to the general poor condition of the vessel.

Jan Coenders' ship, the Graaf Willem

I had long thought that we didn't know the name of Jan Coender's ship. I noticed, however, upon a closer reading of The First Dutch War, that his ship was named the Graaf Willem. The passage called the ship a fluit. "De Sneuper" website, however, confirms what I had thought might be the case: the Graaf Willem was the Friese jacht. The obvious thought would be that this is the same Graaf Willem listed by Vreugdenhil, in his list from 1938. If so, then we know that the Graaf Willem carried 10 guns and was built in 1644. Her dimensions were: 74ft x 18.5ft x 7ft. I translated the text about Jan Coenders on "De Sneuper":

• 1653 Sea battle at Nieuwpoort 12/13 June, Captain Coenders on the yacht Graaf Willem
• On 11 July 1653, a courtmartial convicted Jan Coenders and found him unfit for further sea service. The verdict was signed by, among others, M. H. Tromp and M. A. de Ruyter.
• On 30 July Hessel Fransz. commanded the Graaf Willem, instead of Jan Coenders. Jan Coenders had been accused and convicted, but afterwards was rehired by the Friesland Admiralty.
• Battle near Wijk en Zee or Terheide, Jan Coenders commanded the yacht Graaf Willem. The ship was in a very bad state so that the guns fell through the moldy and rotten decks.

Dutch Captain: Adam van Brederode

This is based on my translation of the entry in Mollema's "Honor Roll" with some additional material:

Adam van Brederode served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He lived until 1676. In 1665, he distinguished himself at the Lowestoft in the Haarlem (46 guns). In 1666, he burnt English ships in the Elbe as a reprisal for the attack on the Vlie by Robert Holmes. In 1673, he commanded the Prins te Paard (55 guns) at the Battle of the Texel. In 1676, he commanded the Vrijheid (50 guns) in the battles at Etna and Palermo and in the latter battle was severely wounded.

The Onstelde-Zee and Brandt's biography seem to be a mixture

I actually have a number of texts from the 17th Century. I have the handwritten "Staet van Oorlog te Water" for 1628, 1629, 1631, and 1633, the Onstelde-Zee (1654), pages from Hollandsche Mercurius, Brandt's biography of De Ruyter (1687), and Aitzema's Saken van Staet in Oorlogh. These all seem to be in a mixture of "Middle Dutch" and "New Dutch". "New Dutch" preceded "Modern Dutch". Both of these had different spellings and different words than what is in "Modern Dutch". I discovered this website, today, that addresses the history of the Dutch language. This is on the University College London website. There is a related Dutch website, as well, the The Nederlandse Taalunie.

Dutch Captain: David Janszoon Bondt (or Bont)

David Janszoon Bondt (Bont) lived from about 1600 until 6 September 1652. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was a Lieutenant in 1621, an Extraordinary-Captain in 1644, and Captain in 1652. In 1639, he was a Commandeur at the Battle of the Downs. He was in Commandeur Denijs' squadron on the South side of the battle.

Captain Bondt was initially under Joris van Cats, but Cats was replaced in early July 1652 by another old Mediterranean hand, Johan van Galen. Captain Bondt was killed in action at the Battle of Elba (Monte Christo) on 6 September 1652, while fighting the English. He commanded the 40-gun ship Maan (which had a "man-in-the-moon" painting on the taffrail). The Maan and the Vereenigde Provinciën had clapped themselves alongside Richard Badiley's flagship, the Paragon, but both captains were killed and the ships driven off. The Maan's crew had actually been ready to surrender, but Badiley was too hard-pressed to take possesion of the Maan. The Maan was completed in 1643 and her dimensions were 128ft x 31.5ft x 12ft. Her crew consisted of 140 men.

More about Cornelis Engelen Silvergieter

In 1628 and 1629, Cornelis Engelen Silvergieter commanded the Rotterdam ship Zeekalf. The Zeekalf was a vessel of 170 lasts built in 1623. She had a crew of 85 men and carried 23 guns. Her armament consisted of 2-18pdr, 2-12pdr, 14-8pdr, 1-6pdr, 2-5pdr, and 2-4pdr guns. We are fortunate that this level of detail is available for ships as old as this (at least from the Admiralities of Rotterdam and Amsterdam).

Dutch Captain: Cornelis Engelen Silvergieter

I was disappointed to see that Cornelis Engelen Silvergieter was not mentioned in Mollema's "Honor Roll" nor in Dr. De Boer's book Tromp en de Armada van 1639. C.R. Boxer did note Captain Silvergieter's presence during the campaign of the Battle of the Downs. Cornelis Engelen Silvergieter served the Admiralty of Rotterdam. The "Staet van Oorlog te Water" for 1629 lists him as commanding a Rotterdam ship. He also appears in the list published in Vol.I of The First Dutch War. He commanded a small Rotterdam frigate with 22 guns. At the beginning of the First Anglo-Dutch War, he commanded the Overijssel. From Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet, we know that he was present on the expedition to the Shetlands. We also know that his ship survived the storm, but he vanished from the scene after they voyage.

Captain Dirck Vijch succeeded Captain Silvergieter in command of the Overijssel, and was still in her in 1654 (at least according to the "Staet van Oorlog te Water" for 1654).

Dutch Captain: Jacob Willemszoon Broeder

Jacob Willemszoon Broeder served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was promoted to captain in 1662 and was killed in action on 16 November 1692. In 1666, he fought in the Four Days Battle and the St. James's Day Battle. In 1667, he participated in the Raid on the Medway as commander of the Zeven Provinciën (46 guns). In 1673, he fought at the Schooneveld battles and at the Battle of the Texel. In 1676, he commanded the Kraanvogel (46 guns) in the battles of Etna and Palermo. In 1692, he fought five French privateers with Boutemantel and was captured. He was shortly exchanged. In the same year, he was killed while fighting with Jean Bart in the North Sea. His commands in the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch Wars (and in the continuation against the French alone):

• 1665-1666 Dom van Utrecht (46 guns)
• 1667 Zeven Provinciën (46 guns)
• 1672 Edam (32 guns)
• 1675-1676 Kraanvogel (46 guns)

Morale and competence in the Restoration Navy

A striking feature of the Restoration Navy was the suddenness that morale could collapse in the face of adversity. The foremost example was the loss of the Royal Prince at the Four Days Battle. I believe that Sir George Ayscue was suspect as a naval leader, so I partly atribute the debacle in the Four Days Battle to him. After the Royal Prince grounded, the crew panicked and became unmanageable. A stronger leader might have restored the situation, but Ayscue did not. He seemed powerless to affect the outcome.

A related example played out much differently. When the Henry, John Harman's flagship at the Four Days Battle was fired, the crew also panicked. In this case, John Harman took charge, rallied the crew and put out the fire. The Dutch were amazed to find, later, that the Henry had been saved to fight another day.

The issue may be partly attributed to the extent that crews were pressed. Many men pressed into service maintained a good attitude and served for extended periods, such as Edward Barlow. His journal is a classic, and is illustrated by Barlow's ship drawings (primitive but good).

Perhaps the real answer is the moral tone set during the Restoration period by the King and Duke of York. They were good men, loyal to the navy, but their private lives were not what we would expect in these stricter times.

Abraham Crijnssen's squadron, dispatched to the West Indies in December 1666

In December 1666, Abraham Crijnssen was dispatched from Zeeland to the West Indies with a small squadron. His original squadron had 750 sailors and 225 soldiers. The ships in his squadron were as follows:

• Frigate Zeelandia, 34 guns crew 140 men Captain-Commandeur Abraham Crijnssen
• Frigate West Cappel, 28 guns Captain Simon Loncke
• Frigate Zeeridder, 34 guns crew 167 men Captain Pieter de Mauregnault
• Yacht Prins te Paard, 14 guns crew 75 men Captain Salomon Le Sage
• Hoeker Wester-Souburg, 6 guns crew 13 men Captain Rochus Bastaert
• Fluit Aardenburg Commandeur Abraham Trouwers
• Snauw Commandeur Hayman Adriaensen

17th Century shipwrecks in the Caribbean

I have met someone who is interested in shipwrecks in the Caribbean, especially those near Grenada. One idea that I had was to look at William Laird Clowes' The Royal Navy: A History From the Earliest Times to the Present. The seven volume book is a treasure, but I get exasperated with the first two volumes. Only towards the end of the second volume does the coverage get to where it should have been.

English Ship: Marmaduke

The Marmaduke was a former Royalist ship, the Revenge. She deserted to the Parliamentarians circa 1650. There is a note from Captain John Taylor, the Master Shipwright at Chatham saying that the Marmaduke would be ready in 10 days. This was reported, based on a letter from the officer preparing the ship dated August 27th, 1652.

The Marmaduke fought in the First and Second Anglo-Dutch Wars. In 1666, she carried 12-culverins (18pdr), 22-demi-culverins (9pdr), and 8-sakers (5-1/4pdr). Her dimensions were 87ft x 31ft-5in x 15ft-2in. 87ft was the length on the keel. I would estimate that her length on the gundeck would be about 108ft. The purpose-built frigates had less rake, but the Marmaduke was a former merchantship and I would expect a rake of at least 0.25 x LK.

I'm working on the list of the Dutch fleet at the blockade of Danzig in 1656

As soon as it is finished (hopefully, later today), I will be posting the listing of the Dutch fleet that took part in the blockade of Danzig in 1656. The fleet was commanded by Jacob Wassenaer van Obdam. The list is derived from that published in Brandt's biography of De Ruyter (from 1687). I have made a few obvious corrections, but have otherwise reproduced the list. The list will be posted at AngloDutchWarsBlog.com.

Dutch captain: Adriaan Houttuijn

Adriaan Houttuijn lived from 1599 until 12 June 1666. He served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier, although he was an Amsterdam Directors captain in 1640. He was a captain in 1653 and Schout-bij-Nacht in 1665.

In 1645, he commanded the Gouden Leeuw(24 guns) with Witte de With, in the Sound. This was the operation to force a large fleet of merchant ships through the Sound without paying the toll to Denmark. From 1646 to 1651, he was in the Venetian service, fighting against the Turks. He assumed command of the Kasteel van Medemblick (30 guns), after Gabriel Antheunissen was sacked. In 1653, he fought under Tromp at the Battles of the Gabbard and Scheveningen. In 1656, he served under Van Wassenaer in the blockade of Danzig, where he still commanded the Kasteel van Medemblick. In 1658, he fought at the Battle of the Sound. In 1659, he served as a commandeur under De Ruyter in the Sound and at Funen and Nyborg. In 1665, he commanded the Wapen van Medemblick (46 guns) at the Battle of Lowestoft. He convoyed for the VOC fleet as a Schout-bij-Nacht. At the Four Days Battle in 1666, he was killed while commanding the Prins van Oranj(66 guns).

I have a "work in progress": Dutch ships in Various Operations During the First Anglo-Dutch War

I have gradually been able to add to my unfinished work Dutch Ships in Various Operations During the First Anglo-Dutch War. I started writing this document/book in September 2001, and have gradually been able to add more detail. My lastest acquisition, Hendrick De Raedt's pamphlet about the voyage to the Shetlands in July and August 1652 has helped to be able to fill in one more piece. The paper is currently at 89 pages, but I would expect it to grow up to soemthing like 150 pages, as I am able to acquire more sources. The next target acquisition would be the "Staet van Oorlog te Water" for 1648, which apparently exists.

Dutch Captain: Govert Voorns (or Voorens)

Dr. De Boer says that "he was a problematic character from beginning to end", and was frequently exchanged in sources with Jacque Forant. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. In 1638, he fought with great courage, under Tromp, at Dunkirk. Right after this, he was in trouble with Witte de With, who seemed to have trouble, during this period, with many men. He left the fleet without authorization and then gave untrue reports about his activities. He received a heavy fine and was suspended. At the Battle of the Downs, Robbert Post was in Voorns' ship, the Deventer. In 1645, he worked at the Admiralty of Amsterdam. In 1647, he was assigned to Witte De With's squadron to relieve Brazil, but he died on the voyage on 5 August 1648. He had commanded the Amsterdam ship Huis van Nassau (40 guns). On 15 March 1651, his widow requested payment of pay due to him.

Dutch Captain: Sijbrant Janszoon Mol

Sijbrant Janszoon Mol commanded a hired merchantman, the Witte Olifant (28 guns). This was apparently a hired Italian ship named the Elefante Bianco in mercantile service. In August 1653, he was in Anthonis van Zalingen's squadron off of Livorno, blockading Henry Appleton's squadron. . The van de Velde drawing of the Battle of Livorno shows the taffrail with a large elephant. His ship was part of a 16-ship fleet commanded by Johan van Galen, who flew his flag on the Amsterdam ship Veerenigde Provinciën (40 guns). In the Battle of Livorno on 14 March 1653, Henry Appleton led his squadron out of the harbor at Livorno prematurely, and was faced with the entire Dutch fleet present. Appleton quickly lost the Bonaventure (44 guns) to an explosion with only 5 survivors. Almost immediately, Van Galen lost a leg and eventually died. Of the ships in Appleton's squadron, only the fast Mary escaped. The Sampson was destroyed by a fireship, while the Peregrine and Levant Merchant were taken. Appleton's flagship, the Leopard (48 guns) was overwhelmed and taken, as well. The only Dutch loss was the hired merchantman Madonna della Vigna, which was forced ashored north of the harbor. Richard Badiley's squadron exchanged fire with the 8 ships, including the Witte Olifant, and then withdrew, eventually from the Mediterranean Sea. That left the Dutch in control, and allowed them to send ships home.

In 1658, the city of Amsterdam fitted out two merchant ships for the war against Sweden (as per Jan Glete). They were the Waeg and the Cogge, both of 40 guns. The Waeg had a crew of 107 sailors and 30 soldiers. The Waeg was commanded by Sijbrant Janszoon Mol, and was assigned to Lt.-Admiral van Wassenaer's division. He took part in the Battle of the Sound, where the Dutch soundly defeated the Swedish fleet, with the loss of Witte de With and his flagship Brederode, which had run aground and been severely raked.

Dutch Captain: Barend Rees

In May 1673, Barend Rees commanded the Rotterdam ship Wassenaer (60 guns and a crew of 239 sailors and 46 soldiers). On 6 June, he was in Cornelis Tromp's squadron and took part in the second Schooneveld battle. He very likely had been in the first battle, as well. At the Battle of the Texel, he was in Jan de Haan's division in Cornelis Tromp's squadron. He still commanded the Wassenaer (now 59 guns and a crew of 223 sailors and 17 soldiers). On 24 May 1673, he was under Lt-Admiral van Nes. By 8 June 1674, he was in De Ruyter's division in the expedition to Martinique. Barend Rees commanded the Utrecht (36 guns and a crew of 128 sailors and 41 soldiers). In 1688 he participated in the voyage taking Willem III to invade England. Barend Rees commanded the Honslaardijk (48 guns and a crew of 190 men) in Schout-bij-Nacht Jan van Brakel's squadron.

Dutch Captain Ruth Maximiliaan

Captain Ruth Maximiliaan started the Second Anglo-Dutch War in command of a Lisbon trader Catherina (about 40 guns). At the action at Bergen, when an English squadron attempted to attack Pieter de Bitter's Retourvloot, Ruth Maximiliaan's ship was in a tight spot, in line between the Walcheren and Slot Hooningen. The harbor mouth was so narrow that there was only room for 7 ships, including the Catherina. In the fierce battle, the Catherina was holed underwater and had to be run ashore to keep from sinking. At the Four Days Battle, where he commanded the Rotterdam warship Wassenaer (56 guns), Ruth Maximiliaan took part in the fight with John Harman's ship Henry. The Dutch were convinced that she must have been sunk, although the Henry survived to fight another day. On the second day of the battle Captain Maximiliaan played a major part in sinking the Black Eagle (the former Friesland ship Groningen). Ruth Maximiliaan was killed at the St. James's Day Battle from 4-5 August 1666 (July 25-July 26 Old Style). Frank Fox called him one of De Ruyter's best captains.

The Friese Admiralty at Dokkum website

I need to give a better link to the Friesland admiralty at Dokkum website, as I was not aware of the correct access page that has links to the other pages. Now, if there would be websites of comparable quality for the other admiralties, we would be able to fill in most of the knowledge gaps we have about the Dutch navy from 1628-1654. I would like to discuss a few issues that I found when examining the Friese website ship list, as I have some questions that I have regarding several of the ship and captain associations. Still, the site is a great source of information and has advanced my knowledge of Friese ships and captains in the First Anglo-Dutch War (and the 1630's and 1640's, as well).

Dutch Captain: Cornelis Cruijck

Cornelis Adriaanszoon Cruijck (from Schiedam) was a captain for the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC). He took command of the Vogelstruis from Douwe Aucke. The Vogelstruis belonged to the Amsterdam Chamber of the VOC.

He was present at the start of the Battle of Portland, in De Ruyter's squadron. Forty of his crew were also from Schiedam. De Ruyter's ships combined their attacks so that four or more ships was board a single English ship. De Ruyter, himself, boarded, was repulsed, and then reboarded and took the large hired merchantman Prosperous (42 guns). In the intense fighting on the first day, Captain Cruijck was killed, his crew was decimated, and the ship was heavily damaged aloft. That night, the English took the Vogelstruis. The ship was so heavily damaged that the English made her a hulk, rather than trying to return her to service.

We estimate the Vogelstruis' dimensions to have been 160ft x 38ft x 18ft and she carried 40 to 44 guns. The large retourschepen such as the Vogelstruis were heavily armed. They often had 4-brass 24pdrs and a lower tier filled with 18pdrs. The upper tier would be 12pdr with 8pdr on the quarterdeck. We can't be sure how the Vogelstruis was armed, however. We do know that she had a crew of about 200 men.

I have two new theories about Friese ships

I have been immersed into thinking about Frisian ships today (thanks to finding the website). Now, I wonder again if the ship purchased in 1652 as the Groenewold actually served as the Zevenwolden? There is no sign of the Groenewold, except for the mention in the "Staet van Oorlog te Water" for 1654 and in "Vreugdenhil". Now, the Zevenwolden was lost at Scheveningen, but as I have indicated, the Groenewold shows in the "Staet" for 1654 and in Dr. Elias' book in a list from 1655. There is also a listing for Claes Jansoon Sanger and the West Cappel in both 1654 and 1655. Of course, the West Cappel was also taken and burnt at Scheveningen.

The other thing I wonder about is the Groningen. The Friese website says that Hendrick Janszoon Camp commanded the Groningen at Dungeness, and that it was the same 36-gun ship that fought at the Battle of the Sound in 1658 (as well as participating in the rest of the First Anglo-Dutch War). If that is correct, than the ship was built prior to 1653, unlike what Dr. Weber said in his book about the Four Days Battle. The ship is often shown with a smallish crew, so perhaps this was the ship from the March 1653 list that had 110 men in the crew and the Zevenwolden was the one with a 140 man crew.

We shall see how this develops, as I continue to gather more information.

Website for the Historische Vereniging Noordoost Friesland

I highly recommend the website of the Historische Vereniging Noordoost Friesland (”homepage van 'De Sneupers'). My friend Andrew, in Russia, discovered the site, and had drawn my attention to some of the text. The site has information that I have not seen anywhere else, in the published sources available to me. I will have to modify my view of Friesland ships in the First Anglo-Dutch War, given the information contained in the site. There are pages with comperhensive lists of Frisian captains and ships. This site confirms, yet again, what Frank Fox has told me: the information that we want exists; we just need to be persistent and find it.

Dutch captain Rombout van der Parre during the First Anglo-Dutch War

Thanks to the website of the Historische Vereniging Noordoost Friesland, we know more about some Frisian ships and captains (thanks to Andrew who found the site). I immediately noticed that the site adds to what is known about some captains and ships. For example, there is the following about Rombout van der Parre:

• Fought under De Ruyter at the Battle of Plymouth on 26 August 1652, where he commanded the Albertina (24 guns)
• Before the Battle of the Kentish Knock, he was sent home, due to his ship being unfit due to damage from the Battle of Plymouth
• Fought at the Battle of Dungeness (near the Singels) under Tromp in the Albertina
• Fought in the Battle of Portland (28 February to 2 March 1653) in the Albertina
• Commanded the new ship Oostergo (54 guns)

Dutch captain: Jan Thyssen

The information that I have about Jan Thyssen (Tijssen) is from the First Anglo-Dutch War up until 1659. In May 1652, he joined Tromp's fleet with a squadron of 7 Vlissingen and Middelburg Director's ships. This brought the fleet up to a strength of 42 ships. He fought at the Battle off Dover on 29 May 1652, and had gone into the Downs prior to the battle. In August, he sailed with the fleet to the Shetlands, and survived the storm. Hendrik de Raedt's pamphlet says that Commandeur Thyssen commanded a Middelburg directors' ship carrying 32 guns and a crew of 110 men. He seems to have been absent from the Battle of the Kentish Knock. Jan Evertsen's journal from 30 November 1652 says that Michel De Ruyter flew his flag from Jan Thyssen's ship (which we know was the Witte Lam). We are reasonably sure that De Ruyter used the Witte Lam as his flagship for the battles of Portland and the Gabbard. In late July 1652, Commandeur Thyssen and four ships lying there were intended to join the fleet. He must have been at the Battle of Scheveningen, as he and his mastless ship, the Liefde, were lying in the Goeree Gat.

The last time that I have seen Jan Thyssen mentioned was in 1659, when he commanded the Zeeland ship Dordrecht (40 guns) with De Ruyter's fleet in the Sound.

Dutch captain: Matthijs Gilliszoon

Apparently, Matthijs Gilliszoon's full name was Matthijs Gilliszoon Kampen. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He died on 19 February 1649. He was promoted to captain in 1637 and Schout-bij-Nacht and then Vice-Admiral in 1647. In1639, he served under Tromp in the Battle of the Downs. In 1643, he had served under Tromp in the blockade of Dunkirk. In 1647, he commanded the ship Huis van Nassau (40 guns) as Vice-Admiral in the relief fleet sent to Brazil. They had been sent with inadequate resources to restore the Dutch position in Brazil, which had deteriorated after Prince Maurice had left the country. In 1648, Matthijs Gilliszoon's ship was disabled and abandoned in the battle near Bahia. A Portuguese captain blew up his ship, rather than being defeated, and destroyed the Utrecht (32 guns) and disabled the Huis van Nassau. The Huis van Nassau, after being abandoned, ended up in the harbor of Bahia, where it was taken by the Portuguese and refitted for use against the Dutch. In 1649, Matthijs Gilliszoon was killed in the land battle near Guararapes in Brazil. Sources:

• Mollema's "Honor Roll"
• W.J. van Hoboken, Witte de With in Brazilië

Dutch Captain: Cornelis Barentszoon Slordt

Cornelis Barentszoon Slordt is not mentioned in Mollema's "Honor Roll", still played a part in the actions at sea during the 1650's. I will give as much information as I have found:

Cornelis Barentszoon Slordt served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. The earliest reference to him that I have found is on 16 November 1650, Joris van Cats found Captain Slordt and his ship, the Jonge Prins (28 guns) in the harbor of Cadiz. Captain Slordt spent the next three years as part of the Dutch Mediterranean squadron. He took part in the Battle of Monte Christo (Elba) in September 1652, under the command of Johan van Galen. On 14 March 1653, he took part in the Battle of Livorno (Leghorn), were Johan van Galen was mortally wounded. At the end of the battle, Captain Slordt's ship was one of 7 ships that exchanged fire with Richard Badiley's squadron, which withdrew without serious fighting. We next see Captain Slordt at the Battle of the Sound in 1658, where he commanded the Caleb (40 guns). The last mention of Captain Slordt was at the Battle of Lowestoft, where he commanded the Jozua (50 guns). Perhaps he was killed at Lowestoft, but I don't have a definitive reference.

New information thanks to a reader

Two questions have been answered, thanks to a reader, Andrew. He pointed out a quote: "In Augustus 1652 Andries Douwesz. Pascaert onder Adm. M.H. Tromp kruisend bij Shetland eilanden op het schip Prins Willem, 28 stukken". The questions that have been answered are:

"Who was Captain Pascaert" (mentioned in the passage about the Shetlands)

"What ship was commanded by Andries Douweszoon?"

There are conflicting reports about whether Andries Douweszoon Pascaert reported to the Admiralty of Friesland or to the Harlingen Directors. Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet says that he reported to the Harlingen Directors, and that his ship carried 28 guns and had a crew of 105 men. Another reference gives the figures as 30 guns and a crew of 100 men. Andrew gives the figures as 28 guns and a crew of 90 men. In any case, Captain Pascaert took part in the Battle of the Gabbard and was courtmartialed and cashiered for his actions in the battle.

Little-known Dutch warships in the First Anglo-Dutch War

I noticed that Dr. Elias lists Cornelis van Houtten as being at the Battle of the Kentish Knock. His ship was the Witte Lam. She carried 28 guns (12-12pdr, 8-8pdr, 6-6pdr, and 2-3pdr), a crew of 96 and had dimensions of 127ft x 27-1/4ft x 12-1/2ft.

In another case, three captains operated in the Baltic from November 1652. They were Adriaan van Loenen, Gerrit Schuyt, and Cornelis Janszoon Brouwer. The latter two are more obscure, as you would not have seen their names associated with a ship in the published literature.

Gerrit Schuyt commanded the Rozeboom. She was the ship, later commanded by Bartholomeus van Rietbeeck, which was captured by the English at the Battle of the Gabbard. She had a crew of 96 men and carried 28 guns (12-12pdr, 8-8pdr, 6-6pdr, and 2-3pdr) with dimensions 118ft x 27ft x 12-1/2ft.

Cornelis Janszoon Brouwer's ship was the Valck. The Valck has not appeared in the published literature (by name). She carried 28 guns (12-12pdr, 8-8pdr, 6-6pdr, and 2-3pdr), in 1652 had a crew of 95 men. Her dimensions were 132-1/2ft x 26-1/6ft x 12-3/4ft.

The storm off the Shetlands in August 1652

This is my first attempt at translating note 1 on page 130 of Vol.II of Dr. Elias' book, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen:

According to the Hollandsche Mercurius, we lost at the Shetlands no more than 4 or 5 ships. In reality, our losses were a lot heavier. Before the storm, Tromp's fleet numbered 92 warships, 1 supply ship, 7 fireships, and 3 galliots. From that, on 5 and 6 August, Tromp collected 40 warships, 1 fireship, and 1 galliot. With captains Balck and De Lieffde came 40 warships, the supply ship, and 1 fireship. Previously, the warship of Captain Pascaert and the fireship of Captain Bondt had separately arrived. So that in total returned 81 warships, 1 supply ship, 3 fireships, and 1 galliot. One galliot was taken by Blake. For the Shetlands 11 warships therefore must have remained (among which included 1 admiralty ship of Amsterdam, the Amsterdam, Captain Barend Dorrevelt, "with people and ship" were lost, and 2 of the defective Friesland admiralty ships, which both as given as "to ahve stranded"), 4 fireships, and 1 galliot.

I want to attempt to determine the lost warships, which I firmly believe included at least several of the ships belonging to the Amsterdam Directors.

Dutch captain: Willem van Nieuhoff

This is based on my translation of the entry for Willem van Nieuhoff in Mollema's "Honor Roll" which I have augmented with additional information:

Willem van Nieuhoff died on 3 March 1653, and had served teh Admiralty of Amsterdam. He had been promoted to captain in 1636. In 1639, he had distinguished himself against 4 Dunkirkers. He was rewarded with a gold medal. He also fought at the Battle of the Downs. He was in Commandeur Denijs' squadron on the South side of the Downs, to block that exit for the Spanish fleet. In 1645, he commanded the Wapen van Goes under Witte de With in the Sound. In 1653, he died on board the transport ship Aartsengel Michiel (40 guns) in the Mediterranean Sea.

A possible ship-captain association

Dr. Ballhausen identifies Jacob Claeszoon Boet's ship as the Leeuwin on page 436 of his book. Captain Boet commanded a ship of the Monnikendam Directors with 32 guns and a crew of 115 men. I am not ready to absolutely say this is true, as Dr. Ballhausen is often wrong about this sort of identification. He attributes this to page 82 of the Onstelde-Zee (1654). I just happen to have a photocopy of this book (thanks to the James Ford Bell Library at the University of Minnesota). All that passage says is:

"Maar 't Schip den Meerman met 24 Yzere en 4 Metale stukken tussen 2 Engelse grote Bengels beklemt, worde na een langh geveght in de gront geschoten; daar op quam 't Ship de Leewwin met 28 Yzere en 4 Metale stukken, den eenen Engelsman van aghteren aan ter zyden dight aanboort leggen, dat het volk van den Meerman ziende leepen over de Engelsman, en salveerden haar in de Leewin."

I have maintained the exact spelling from the passage, even though it differs, even within the same passage. The mapping to more modern Dutch is fairly obvious. The bottom line is that I don't see anything to tie the Leeuwin to Captain Boet, except that the number of guns matches. The passage does suggest that the Leeuwin's armament was 32 guns: 4-brass and 28-iron guns.

Dr. Ballhausen suggests that the Meerman was commanded by Simon Corneliszoon van der Meer (Rotterdam), and gives her armament as 4-brass and 24-iron guns, as indicated by the passage above.

Dutch captain: Augustijn Balck

Mollema's "Honor Roll" only has a short listing for Augustijn Balck:

Augustijn David Balck died on 28 February 1653, and we don't know his birth date. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam, and was promoted to captain in 1636. He distinguished himself at the Battle of the Downs in 1639. In 1648, he accompanied the ambassador to Archangel. In 1653, he was killed at the Battle of Portland.

In 1639, he commanded a convoyer, and was in Commandeur Denijs's squadron on the south side of the fleet at the Battle of the Downs [C. R. Boxer, Tromp's Journal 1639, p.189]. Many of those captains present from Amsterdam fought in the First Anglo-Dutch War:

Jacob Troucquois

Jan de Lapper

Jan van Galen

Augustijn (Aucke) Balck

Willem van Nieuhoff

Evert Anthonissen

David Janszoon Bondt

Claes Bastiaanszoon van Jaarsvelt

At the beginning of the First Anglo-Dutch War, Captain Balck was in Witte de With's squadron. On July 5, 1652, he attended a council of war on Tromp's flagship, prior to sailing for the Shetlands. His ship, the Vrijheid (46 guns), was one of 16 from Amsterdam on the voyage. On October 1, 1652, he commanded a convoy to "Muscovy", and sailed from the Vlie. He had 11 warships and two galliots. I believe that the list of ships and captains were:

Sampson (26 guns) Hendrick Adriaanszoon

Vrijheid (46 guns) Augustijn Balck

Bommel (30 guns) Pieter van Brakel

Windhond (18 guns) Dirck Pieterszoon Heertjens

Westfriesland (28 guns) Hendrik Huyskens

Fazant (32 guns) Jan Janszoon de Lapper

Patientia (24 guns) Andries van Loenen

Hoop (unknown guns) Boëtius Schaeff

Omlandia (30 guns) Jacob Troucquois

Aemelia (28 guns) Willem van der Zaan

Brak (18 guns) Pieter van Zalingen

Because of the convoy, Captain Balck was absent from the Battle of the Kentish Knock. He was present, though, at the Battle of Dungeness, where he was still in Witte de With's squadron (although Witte de With was absent, and his squadron was commanded temporarily by Michiel de Ruyter. He was also present at the Battle of Portland, where he was killed on the first day.

Dutch naval officer: David Vlugh

This is my translation and editing of the entry in Mollema's "Honor Roll" for David Vlugh:

David Vlugh was born in 1611 and died on 7 June 1673. He served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. He was a lieutenant in 1639, a captain in 1665, and Schout-bij-Nacht in 1666.
He fought at the Battle of the Downs in 1639 as a lieutenant. From 1640 to 1642, he served as a lieutenant in the blockading fleet before Dunkirk. In 1658, he was a skipper in the merchant marine, and commanded a supply ship for De Ruyter, in 1659, with the expedition to the Sound. In 1665, after the Battle of Lowestoft, he was promoted to captain of the Wapen van Nassau (60 guns). In 1666, he distinguished himself in the Four Days Battle and the St. James's Day Battle. In 1667, he commanded a "holding squadron" in the Wapen van Utrecht (72 guns) under Van Ghent, during the Raid on Chatham. In 1672, he commanded the Wapen van Enkhuizen (72 guns) at the Battle of Solebay. In 1673, he commanded a squadron before the Thames, and was killed at the First Schooneveld Battle.

Dutch Captain: Cornelis Janszoon Poort

Cornelis Janszoon Poort served the Directors of Amsterdam, from early 1652 until he was killed in March 1653. He commanded the ship Kroon Imperiaal. Her dimensions were: 130ft x 30ft x 12-1/2ft, with a height between decks of 7ft. On 27 March 1652, she was listed as having 38 guns: 20-12pdr, 14-6pdr, and 4-4pdr. On 19 April and 8 November 1652, she was listed as having 34 guns: 2-brass 24pdr, 16-12pdr (of which 10 were brass), 12-6pdr (of which two were brass), and 4-3pdr. A list from early 1653 has essentially the same list, but is less sure about which guns were brass. The Kroon Imperiaal's crew was consistently listed as 125 men.

What we know for sure is that Captain Poort was with Tromp on his voyage to the Shetlands, during July-August 1652, was with Captain Balck convoying ships to the Baltic in the fall, and then was at the Battle of Dungeness in Witte de With's squadron (de With, himself, was not there). Captain Poort was Witte de With's Rear-Admiral. In March 1653, he was at the Battle of Portland, where he was killed and his ship sunk.

Dutch captain: Barend Hals

Barend Hals served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. Frank Fox does not list him as being present at the Battle of Lowestoft. In August 1665, Captain Hals commanded the frigate Wapen van Leiden (38 guns). He seems to have missed all the major battles of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. On December 25 1666 (Old Style) his ship, along with the Elias and Klein Harder, were captured by the English. The Leiden (as it was more usually called) was burnt.

Barend Hals served in the Third Anglo-Dutch War, and played a more active role. He started the war in command of the frigate Asperen (30 guns), and was present at the Battle of Solebay. His ship had 3 killed and 14 wounded in the battle. In 1673, he had moved to the Gideon (60-62 guns), and fought in the Schooneveld battles and the Battle of the Texel.

More from the March 1653 Dutch list

More guesswork than I would like has gone into this, as I have already listed the really obvious ships previously. Some of these are certain, though, such as the Eendracht: Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier

• Eendracht, 40 guns crew 140
• Monnikendam, 36 guns crew 140
• Prins Maurits, 32 guns crew 130

Admiralty of Friesland

• Groenewold, 38 guns crew 110 (one of these two has a smaller crew)
• Zevenwolden, 38 guns crew 140
• Breda, 30 guns crew 110

Lionel Lane

We know something about Lionel Lane's career from 1650 to 1654. His commands:

1650 Garland

1651-1653 Victory

1653 Triumph

1654 Sovereign

At the Battle of Dungeness, Lionel Lane was commended for helping Robert Blake, in the Triumph, to escape through the Dutch fleet. On December 14, 1652, he was present at a council of war where decisions were made about the sort of fleet which should be prepared to meet the Dutch. At the Battle of Portland, he was Vice Admiral of the Blue, in William Penn's Blue squadron. After Portland, circa April 1653, his ship was lying at Portsmouth with the Generals and the core of the main fleet. At the Battle of the Gabbard, Lionel Lane was again William Penn's Vice Admiral, this time in the White squadron. On September 3, 1653, Lionel Lane was listed as captain of the Triumph, but as of November 17, 1653, he had still not reported aboard. On January 17, 1654, Lionel Lane was ordered to finish preparing the Triumph, so that when the Sovereign was ready in about three months, he could move to her. I have no further record of Lionel Lane's career, after that note.

The main sources are: R.C. Anderson, "List of English Captains 1642-1660" (Society for Nautical Research) The First Dutch War, Vols III-VI (Navy Records Society) The Letters of Robert Blake (Navy Records Society)