Discussion devoted mainly to the Anglo-Dutch Wars (at sea), including ships, battles, and persons. Our website, kentishknock.com, is the primary outlet for artwork, research results, and more formal analysis and commentary. Copyright (c) 2003-2007 James C. Bender
Friday, December 31, 2004
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)."
Thursday, December 30, 2004
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.
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
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:
- R. C. Anderson, "English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938.
- R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
- C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol. VI, 1930.
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
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:
- R. C. Anderson, "English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938.
- R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
- 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.
Monday, December 27, 2004
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:
- R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
- J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962.
Sunday, December 26, 2004
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:
- R. C. Anderson, "English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938.
- R. C. Anderson, "The First Dutch War in the Mediterranean," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.49, No.4, November 1963.
- R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
- Michael Baumber, General-at-Sea, 1989.
- J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962.
Saturday, December 25, 2004
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).
Friday, December 24, 2004
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:
- R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
- House of Commons Journal, Volume 5, 17 March 1648.
- J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962.
Thursday, December 23, 2004
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.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
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:
- R. C. Anderson, "English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938.
- R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
- Michael Baumber, General-at-Sea, 1989.
- 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
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
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.
Monday, December 20, 2004
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.
Sunday, December 19, 2004
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:
- R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
- J. J. Colledge, Ships of the Royal Navy, 2nd Ed., 1987.
- Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.
Friday, December 17, 2004
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:
- R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
- Michael Baumber, General-at-Sea, 1989.
- Dr. S. R. Gardiner, and C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.III, 1906.
Thursday, December 16, 2004
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).
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
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:
- R. C. Anderson, “English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War,” The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938.
- R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
- R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 1966.
- William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898.
- Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.
- Brian Lavery, The Ship of the Line, Vol.I, 1983.
Monday, December 13, 2004
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:
- R. C. Anderson, "English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938.
- R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
- R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 1966.
- Michael Baumber, General-at-Sea, 1989.
Sunday, December 12, 2004
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:
- R. C. Anderson, “English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War,” The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938.
- R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
- C.T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910.
- Michael Baumber, General-At-Sea, 1989.
- Frank L. Fox, A Distant Storm: The Four Days' Battle of 1666
- Dr. S.R. Gardiner, The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898.
- David Syrett, R. L. DiNardo, The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy 1660-1815, 1994.
Saturday, December 11, 2004
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:
- R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
- R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 1966.
- Michael Baumber, General-at-Sea, 1989.
- Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898.
Thursday, December 09, 2004
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:
- R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
- Michael Baumber, General-At-Sea, 1989.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
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:
- R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
- C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.VI, 1930.
- Michael Baumber, General-At-Sea, 1989.
- James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "English Ships 1652-1654", 2004.
- J. R. Powell, Ed., The Letters of Robert Blake, 1937.
- J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962.
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
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".
Sunday, December 05, 2004
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.
Saturday, December 04, 2004
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:
- R. C. Anderson, Journals and Narratives of the Third Dutch War, 1946.
- James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1620-1700", 2004.
- Gerard Brandt, Het Leven van den Heere Michiel de Ruiter, 1687.
- J. R. Bruijn, De Oorlogvoering ter Zee in 1673 In Journalen en Andere Stukken, 1966.
Friday, December 03, 2004
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:
- R. C. Anderson, "English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol. XXIV, No.4, 1939.
- R. C. Anderson, List of English Navy Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
- R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 2nd Edition, 1966.
- Michael Baumber, General-At-Sea, 1989.
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
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.
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