My latest thoughts on unresolved issues

I have had a number of open questions that I had not been able to resolve, in my research about the First Anglo-Dutch War:

Claes Janszoon Sanger, the West Cappelle, and the Battle of Scheveningen

Sipke Fockes, the Sint Maria and the Groot Sint Lucas

The first seems clearer, at this point. There is overwhelming evidence that Claes Janszoon Sanger became an English prisoner, after the Battle of Scheveningen and that his ship was burnt. The fact that the West Cappelle was listed in the "Staet van Oorlogh te Water voor den Jaere 1654" is simply a records keeping issue. That there was a West Cappel in service later is likely explained by a new ship having been built. We don't know that for sure, from what we have seen to date, but it seems likely.

The question of Sipke Fockes, the Sint Maria, the Groot Sint Lucas are still hard to finally resolve. There is the following pieces of evidence:

In a document dated 18 March 1652, Sipke Fockes is listed as commandiing the Amsterdam Directors' ship Sint Maria (28 guns).

In a 8 November 1652 document, Sipke Fockes still was said to command the Sint Maria

At the Battle of Portland, Sipke Fockes was killed and his ship captured.

The book, Onstelde-Zee, published in 1654, says that Sipke Fockes' ship was the Groote St. Lucas, and that the ship was captured at Portland.

The 1653 volume of the Hollandsche Mercurius for 1653 has lists of warships and merchant ships captured at Portland. The Groote St. Lucas (28 guns) was taken to Portsmouth, in early March 1653.

There is a document dated in March 1653 that lists Amsterdam Directors' ships needing repairs after the Battle of Portland. That list includes the Sint Maria, and lists the defects.

I have been resistent to concluding that there really was another ship named Groote St. Lucas that has not otherwise been noted in any published sources, or in any records found, to date. I am starting to think that it might be the case, however.

As an afterthought, I need to examine the section on the Battle of Portland, in the Onstelde-Zee, as there are at least three Dutch ships mentioned there that need further research:

Poort van Troijen

Leeuwin

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