17th Century Dutch Naval Officers I have a few notes from a source that many people might not have seen. In an appendix to Vol.II of Geschiedenis van Nederland Ter Zee, by J. C. Mollema (Amsterdam, 1940), he has a listing of Dutch naval officers (my translation is the "Honor Roll"). I have supplemented this with information from my paper, "Dutch Ships: 1620-1720". One is Rudolf Coenders, who served the Admiralty of Friesland. He only became a captain in 1662, when he was only 24 years old. By 1665, he had been appointed a Vice-Admiral. He had served as a teenager, at the Battles of the Gabbard and Scheveningen, in 1653. In the Second Anglo-Dutch War, he was at the Battle of Lowestoft, the action at Bergen, the Four Days Battle, until he was killed at the St. Jame's Day Battle, in 1666. In June, 1665, Rudolf Coenders flew his flag, as Vice-Admiral, in the 40-gun ship, the Groningen. In August, 1665, Coenders was in the 54-gun ship, the Stad en Lande. In 1666, he was in the 72-gun ship, the Groningen. Jan Corneliszoon Meppel is another officer listed in this appendix. There is no record of him, in any source that I have, prior to 1659, when he was in De Ruyter's fleet in the Sound. He had been appointed a Vice-Admiral of the Noorder-Kwartier in 1659. By 1665, he had been promoted to Lieutenant-Admiral. In 1659, Meppel had been appointed to replace Pieter Florissen, who had been killed at the Battle of the Sound, in late 1658. In 1661, he operated with Michiel De Ruyter against the Algerians. In 1664, he accompanied De Ruyter in operations near Guinea and the West Indies. In 1666, he served at the Four Days Battle and the St. Jame's Day Battle. In 1667, he took part in the raid on Chatham. In 1664, he commanded the 50-gun ship, the Noorderkwartier. From 1666, Meppel flew his flag on the 78-gun ship, the Westfriesland.