After the Battle of Dover in early June 1652

This is my attempt at a translation of a passage in Vol.II of Dr. Elias's book Schetsen uit de Geschiedenis van ons Zeewezen:

With this letter, on 3 June Tromp sent the captains Allert Janszoon and Isaac de Jongh to the Downs to take possession of Tuyneman's ship from Blake and escort it to Patria. Moreover, De Jongh was tasked to travel to London where he told the Dutch envoys about the events of 29 May, to inform them of what had happened. At the same time, Tromp sent the ships of Captain Ham (wounded in the leg in the fighting) and of Van der Zaan to take the Straatsvaarder and Sipke Fockes' mastless ship, and taken them to the Texel. At the same time, he had the captains survey their ships and do what was necessary to supply the needs and men of everyone's ships and to help repair the damage to these ships.

I am sorry to say that I had to guess at the meaning of the last sentence, in particular. I would welcome help to improve the translation.

The Hector and Lambert Pieterszoon

Vreugdenhil and others had mentioned Lambert Pieterszoon's ship as the Hector. After seeing the mention of captains courtmartialed in October 1652, I noticed the mention of Reinier Sikema in the list that included Lambert Pieterszoon. Reinier Sikema (or Sekema), commanded a ship named the Hector van Troije (24 guns). We definitely know from original documents from 1652 that Lambert Pieterszoon commanded the Amsterdam Directors' ship Nassouw. I can only conclude that at some point, there was a misunderstanding and Lambert Pieterszoon was equated to the Hector. I believe that the book Onstelde-Zee may have made this connection, mistakenly.

More about Dutch captains

This is and edited version based on my translation of a passage and the note in Dr. Elias's Schetsen, Vol.III, page 87:

In the courtmartial at Hellovoetsluis in October, only two of the captains accused by the fleet commander were convicted as deserters from the fleet, and De With again saw his accusations disavowed by their high majesties. The appointed judges did not share his opinion. The following year, in March and April, several of those accused were found guilty, and sentenced to be shot for their dereliction of duty, or because of their lack of motivation in defending their ship against the enemy, or by their leaving the fleet. Of those accused in October 1652, apparently Lucas Albertssen and Reinier Sikema were convicted. Those accused included Lucas Albertssen of the Drie Coningen, Hans Carelssen Becke of the Sara, Ewout Jeroenszoon of the Zutphen, Allert Janszoon of the Dubbele Arend, Cornelis Loncke of the Faam, Lambert Pieterszoon of the “Hector” ( I believe that he commanded the Nassouw, based on documents from 1652), and Harman Wallemans under Captain Swart on the Vliegende Faam. There was also Jan Jacobszoon van Nes of the Gorcum, who left his ship at the Kentish Knock, Cornelis Hola of the Leiden, and Gerrit Femssen of the Wapen van Enkhuizen.

This probably needs some further work, but I hope that I have captured the essence. This might account for why some of these captains were no longer mentioned, after late 1652. Others continued in service into 1653 where they perhaps got into worse trouble.

Dutch Captain: Lucas Albertssen (UPDATED)

Lucas Albertssen served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He commanded the ship Drie Coningen (36 guns) in the First Anglo-Dutch War. We know that he was with De Ruyter's fleet in July and August 1652. He fought in the Battle of Plymouth, against Ayscue. He probably was present at the Battle of the Kentish Knock. On October 29, his crew had mutinied, one of several ships that had mutinies. The mutiny was so serious that officials of their high majesties became involved and ordered Captains Gideon de Wildt and Jacob Paulussen Cort to board the ship and restore order. Lucas Albertssen was absent from his ship at the Battle of Dungeness, where the Drie Coningen was commanded by his lieutenant. In March 1653 (estimated date), after the Battle of Portland, his ship was lying off St. Malo. Dr. Ballhausen says that he was in De Ruyter's squadron in the Battle of Portland. We will investigate some other sources later in the day. We may have already discussed Lucas Albertssen, but Google could not find a post about him. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910.
2. Dr. Carl Ballhausen, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654, 1923.
3. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898.
4. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.II, 1900.
5. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de Geschiedenis van ons Zeewezen, Vol.IV, 1927.

Dutch Naval Officer: Andries Pieterszoon

Andries Pieterszoon served the Admiralty of the Maze. In June 1665, he fought in the Battle of Lowestoft, where he commanded the jacht Hazewindhond (3 guns and a crew of 12 men). He was assigned to Cornelis Evertsen de Oude's squadron. In 1696, 31 years later, a man named A. Pieterszoon commanded the ship Hollandia (72 guns). Given the gap, the latter man is unlikely to be the same person as that man who commanded the jacht in 1665. Names were often shortened, but the man who comes to mind first, Andries Pieterszoon Stellingwerf, served the Admiralty of Friesland, not the Maze. He commanded a ship, the Prinsen Wapen in 1656, and that was the last we hear of him. He is certainly not the same man. I looked at the lists for the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch Wars, and he is absent, except for the Battle of Lowestoft. I expect that the man who commanded the Hollandia in 1696 was Anthonij Pietersen (or Pieterszoon). Sources:

1. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898.
2. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.
3. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.III, 1869.

Several people are interested in passenger lists from the 1660s

The nice thing about the current state of information on the internet is that there are passenger lists available, often on multiple sites. This is one example of a voyage from Amsterdam to America (Nieuw Amsterdam). We know from other sources that the Hoop was a fluit with 10 guns.

Dutch Captain: Outger Buysman

Outger Buysman served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. In 1616, he commanded the Vergulden Makreel, a vessel with a crew of 79 men. He also commanded the Vergulden Makreel with Hillebrant Quast's fleet that was sent to the Mediterranean Sea from September 1617 until May 1618. In 1620, he commanded the Samson, a vessel of 300 lasts. He was with Haultain's fleet that went to the Mediterranean Sea from November 1620 until September 1621. He does not appear in any other of my usual sources. Sources:

1. Carl Stapel, personal communication "fleet of Haultain nov 1620- sept 1621 to Mediterranean", 2005.
2. Carl Stapel, personal communication "Moy Lambert 1616 en Hillebrant Quast 1618", 2005.

Dutch Naval Officer: Joris van Spilbergen

Joris van Spilbergen lived from 1568 to 1620. He sailed to Africa in 1596. He commanded the fleet of the company of the Moucheron, one of the predecessor companies of the VOC. The fleet consisted of the ships the Ram, then Schaap, and the pinas Lam. The fleet left on 5 May 1601. He returned from India in 1604. The King of Kandy, Vimala Dharma Suriya, met van Spilbergen in 1602. In 1607, he was with Heemskerk at the Battle of Gibraltar, where Joris van Spilbergen was apparently on board the Aeolus, van Heemskerck’s flagship in the battle, with a position as commissioner-general. In 1614, he sailed on a voyage by the Straits of Magellan. He had circumnavigated the Earth from 1614 to 1615. He returned in 1617. He died in relative poverty at Bergen-op-Zoom in 1620. He was the first Dutchman to visit Ceylon and was investigating to see if a trade in cinnamon might be possible. Sources:

1. Web page about Spilbergen meeting the King of Kandy.
2. Web page listing about Joris van Spilbergen from DBNL.org.
3. Verbaarsjes.nl page about Van Spilbergenstraat.

I would like to find a list of the ships in Witte de With's fleet that went to Norway in late 1653

It would be interesting, if not useful, to have the list of ships and captains that sailed to Norway and back, only to be hit by a bad storm in September-November 1653.

Another description of the Battle of the Slaak

This is based on my translation of a webpage (which shows a picture of the battle)

In 1631, the Spanish governor in the Netherlands, Isabella of Austria (1566-1633) devised a plan to separate the rebellious regions of Holland and Zeeland. For this purpose, they had brought together a fleet of 90 inland watercraft to attack and conquer the Ooltgensplaat and the southern bank of the Volkerak. At the head of the Spanish fleet stood the marquis Aytona. On 8 September, the fleet headed for the Scheldt.

Prince Willem had a plan for Vice-Admiral Marinus Hollaer (1575-1637) to defeat the Spanish attack. The Zeeland flag officer led a force of over fifty smallcraft, and he let the Spanish into the Scheldt and then attacked. In the evening of 12 September, when the Spanish attacked the people of Zeeland, in the Slaak, the Dutch fleet attacked. A consequence of the unexpected attack created confusion among Aytona’s men and eventually a general panic ensued. By the tens, the Spanish jumped into the water to escape capture by the Zeelanders.

The Spanish seapower was destroyed. Aytona barely escaped with only two of his ships. 4000 men were taken, while 1,500 sailors and soldiers were killed. The Scheldt remained in Dutch hands.

I always welcome help with correcting my translations.

The Battle of Slak (1631)

This is based on my translation of a section in Doeke Roos's book Twee Eeuwen Varen en Vechten 1550-1750:

A battle was fought on the Zeeland inland waters that received far less attention by historians than the Battle of the Downs (1639). This confrontation with the Spaniards was no less than an attempt to break the connection between the Rhine and the Scheldt and to separate Zeeland and Holland. The intention was to attack the two large forts on either side of the Volkerak. In this inland waters fight, on the night of 12 and 13 September 1631, both Johan and Cornelis Evertsen were involved. The Zeeland Vice-Admiral Marinus Hollaer ran into the ships. In the minutes of the Admiralty of Zeeland and the great roll in the Rekencamer, Johan Evertsen and the captains Clocq, Frans Jansen, and Andries Pietersen are named. Vice-Admiral Hollaer is not named, but he possibly had already been mentioned.

From the preceding, it is clear that he Republic was aware of the fleet preparations at Antwerp. The Spanish fleet consisted mainly of boats, defenses, pontoons, and launches, for a total of 90 vessels with 5,000 soldiers and boatsmen. A firefight took place at Saeftingen between the Zeeland ships and the Spaniards who wanted to enter the Mosselkreek. The many Dutch and Zeeland inland watercraft were smaller vessels with spritsail rigging. The deepwater ships, despite their draft, also had a chance to strike a blow, to saild and to divide the enemy in the fight.

Just as in the year 70 of the Sixteenth Century, success in Zeeland waters went to those with a good knowledge of the banks and channels and an acquaintance with the flow and tide. Among the list of booty lost by the Spaniards were many inland watercraft and cannons belonging to them. There were also four thousand prisoners taken. The Admiralty of Amsterdam wanted to dump these into the sea, but were prohibited by the Prince.

The result of the Battle of Slaak meant that the enemy would not be able to separate Holland and Zeeland. This was very important for the further course of the struggle against Spain and for the continued existence of the Republic.

Dutch Naval Officer: Anthoni Verhaer

Anthoni Verhaer was the son of Dirk Willemszoon Duijmaes alias Verhaer. He served the Admiralty of the Maze. Anthoni Verhaer apparently served on the rivers, commanding small craft. In 1628, he commanded the Papegeij, a vessel of only 26 lasts. In 1629, he commanded the Rijnvogel, also a vessel of 26 lasts. The Rijnvogel was built in 1612, and was armed with 3-5pdr, 1-3pdr, 6-steenstukken with 12 chambers. The steenstukken were breechloaders, and having multiple chambers per gun allowed for more rapid firing. Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005.
2. Carl Stapel, personal communication "some alterations in name of captains of the Maze", 2005.
3. Carl Stapel, personal communication "staat van oorlog van 1628 en 1629", 2005.

A good site

Steven pointed out this site to me: (he actually pointed out the Roads of Texel page), but there is more. Artitec built the Roads of Texel as part of their ongoing effort to model 17th Century Dutch ships, as well as the captured Swiftsure. The Scheepvaart Museum has a page devoted to this subject. This is the site devoted to the diorama. This is Artitec's VOC site.

Dutch Naval Officer: Geen Huygenszoon Schapenham

Geen Huygenszoon Schapenham served the VOC and the Admiralty of the Maze. In 1615-1616 he commanded the VOC ship Gouden Leeuw at the sail to Bantam. From 1620 to 1621 he commanded the ship Gelderland (180 lasts) in Haultain's fleet, sent to the Mediterranean Sea to fight pirates. In 1623-1625 he was a Vice-Admiral of the Jacques Le Hermite's squadron, sent to Pacific Ocean. Geen Schapenham flew his flag on the Delft, which was commanded by Witte de With. Pasteur has the list of ships and captains. They attacked some Spanish colonial ports in the Chile and Peru (1625). Geen Schapenham died about 1625 on the back way to Batavia. This is an edited and expanded version of what Andrew sent me about Geen Schapenham. Sources:

1. J. Pasteur, website including "The Voyage Around the World of the Nassau Fleet 1623-1626, 2002.
2. Carl Stapel, personal communication "fleet of Haultain nov 1620- sept 1621 to Mediterranean", 2005.

Dutch Captain: Jan Janszoon Bleecker

Jan Janszoon Bleecker served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. In 1636, he commanded the ship Eendracht (31 guns, 6 of brass and 25 of iron, and a crew consisting of 90 sailors and 20 soldiers). The Eendracht was a vessel of 300 lasts. In late 1637, he was near Hellevoetsluis under the command of Vice-Admiral Berchem, along with captains Keert de Koe, Ham, and van der Parre. If the captain that Charles Boxer calls "Bleijcker" is the same man, and it is possible, as he served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier, along with Captain Keert de Koe, then he was with Witte de With and probably fought in the Battle of the Downs in 1639. Sources:

1. Dr. M.G. De Boer, De Proefjaar van Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp 1637-1639, 1946.
2. Charles R. Boxer, The Journal of Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp Anno 1639, 1930.
3. Dr. F. Graefe, De Kapiteinsjaren van Maerten Harpertszoon Tromp, 1938.

Dutch Captain: Jan de Cock

Jan de Cock served the Admiralty of Zeeland. From May 1619 until October 1620, he was with Mooy Lambert's fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1628, he commanded the Zeeland ship Eenhoorn (21 guns). We probably know nothing else about Jan de Cock. Sources:

1. Carl Stapel, personal communication "moy lambert's fleet mei 1619-oktober 1620", 2005.
2. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "Schepen en kapiteins in 1628", 2005.

Dutch Captain: Cornelis Danielszoon

Cornelis Danielszoon served the Admiralty of Zeeland. In June 1616, he commanded the ship Neptunis. He was with Mooy Lambert's fleet that was in the Mediterranean Sea from June 1616 until April 1617. They took the Dutch consul De Keyser to Algeria. From May 1618 until February 1619, he commanded some ship in Mooy Lambert's fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1620, he commanded the Meerminne, a vessel of 260 lasts. He served in Haultain's fleet that was in the Mediterranean Sea from November 1620 until September 1621. Sources:

1. Carl Stapel, personal communication "fleet of Haultain nov 1620- sept 1621 to Mediterranean", 2005.
2. Carl Stapel, personal communication "Moy Lambert 1616 en Hillebrant Quast 1618", 2005.
3. Carl Stapel, personal communication "moy lambert mei 1618 - till february 1619", 2005.

The De Moor Family

• Abraham de Moor-He lived until 1630. He served the Admiralty of Zeeland. He wa promoted to captain in 1621. He was killed in a fight on the Spanish coast in 1630.
• Cornelis de Moor-He lived until 18 February 1639. He served the Admiralty of Zeeland. He was killed in 1639 while serving as lieutenant to Banckert while fighting the Dunkirkers.
• Jan de Moor-He lived until 27 May 1573. He was a Zeelander, and served under Philip II. He was promoted to captain in 1569 as a Beggar. In 1573, he was a Vice-Admiral of Vlissingen. He was killed in 1573 while fighting the Spanish in the Scheldt.
• Joos de Moor-He lived from about 1548 until 18 February 1618. He served the Admiralty of Zeeland. He was promoted to captain in 1572 and Vice-Admiral in 1588. He distinguished himself in 1572 at Vlissingen. In 1573-1574, he distinguished himself in the attack on the Spanish fleet at Antwerp and Reimerswaal during the siege of Rammekens. In 1574, he helped with the relief of Leiden. In 1588, he was blockade commander at Dunkirk during the Armada campaign. In 1600, he was squadron commander at Nieuwpoort. In 1603, he captured a Spanish galleon and was wounded (Spinola was killed).
• Josias de Moor-He lived from about 1595 until June 1624. He served the Admiralty of Zeeland. He was promoted to captain in 1519. In 1623, he served in the blockade service at Dunkirk. In 1624, he was killed fighting Dunkirkers.
• Simon Corneliszoon de Moor-He served the Admiralty of Zeeland. He served in the first English-Dutch fleet sent against Spain from September 1625 until January 1626.

Sources:

1. J. C. Mollema, De Eere Rol, from Geschiedenis van Nederland ter Zee, Vol.II, 1940.
2. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "Eerste Engels-Nederlandse vloot expeditie tegen Spanje sept 1625 – jan 1626", 2005.

Willem Joosten Colster's ship in 1631

In 1631, Willem Joosten Colster commanded the Rotterdam ship Leeuwinne. The Leeuwinne had been built in 1628. She was a vessel of 150 lasts. A vessel of 150 lasts might have had dimensions of 116ft x 26.5ft x 11ft. Her crew consisted of 85 sailors. Her armament consisted of 4-chambered brass 24pdr, 2-French brass half cartouwen 18pdr, 4-brass 6pdr, 2-brass 5pdr, 4-iron 10pdr, 6-iron 8pdr, 4-iron 6pdr, 2-iron 4pdr, and 4-steenstukken. This information is taken from the Staet van Oorlog te water for the year 1631.

The Staet van Oorlog te Water for 1631 for the Maze

The Staet van Oorlog te Water for the year 1631 does not seem to list Claes Joriszoon Bontenburch. We know that he is listed in the year 1628. The other list we have is for the year 1629, and we would like to know if he is in that list.

Dutch Captain: Claes Joriszoon Bontenburch

Claes (or Nicolaes) Joriszoon (or Jorissen) Bontenburch served the Admiralty of the Maze (Rotterdam). There is little information about him. We do know that in 1628, he commanded the ship Abrahams Offerande, which had a crew of 85 men. The Abrahams Offerande was a vessel of 180 lasts. I estimate that a vessel of 180 lasts might have dimensions of about 122ft x 28ft x 12.5ft. Of course, the proportions were probably different than these. He was with the second expedition to Spain from 12 November 1626 to 10 July 1627 under command of Admiral Laurens Reael. He also was likely involved in fighting the Dunkirkers, but definite information is currently lacking. Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005.
2. Carl Stapel, personal communication "Ships info from 1628", 2005.

Pieter Adriaenszoon Ita's fleet in 1628

Andrew found the listing for Pieter Adriaenszoon Ita's fleet that sailed to the Caribbean in 1626:

The fleet of Pieter Adriaanszoon Ita (1628).

Zeeland's ships.

1) Walcheren (30 guns, 160 men) - flag-ship, admiral Pieter Ita,
                                 flag-captain Jan Mast.
2) Leeuwinne (16 guns, 79 men) -  Jan Pieterszoon (killed in fight 1628).
3) Noordsterre (8 guns, 40 men) - Cornelis Huygens.
4) Fortuijn (20 guns, 103 men) -  Geleyn van Stapels.
5) Zuidsterre (8 guns, 46 men) -  Adriaen Adriaenszoon.

Amsterdam's ships.

6) Dolfijn (30 guns, 107 men) -   captain unknown.
7) Roode Leeuw (24 guns, 202 men (with colonists) - Albert Hendrikszoon.
8) Kater (16 guns, 65 men) -      Joachim Gijszoon.
9) Pinas (18 guns, 86 men) -      Claes Franszoon de Vries.

The Maze's ships.

10) Eendracht (20 guns, 80 men) - Anthonis Cornelisz. Condé.

Stad en Lande's ships.

11) Vriessche Jager (18 guns, 74 men) - Jan Braems.
12) Cuba (near 100 lasts) -             captain unknown.

Dutch Captain: Pieter Adriaenszoon Ita

Pieter Adriaenszoon Ita served as a Zeeland commandeur in the West Indian Company and was promoted to Admiral in 1635. In 1616, he was a captain on the Amazon during the Zeeland colonization. In 1623, while serving on the Amazon, the Portuguese burnt his ship. Andrew had found a translation for a long passage about the expedition in 1628 to capture Tobago. He had been in command of a fleet of 12 ships that were operating as privateers against Portuguese and Spanish shipping in the Caribbean and along the coast of Brazil. The ships had left the Netherlands in January 1628 and headed directly for the Caribbean, where they would rendezvous near Cuba. The last ship, the Fortuijn, left on 3 March with 63 colonists. The Zuidsterre sailed with the Fortuijn across the Atlantic. They arrived at St. Vincent on 15 March. On 8 May, the Eendracht joined Ita's fleet. The ships in the fleet had been operating independently against hostile shipping. The ship Cuba joined after the Eendracht, and arrived on 17 May. The Fortuijn didn't arrive until 4 June. The Honduras fleet consisted of two galleons and about 1o armed merchant ships. The Spanish admiral felt that the extra armament that his ships carried would allow him to repel Ita's fleet. In a fierce fight, two Spanish ships were taken, including the Spanish admiral's flagship which lost about half its crew. This action helped to weaken the Spanish so that Piet Hein was able to captured the Silverfleet. In 1634, he crossed the wild coast of Guyana. In 1628, he captured two ships from the Honduras fleet. In 1630, he served under Loncq in the captured of Olinda. In 1636, he served under Jan Evertsen in a battle against the Dunkirker Collaert. Sources:

1. a translation found by Andrew of a passage from Doeke Roos's book, 2005.
2. J. C. Mollema, De Eere Rol, from Geschiedenis van Nederland ter Zee, Vol.II, 1940.
3. Doeke Roos, Zeeuwen en de Westindische Compagnie, 1992.

Dutch Captain: Cornelis Janszoon Haen (the Haentjen)

Cornelis Janszoon Haen (the Haentjen) served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He lived from 1580 until 19 April 1633. He was promoted to captain in 1622. He boasted of being a fearless privateer and pirate hunter. He was killed in a fight with the Dunkirkers, after 7 of their ships had been taken. He died while fighting to take an eighth. This is based on my translation of the short piece in Mollema's Honor Roll and the account written by De Jonge. Sources:

1. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.I, 1858.
2. J. C. Mollema, De Eere Rol, from Geschiedenis van Nederland ter Zee, Vol.II, 1940.

Dutch Captain: Jan Melcknap

Jan Melcknap served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. We know very little about him. We know that he was with the second expedition to Spain from 12 november 1626 to 10 July 1627. He commanded a ship with 24 guns and a crew of 100 men. We do know that in 1628, he commanded a ship with a crew of 100 men, which was probably the same ship as 1626 and 1627. The ship Meibeeck with a crew of 31 men, whose captain was Commandeur Melcknap, in 1628 was probably Jan Melcknap's son. Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005.
2. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "Ships info from 1628", 2005.
3. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "Tweede Nederlandse Engelse vloot in12 november 1626 tot 10 juli 1627 naar Spanje ", 2005.

Dutch Captain: Elias van den Base (or Baese)

Charles Boxer transcribed a name as "Elias Balck", but this ssems to have been an error where the correct name was Elias van den Base (or Baese). Elias van den Base fought in the Battle of the Downs in 1639, where he was assigned to Scout-bij-Nacht Joris van Cats' squadron which was assigned to attack the Flemish admiral. Elias van den Base may have served the Amsterdam Directors, although another list assigns him to the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was said to have commanded a convoyer. On 5 October, he was sent to a letter for their majesties and the Admiralty of Zeeland. The context confirms that the captain in Joris van Cats's squadron was Elias van den Base. On 14 October 1639, while salutes were being fired, a Spanish marksman shot dead a man on Auke Balck's ship, in all likelihood, not on Elias van den Bases's ship. Sources:

1. Dr. M.G. De Boer, Tromp en de Armada van 1639, 1941.
2. Charles R. Boxer, The Journal of Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp Anno 1639, 1930.

Dutch Captain: Gerrit Schuyt

Gerrit Schuyt served the Amsterdam Directors. His ship, the Roseboom, was probably hired sometime in March 1652. The Roseboom was a modest sized-ship with dimensions of 118ft x 27ft x 12.5ft. She had a crew that varied between 98 and 105 men. Her armament was 28 guns, consisting of 12-12pdr, 8-8pdr, 6-6pdr, and 2-3pdr. Dr. Ballhausen says that Gerrit Schuyt fought in the Battle off Dover on 29 May 1652. He was operating with the fleet in June and took part in the voyage to the Shetlands in July and August 1652. We also know that in December 1652, he was with a small squadron in the Baltic operating against what the Dutch were calling smugglers. Perhaps, they were ships trying to take Baltic goods to England. He was superceded in command by Bartholomeus Rietbeeck, who had been a lieutenant on the Valck, Cornelis Janszoon Brouwer's ship. We know that Gerrit Schuyt attended a council of war with Witte de With on 17 April 1653, on board the jacht Luipaard. We also know that Bartholomeus Rietbeeck was in command during the Battle of the Gabbard, when the Roseboom was captured by the English. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910.
2. Dr. Carl Ballhausen, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654, 1923.
3. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Directors Ship Information", 2003.
4. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005.
5. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652.

Dutch Captain: Laurens Pieterszoon Bachuysen

Laurens Pieterszoon Bachuysen served the Dutch West Indian Company. He participated in the campaign leading up to the Battle of the Downs. He commanded the ship Salamander (40 guns and a crew of 110 men).

He joined Tromp on 17 May 1639, along with the ships of captains 't Jonge Hoen, Cornelis Meij, from the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier, of captain Frederick Pieterszoon and his ship of 28 guns, along with a ship with 20 guns, skipper Lambert Hendrickszoon, and another fluit with 28 guns, skipper Jan Jacobszoon Lops of Medemblik. On 22 June, he was with Tromp and his squadron two miles from Portland. On 10 July, he was still with the main body of Tromp's fleet, a few miles from Gravesend. On 12 August, he was with the fleet when two Zeeland West Indiamen joined, the ship Tholen and the Vlieboot Hoop. On 6 September, he was with Tromp's squadron as they cruised to the westward. Previous to that, Tromp had noted that they would be cruising to the westward between Beachy Head and "the narrows".

Tromp's squadron, on 15 September, consisted of the following captains and ships:

Commander:                     Ship:               Guns  Crew
Lt-Admiral Tromp               Aemilia             57    240   R
Willem van Colster             Gelderland          34    120   R
Pieter Pietersz. de Wint       Frederik Hendrik    36    120   A
Claes Cornelisz. Ham           Sampson             32    120   NQ
Lambert Ijsbrandsz. Halfhoorn  Hollandsche Tuin    32    120   NQ
Robbert Post                   Deventer            28    110   A
Jan Gerbrandszoon              Omlandia            28     80   F
Cornelis Ringelszoon           ?                   32    110   Z
Laurens Pietersz. Bachuysen    Salamander          40    110   WIC
Frederik Pieterszoon           Groote Christoffel  28     90   NQ
Hendrik Janszoon Camp          Gideon              24    100   F
Jan Pauluszoon                 Meerminne           28    105   Z        

On 16 September, he was with Tromp as they were chased by the "Spanish Armada", now of 67 ships. They then turned and fought. This was when Frederick Pieterszoon's hired ship, the Groote Christoffel, blew up. This was a ship hired from Amsterdamse Reeders Christoffel and Johan Raephoen. About mid-afternoon, the Spanish had been "out-fought", and withdrew. Tromp had just 16 ships, after losing the Groote Christoffel. On 3 October 1639, Laurens Pieterszoon Bachuysen was in Tromp's squadron of 26 ships. On 13 October, Tromp had reorganized the fleet, so that Captain Bachuysen was now assigned to Jan Evertsen's squadron, which was to attack the Portuguese Admiral's squadron. The Battle of the Downs was fought on 21 October 1639. Thanks to a reader for correcting me about where the Groote Christoffel was hired (updated 11/25/2009).

Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005.
2. Dr. M.G. De Boer, Tromp en de Armada van 1639, 1941.
3. Charles R. Boxer, The Journal of Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp Anno 1639, 1930.

Dutch Captain: Hector Bardesius

Hector Bardesius served the Amsterdam Directors. At the beginning of the First Anglo-Dutch War, he commanded the ship Nieuw Gideon or Gideon van Sardam (34 guns). The Gideon was a substantial ship of dimensions 132ft x 29.5ft x 13.5ft. Her crew was variously 115 or 120 men. Her complement of guns consisted of 4-24pdr, 14-12pdr, 10-8pdr, 4-6pdr, and 2-3pdr. Dr. Ballhausen says that Hector Bardesius fought in the Battle off Dover on 29 May 1652. He also was with the fleet on the voyage to the Shetlands. He apparently fought in the Battle of the Kentish Knock, as he and his ship joined Witte de With's fleet in the Bruges roads on 29 September. His ship fought in the Battle of Dungeness on 10 December 1652. He apparently had been superseded in command by his lieutenant Ulrich de Jaeger. Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Directors Ship Information", 2004.
2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005.
3. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.II, 1900.
4. Dr. S. R. Gardiner, and C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.III, 1906.
5. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652.

Dutch Captain: Hendrik Adriaanszoon Glas

Hendrik Adriaanszoon Glas served the Rotterdam Directors. He commanded the ship the Burgh. He fought in the Battle of Scheveningen. His ship and the ships Sint Pieter (Simon Corneliszoon) and the Liefde (Jan Tijssen) were mastless and damaged, lying in the Goeree Gat after the battle. He and his ship are not mentioned, except by Dr. Elias. There is no information about whether he might have fought in the Battle of the Gabbard, in June. From the July 1653 list of ships after the Battle of the Gabbard, there were four Rotterdam Directors' ship listed with no names or captains. Two were said to have been small and unready for service after the Gabbard. Another was called a fluit of war, and was said to be unready for service. Only one of the four was listed as ready for service. Sources:

1. Anonymous, unpublished manuscript "List of ships lying at Vlissingen on 2 July 1653", 1653.
2. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.V, 1928.

Dutch Captain: Cornelis Janszoon Schellinghout

Cornelis Janszoon Schellinghout served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. In early 1628, he commanded the ship Swarte Beer (150 lasts). By May of 1628 and into 1629, he commanded the ship Eenhoorn (200 lasts), probably the ship that took part in the First Anglo-Dutch War. During the campaign that led to the Battle of the Downs, he commanded a convoyer and fought in the Battle of the Downs, where he was assigned to Schout-bij-Nacht Joris van Cats' squadron. In 1645, he commanded the ship Sampson (28 guns) in Witte de With's fleet that forced a convoy of merchant ships into the Sound without paying the toll to the Danes. Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005.
2. Charles R. Boxer, The Journal of Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp Anno 1639, 1930.
3. G. W. Kernkamp, De Sleutels van de Sont, 1890.

My purchase from Charbo's arrived today

I was fortunate to be able to purchase 38 years of the Jaarverslag from the Vereeniging Nederlandsche Historisch Scheepvaart Museum in Amsterdam. The shipment arrived today from Charbo's Antiquaariaat. I received the years 1933-1934 in one volume, 1938, 1939-1940 in one volume, 1941-1942 in one volume, 1943-1945 in one volume, 1946-1947 in one volume, 1948-1949 in one volume, 1952-1953 in one volume, 1954-1955 (in one volume, damaged by water), 1956-1957-1958 in one volume, 1959-1960-1961 in one volume, 1962-1963-1964 in one volume, 1965-1966-1967 in one volume, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971-1972 in one volume, 1973, 1974 (has a great portrait of Isaac Sweers from 1654), 1975, 1976-1977 in one volume, 1978-1979 in one volume, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, and 1993. As you can see, the collection is relatively complete over the period 1933-1993, with some substantial gaps.

Dutch Captain: Pieter Gorcum

Pieter Gorcum served the Admiralty of Zeeland. He served in Admiral Gijsel's squadron in August 1641, where he commanded the frigate Vlissingen (20 guns). He presumably fought in the Battle of Sint Vincent on 4 November 1641 against the Spanish silverfleet. At the beginning of the First Anglo-Dutch War, he commanded a Zeeland jacht. This is believed to be the Dordrecht (17 guns). We know that the 17-gun jacht was in service in March 1653, and the Staet van Oorlog te Water for July 1654 says that the 17-gun jacht was the Dordrecht. We know from Witte de With's journal that Pieter Gorcum commanded a Zeeland jacht, of which we believe there only to have been two in service at this date. The other was the Jager, which was serving as a fireship at the Battle of the Gabbard when she was captured by the English. The Jager was often called the Gloeyenden Oven, after her commander in 1652, Adriaan Janszoon den Gloeyenden Oven, to give his full name. In September 1652, he was with Witte de With's fleet and fought in the Battle of the Kentish Knock. We know that he fought in the Battle of Dungeness in December 1652. He may well have fought in the rest of the major battles, as well. Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Captains", 2005.
2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005.
3. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "1641 augustus Nederlands hulspeskader voor Portugal", 2005.

Dutch Captain: Bartholomeus Rietbeeck

Bartholomeus Rietbeeck served the Amsterdam Directors. In early 1652, he was lieutenant on the Valck, the ship of Cornelis Janszoon Brouwer. By early 1653, he had been appointed as captain of the ship Roseboom (28 guns). The Roseboom had been commanded by Gerrit Schuyt during 1652 and into 1653. By June, Bartholomeus Rietbeeck commanded the Roseboom. The Roseboom was a ship with dimensions 118ft x 27ft x 12.5ft, with 6 feet between decks. The Roseboom carried 12-12pdr, 8-8pdr, 6-6pdr, and 2-3pdr guns. Her crew was about 105 men. Bartholomeus Rietbeeck fought in the Battle of the Gabbard, where his ship was taken by the English. Sources:

1. C.T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.V, 1912.
2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Directors Ship Information", 2003.
3. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.V, 1928.

Dutch Captain: Fredrick de Coninck

Fredrick de Coninck (or Koninck) served the Amsterdam Directors. He was appointed to command the newly hired ship Groote Vergulde Fortuijn in March 1652. This was a very large ship of dimensions 141ft x 31ft x 14.5ft. The ship's crew was about 135 men. The armament was 35 guns, consisting of 4-24pdr, 16-12pdr, 11-6pdr, and 4-3pdr. Presumably, one of the 6pdr guns fired through the upper stern. Frank Fox says that the odd guns like this usually fired through a round port in the upper stern. Dr. Ballhausen says the Fredrick de Coninck fought in the Battle off Dover on 29 May 1652. In July and August, he was with the fleet on the voyage to the Shetlands. In December 1652, 4 ships and captains were sent to the Sound to visit harbors in Denmark. They officers sent included commandeur Barent Cramer, captains Joris Caulerij, Frederick de Coninck, and Hendrik de Raedt. On 29 May 1653, his ship was one of five convoyers lying in the Vlie under the command of Evert Anthonissen. The ships included the Hollandia (Evert Anthonissen), the Groote Vergulde Fortuijn (Frederick de Coninck), the Edam (Barent Cramer), the Swarte Leeuw (Hendrik de Raedt), and the Samson (Hendrik Adriaanszoon). Fredrick de Coninck arrived in The Hague on 11 July 1653 with a list of the 25 largest Danish ships, of 40 to 106 guns. On 14 July 1653, he reported to Tromp his findings about the Danish fleet from his recent voyage to Denmark. Tromp's main concern was the suitability of Danish ships for use in the shallow waters off the Netherlands. We suspect that Fredrick de Coninck fought in the Battle of Scheveningen. Sources:

1. C.T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.V, 1912.
2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Directors' Ship Information 1652-1653", 2004.
3. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de Geschiedenis van ons Zeewezen, Vol.III, 1925.
4. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.V, 1928.
5. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898.
6. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652.

Dutch Captain: Cornelis Ringelszoon (sometimes shortened to Ringels)

Cornelis Ringelszoon served the Admiralty of Zeeland. In 1639, he commanded a ship with 32 guns and a crew of 110 men. On 29 April 1639, he was with Witte de With's squadron, lying off the Meuse, with the ships of Witte de With, captains Colster, Vijch, Brederode, Vooren, Keert de Koe, Halfhoorn, and Ringelszoon. On 3 October 1639, he was assigned to Jan Evertsen's squadron, along with many other Zeelanders. He fought in the Battle of the Downs on 31 October 1639. In July 1640, some boys escaped from a fishing ship taken by the enemy and reported that the ships of Jan van Galen, Ringelszoon, Veen, and Magnus (or Magnuszoon) had been taken by the enemy. This seems to have not been true, however. In October 1643, he was assigned to the second squadron in Tromp's fleet of two squadrons that were engaged in blockading Dunkirk. In April 1644, he joined Tromp's squadron and they sailed for Calais. They found 6 King's ships and 10 private frigates in the harbor of Dunkirk. On 1 and 2 March 1645, he and Tromp had attacked an enemy ship, and in the process Ringelszoon's ship knocked off Tromp's ship's head and bowsprit. He also put a shot through the stern of the ship they had taken so that it threatened to sink. The ship proved to be the old Noorderkwartier ship Kasteel van Medemblik, which had been taken by the Dunkirkers six years before. The ship was armed with 27 guns and had a crew of 105 men. Tromp had warned him against getting so close, as he had feared a collision. Captain Ringelszoon had to ask for forgiveness. In April 1646, Joost Bankert, Frans Janszoon, and Cornelis Ringelszoon were seht to the West Indies, in the service of the West Indies Company. Their normal employment was with Tromp's fleet engaged in blockading Dunkirk. Sources:

1. Dr. M.G. De Boer, De Proefjaar van Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp 1637-1639, 1946.
2. Dr. M.G. De Boer, Tromp en de Armada van 1639, 1941.
3. Dr. M.G. De Boer, Tromp en de Duinkerkers, 1949.
4. Charles R. Boxer, The Journal of Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp Anno 1639, 1930.

Dutch Captain: Ernest de Bertrij

Ernest Adriaanszoon de Bertrij served the Admiralty of Rotterdam. In 1652, he commanded the hired ship Hollandia, believed to be a ship of 26 guns. He started the war in Witte de With's squadron. After the Battle of the Kentish Knock, Witte de With inspected the fleet and recommended that Ernest de Bertrij's ship be paid off, due to its small size and light guns. Ernest de Bertrij's journal apparently still exists, and would be interesting to see. He apparently was with Tromp's fleet on the voyage to the Shetlands, along with de With and Florissen. They had taken part in a raid on the Downs, hoping to replicate 1639, but it was not to be. They left there for the ill-fated voyage to the Shetlands. Sources:

1. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.II, 1923.
2. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de Geschiedenis van ons Zeewezen, Vol.IV, 1927.

More on the hiring of ships in 1652

This is based on my translation of a paragraph from pages 91 and 92 from Dr. Elias's book, De Vlootbouw in Nederland:

It was not a surprise, then, that shortly after the proclamation of the resolution to hire and equip 150 ships, they became aware that there were not that many ships of the required charter were on hand. After the Directors took the first and best 50 ships, there remained for the Admirlaties but a fourth of the prescribed 100. Gradually, after ships from the merchant fleet returned could more of the ships for the Extraordinary Equipage be hired and equipped. The unsuitability of the hired ships led us to limit their use. In the spring of 1652, the convoy service sought to limit them, until there were numbers sufficient for their use in offensive and defensive operations. Despite this, all the admiralties hired most of those ships that were available to them. Someone else had the problem of paying the heavy and ruinous rent, which the Dutch people ultimately had to pay. To the extent that the economic climate was favorable, the rent soon ran to the full price of the ship, often in just a year. It was because of this that the Admiralty of Amsterdam pressed for the commencement of warship building starting in the second half of October 1652.

Dutch Captain: Paulus Coole

Paulus Coole (or Coolen) served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. He was active in the blockade of Dunkirk in the early 1640's. Witte de With had accused captain Jan Gijsen, his lieutenant Jan Lucaszoon, and Paulus Coole of not doing their duty in a fight on 8 and 9 June 1640. Jan Gijsen and his lieutenant were cleared, but Paulus Coole was fined 6 months pay and all booty that he would have received. In January 1643, he was involved in an operation to transport Mary Stuart. On 31 January, they were 14 miles from Flamborough Head. Mary had been married to the 14 year old Willem II when she was just nine years old. The captains involved in the operation included Tromp, Paulus Coole, Govert Voorens, and Matthijs Gilliszoon. Govert Vooren's ship lost its mainmast in a storm. In 1648, Paulus Coole (or Coolen) commanded the Eendracht (41 guns) in Witte de With's fleet sent to Brazil. He was one of those who were late in leaving the Netherlands, having met the squadron commanded by Vice-Admiral Gillissen on 12 December in the Texel roads. On 11 January, a violent storm hit and ships lost their masts (or cut them down as a safety measure). His ship stranded on the Wadden, as did a fluit loaded with 150 soldiers, the Witte Lelie. Due to the damage, he did not arrive in Brazil until about June 1648. It was only in September that De With could say that he had all the ship in Brazil under his flag. He got into trouble for his acts with his cabin boy. He was tortured, along with the cabin boy. He was courtmartialed by Witte de With and was replaced as captain of the Eendracht by Gijsbert Malcontent. His sentence was to be keelhauled three times and exiled on the island of Fernando Noronha for life. Sources:

1. Dr. M.G. De Boer, Tromp en de Duinkerkers, 1949.
2. W. J. van Hoboken, Witte de With in Brazilië, 1955.

Dutch Captain: Cornelis Toelast

Cornelis Toelast served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. In 1645, he was off Dunkirk with Joris van Cats. On 19 April 1646, his ship was in the Texel roads with a coating of ice. He was nominally part of Tromp's fleet that was blockading Dunkirk. He commanded the ship Zutphen in Witte de With's fleet that was sent to Brazil in 1648. On 19 February 1649, he was killed at Guararapes. De With took months before he was willing to appoint a successor. Barent Cramer thought he should have been appointed, but Witte de With appointed Claes de With, his cousin, instead. Sources:

1. Dr. M.G. De Boer, Tromp en de Duinkerkers, 1949.
2. W. J. van Hoboken, Witte de With in Brazilië, 1955.

The First Dutch War on Cornelis Taenman

There is a passage in De Ruyter's journal about Cornelis Taenman. I have made a few minor corrections in spellings: "...we found one of our Vice-Admirals foundered in fourteen fathoms of water on the North bank of the Meuse, the topmasts above water. It was Captain Taenman of Enkhuizen." This occurred during the rear-guard action towards the end of the battle. His ship, the Prins Maurits was apparently sunk by gunfire.

Dutch Captain: Cornelis Laurenszoon

Cornelis Laurenszoon served the Amsterdam Directors. His ship was apparently one of those added to the fleet after the Battle of Portland. He commanded the larger of the two ship named Sint Matheeus. His ship was 144ft long and had a beam of 36ft. My estimate is that the hold was 17ft in height. We know the ship's measurements taken by the English, and the 17ft is an estimation based on the English depth. He fought in the Battle of the Gabbard, where his ship was one of those which collided and became entangled in the evening of the second day (13 June 1653). One ship broke free, the small Friesland jacht Prins Willem (Jan Coenders). The others were captured. They were the Sint Matheeus (Cornelis Laurenszoon), the Vergulde Zon (Jacob Duym), and the Halve Maan (Hendrik Pieterszoon). Sources:

1. C.T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.V, 1912.
2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005.
3. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.V, 1928.

Tromp's fleet off Dunkirk on 19 April 1646

In Dr. M. G. De Boer's book Tromp en de Duinkerkers (1949), there is a list of captains in his fleet, with their affiliations. The list leaves something to be desired, but it is better than nothing. I don't have too much faith in some of my interpretations. I would welcome a better translation to English than I have been able to make:

separated to Gelderland:  Captain Codde
Half Gelderland, half Drenthe:  Captain Maerten Schaeff
  These both to Amsterdam sacked

Holland, Rotterdam: the ship Aemelia, the previous 
  memorandum reflects the current situation of the ship

 Vice-Admiral Witte de With
 Captain Willem Coulster
 Captain Job Forant
   These three ships have the 2nd of these selected;
     the fifth ship remains defective

Holland, Amsterdam:  the Schout-bij-Nacht Cats
   Captain Cornelis Toelast. These two lay in the Texel 
    crowned with ice aloft
   Captain Jacob Paulussen Cort. This ship lays at Amsterdam.
   Captain Matthijs Gilliszoon. He has apparently sailed 
     on the 15th for the Wielingen after the 
       Vice-Admiral De With gave way. 
   Captain Barent Cramer with his rowjacht, lies at 
      Amsterdam at the end of his service.
   Captain Govert Voorns. In November, the Admiralty 
     had requested a subsidy to pay for building 
     a new ship in its place.

Holland, the Noorderkwartier, of Hoorn: Captain Jan Gijsen.
   Cpatain Willem Claeszoon Ham.

Enkhuizen: Captain Lieven de Zeeuw.
   Captain Paulus Coole.
   Captain Jan Backer. These five are one fifth 
     of the Holland crew, laying cashiered (paid off?) 
     and remain with defects 

of Zeeland:  Commandeur Joost Bankert
   Captain Frans Janszoon
   Ship of Captain Ringelszoon. There three 
      capital ships went to the Brazil in the service 
      of the West-Indies Company. They sailed and 
      are apparently still being maintained by 
      the company.
   The frigate of Captain Swart.
   The frigate of Captain Regermorter. On the 15th, 
      these two should be ready for 10 weeks at sea.

Utrecht: These two ships have several years of defects, 
    and apparently still are defective.

Friesland: Captain Bouckhorst
   Captain Hendrik Janszoon Camp.
   Captain Joris Pieterszoon Broeck.
     All should know that repairs of these three 
       ships have commenced.
   Captain Van der Parre.
   This new ship lays at Rotterdam for years and rots.
   Captain Tjaert de Groot.
   (there is another sentence of which I cannot make 
       into a reasonable sentence:
     Hier is tot Harlingen een nieuw holl voor 
      gemaeckt, dan of nu in zee gebracht sal werden, 
         is ons noch onbewust.)

Overijssel:  Captain Dirk Crijnszoon Verveen.
       This ship lies paid off at Schiedam. The 
          General's frigate commanded by Jan Aerts Verhaeff, 
          lies rotting at Rotterdam.

I lost some incoming email for KentishKnock.com

I dislike pop3 mail, but it seems a necessary evil. The reasons that I don't like it are that I can only access it from Outlook on the machine where it is downloaded from the mail server, and if anything goes wrong with the machine, the spam filter, the mail is lost forever. I lost such a mail today (two copies, apparently), as my machine, running Windows XP Home Edition, spontaneously rebooted. I only knew that I had such a mail from the K9 Spam Filter, as no copy ever made its way to Outlook, due to the reboot. When I processed the mails in the spam filter, not realizing that it was not in Outlook, I lost the mail forever. During the reboot, the spam filter failed, and marked all the spam as good. It was when I was reviewing them that I realized that a mail with the subject "off topic" was good. If by the off chance that the writer who sent the mail could resend, I hope to see it and read what you wrote.

Herman Munnekes (or Munnick)

We knew that there was a Dutch captain at the Battle of Dungeness who we had not previously seen, or at least, had not recognized him. C.T. Atkinson had erroneously read his handwritten name from Jan Evertsen's journal as Hermes Munnick. That was wrong, of course. I have a copy of Jan Evertsen's journal, and the name is clearly Herman Munnick or Munnich. He was listed with Pieter Florissen's squadron, which included captains from the Noorderkwartier. I had not understood, until recently, that the ship named Wapen van Holland (30 guns), taken on 22 July 1652 by the English was a ship hired by the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. I just looked at page 314 in Vol.IV of The First Dutch War. The entry at the top of the page continues from the previous page. All the ships in that list and the succeeding list were either States' ships form the Noorderkwartier or were hired by them. There is an note about Captain Munnekes commanding the hired ship Wapen van Holland. My estimate is pretty certain that Herman Munnekes (or Munnick) was captain of the Wapen van Holland when the ship was taken by the English on 22 July. This was the ship that served in the English navy through the rest of the war as the Arms of Holland, so the ship must have been judged to have been a suitable warship.

Updated list of Dutch losses in the First Anglo-Dutch War

I have updated the list of Dutch losses in the First Anglo-Dutch War at AngloDutchWarsBlog.com, based on what we have learned in the last few weeks.

Dutch Captain: Sijmon Corneliszoon van der Meer

Sijmon (Simon) Corneliszoon van der Meer (often just called Simon Corneliszoon) served the Rotterdam Directors. In June 1652, he commanded the ship Prins, sailing with a small group of ships in the Channel with Jan Evertsen. They were attacked by English frigates and the Prins was sunk by gunfire. This is the ship mentioned in several lists as being sunk by gunfire. He fought in the Battle of Dungeness and the Battle of Portland in the ship Meerman (28 guns). According to Jodocus Hondius, the ship carried 4 brass and 24 iron guns. He joined the fleet on 10 May 1653 after having convoyed 13 merchant ships from the Meuse. Dr. Ballhausen say that he fought in the Battle of the Gabbard in June, still in the Meerman, although that may or may not be the case. He definitely fought in the Battle of Scheveningen, as on 13 August 1653, his ship, the Sint Pieter, was mastless and lying at Goeree with the Burg (Hendrik Adriaanszoon Glas) and the Liefde (Jan Tissen) . Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910.
2. Dr. Carl Ballhausen, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654, 1923.
3. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.V, 1928.
4. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898.
5. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.III, 1869.
6. Jodocus Hondius, Onstelde-Zee, Oft Zee-Daden, 1654.

Dutch Captain: Tijs Tijmenszoon Peereboom

Tijs Tijmenszoon Peereboom served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. He commanded the hired ship Peereboom (perhaps named after himself, and belonging to him). The Peereboom seens to have carried 24 guns and had a crew of 80 men. He served with the fleet in the summer of 1652 and sailed to the Shetlands with Tromp in July and August 1652. He joined Witte de With's fleet on 18 October 1652, as part of a group of 7 ships with Pieter Florissen. He fought in the Battle of Dungeness in December 1652. I seem to have been mistaken about Anthonis Fappenlain being lieutenant of the Peereboom. In fact, he was Hendrik Huyskens' lieutenant on the Westfriesland. The Peereboom was one of the ships that was listed by Witte de With as having run from the battle. Captain Peereboom received a sentence of four years imprisonment, while Antonis Fappenlain received three years. Sources:

1. C.T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.V, 1912.
2. Dr. Carl Ballhausen, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654, 1923.
3. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.VI, 1930.
4. Dr. S. R. Gardiner, and C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.III, 1906.

The small Rotterdam ship Neptunis, in service in 1629

In 1628 and 1629, Joris Gijsbrecht van Heerd commanded the small Rotterdam vessel Neptunis. The Neptunis as a small vessel of 30 lasts. She carried 8 guns and had a crew of46 men. In 1629, the Neptunis carried an armament consisting of 2-8pdr and 6-3pdr guns. A vessel of 30 lasts could be as small as 65ft x 16ft x 6ft. One question is if this is a different vessel from the Rotterdam ship Neptunis (40 lasts) commanded by Daniel Climmer Goeren in 1628. That was said to be a vessel of 40 lasts, but the last figure is very elastic and often just an estimate. To make things even more interesting, there was a Rotterdam ship Neptunis built in 1623 that was commanded by Cornelis Arentszoon de Jonge in 1629. This was a vessel of 30 lasts carrying 6-4pdr, 2-2.5pdr, and 10-steenstukken with 20 chambers. There was another, much larger Rotterdam ship named Neptunis that was built in 1623 and which was of 170 lasts. To throw even more mud into the soup, Sebastian de Munnick commanded a Rotterdam vessel named Neptunis in 1628 which was just 28 lasts. The complete list of old ships named Neptunis which belonged to the Admiralty of the Maze or Rotterdam must include the Neptunis built in 1614. This was commanded by Adriaan Engelen Silvergieter in 1629. This was a ship of 140 lasts that carried the following guns:

2-chambered 24pdr, 2-12pdr, 2-chambered 12pdr, 
2-5pdr drakes, 13-4pdr, and 6-steenstukken

As Prof. Jan Glete says, steenstukken in this period were probably swivel guns, not actually throwing stone shot, as their name might imply. What killed stone shot was the cost of manufacture, more than any other factor.

Dutch Captain: Maarten de Graeff

Maarten de Graeff served the Amsterdam Directors. He was another of the captains who took part in Witte de With's operation to force a convoy of merchant ships into the Sound in 1645. The sailed from Vlieland in about June. Maarten de Graeff commanded the Hollandia (26 guns and a crew of 86 men). From early 1652 (about March), he commanded the ship Prinses Roijaal (28 guns and a crew of 110 men). The Prinses Roijaal was a substantial ship with dimensions of 127ft x 27ft x 12.5ft with an armament consisting of the standard 12-12pdr, 8-8pdr, 6-6pdr, and 2-3pdr. Accordign to Dr. Ballhausen, he fought in the Battle off Dover on 29 May 1652. Maarten de Graeff was with the fleet in June and took part in the voyage to the Shetlands in July and August 1652. He is another example of a captain and ship that disappear from the published literature after the voyage to the Shetlands. You might wonder if the ship was lost in the storm. Sources:

1. Dr. Carl Ballhausen, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654, 1923.
2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005.
3. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898.
4. G. W. Kernkamp, De Sleutels van de Sont, 1890.
5. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652.

Dutch Captain: Jacob Pieterszoon Houck

Jacob Pieterszoon Houck served the Hoorn Directors. In 1645, he commanded the Zwarte Beer (24 guns and a crew of 81 men) and was in Witte de With's fleet that forced a convoy of Dutch merchant ships into the Sound without paying the toll. In 1652, he commanded the Hoorn Director's ship Sampson (30 guns and a crew of 110 men). He was with the fleet in June 1652 and took part in Tromp's voyage to the Shetlands in July and August. He seems to have been absent from the Battle of the Kentish Knock, but probably fought in the Battle of Dungeness. He disappears from the published literature after that date. We only know the name of ship ship from a manuscript from the Nationaal Archief dated 20 September 1652. I had not expected to ever learn what the ship's name was until the name appeared in this manuscript. Sources:

1. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898.
2. Dr. S. R. Gardiner, and C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.III, 1906.
3. G. W. Kernkamp, De Sleutels van de Sont, 1890.
4. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652.

Dutch Captain: Gerrit van Lummen

Andrew says that Gerrit van Lummen commanded a ship for the Admiralty of the Maze in 1641-1642. We know that he commanded the Burght (24 guns) for the Old Directors of Amsterdam in 1645. He took part in Witte de With's successful operation to push a large merchant fleet into the Sound without paying the toll to the Danes. He was appointed to command the Amsterdam Directors' ship Neptunis (36 guns) in March 1652. The Neptunis was a very large ship (perhaps as big as 250 or 260 lasts), having dimensions of 138ft x 32ft x 13ft. She carried 4-24pdr, 12-12pdr, 6-8pdr, 6-6pdr, 4-4pdr, and 4-3pdr guns. Her crew was nominally 125 men. Dr. Ballhausen says that he fought in the Battle off Dover on 29 May 1652. I have not been able to verify that, but that is very plausible. He was with the fleet in June and took part in the voyage to the Shetlands in July and August 1652. For whatever reason, Gerrit van Lummen doesn't appear in the commonly available published literature, except in the June 1652 list. We have to wonder if his ship was lost in the storm off the Shetlands. He certainly was not with the 65 ships seen in the Shetlands after the storm. Of course, others survived and made their way home independently. Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Directors' Ship Information 1652-1653", 2004.
2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005.
3. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898.
4. G. W. Kernkamp, De Sleutels van de Sont, 1890.
5. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652.

The VOC ship Mercurius in 1653

Carl Stapel found a Van deVelde drawing showing the stern of the VOC ship Mercurius plus the dimensions. The Mercurius was commanded by Captain Pieter de Bitter in 1653. The ship was sunk at the Battle of Scheveningen. We probably should not post the drawing, as someone probably has the rights. The dimenisions are as follows:

Length   123ft
Beam      30ft
Hold      12ft

The ship carried 40 guns and the note says that the crew was 100 men, although Captain Warnsinck had said that the crew was 200 men. By my calculation, the Mercurius was a ship of about 200 lasts.

English Captain: Charles Talbot

Charles Talbot served in the Restoration navy. The Duke of York appointed him as a lieutenant on Royal Charles in 1661. In 1662, he was a lieutenant on the Royal James and then the Reserve. In 1663, he was appointed as lieutenant of the Jersey. In 1664, he was lieutenant on the Golden Lion, and then became captain of the Garland (28 guns). He fought in the Battle of Lowestoft in the Garland and was assigned to Prince Rupert's division in the White Squadron. In 1666, he was appointed as captain of the Elizabeth (40 guns). Frank Fox described him as a "gentleman captain". In May 1666, he escorted four merchantmen to Lisbon. He made a report that indicated that a French fleet was off Lisbon. Eventually, information surfaced that what he had seen were Spanish ships. He fought in the St. James's Day Battle where he was assigned to John Kempthorne's division in the Blue Squadron. He was dismissed from the service for abandoning the battle early. His influential friends had him restored to service, only to be permanently removed and imprisoned in 1667 for losing a ship. There is a considerable gap, and then, according to Pepys, the King seems to have appointed him captain of the Mary Rose on 23 April 1678. On 28 March 1685, the King appointed him captain of the Falcon. Sources:

1. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.
2. J.R. Tanner, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts in the Pepysian Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Vol.I, 1903.

English Captain: Ralph Wrenn

Ralph Wrenn served in the Restoration navy and continued in William and Mary's navy in the War of the English Succession. In 1672, he commanded the Hopewell fireship. In 1673, he commanded the Rose dogger. On 23 February 1675, the King appointed him as First Lieutenant of the Reserve. On 12 July 1677, the King appointed him to command the Young Spragge fireship. On 4 November 1679, the Commissioners appointed him as Lieutenant of the Kingfisher. He took part in a desperate fight with 7 Algerine pirates on 21 May 1681, in which his captain, Morgan Kempthorne, Admiral John Kempthorne's son, was mortslly wounded. Ralph Wrenn continued to command the ship and repelled further attacks. As recognition of his gallant fight, on 9 August 1681, Admiral Herbert appointed him to command the Nonsuch. On 23 May 1682, the Commissioners appointed him to command the Centurion. The King reappointed him to command the Centurion on 5 May 1685. King James II appointed him to command the Mary Rose on 26 July 1687. On 5 September 1688, the King appointed him to command the Greenwich. On 26 December 1691, he set sail for the West Indies to replace Commodore Wright, who had failed to take Guadaloupe. He was in the Norwich (46 guns) for the coming operations in the West Indies. On 21 February 1692, he fought a successful actiojn against a much larger French squadron and was successful in losing no ships, despite being outnumbered 18 to 7. He died on 26 March, after reaching Carlisle Bay the day before. Sources:

1. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898.
2. J.R. Tanner, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts in the Pepysian Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Vol.I, 1903.

I received copies from the Marineblad

I was very grateful to receive photocopies from the Marineblad from 1895. This was thank to the Marineblad Secretary, Mw drs. Lijmbach, and the Koninklijke Vereniging van Marineofficieren in Den Haag. The article is entitled "Strategische Denkbeelden in den Eersten Engelschen Oorlog", by luitenant-ter-zee 1st Class J. J. L. Willinge. One interesting table from the article is as follows:

On 28 May 1652

Channel              20 ships  (Jan Evertsen)
Northern squadron    10 ships  (Witte de With)
Retour fleet and 
  Greenland traders  20 ships
Herring fleet        25 ships  (van Dongen)
Main fleet           42 ships  (Tromp)

My copy of the Oranjenummer van het Marine Blad dated 31 August 1898 arrived today

Carl Stapel had recommended the Oranjenummer of the Marineblad for 1898 to me (it says Marine Blad). The copy I purchased is dated 31 August 1898. I am not certain if this is the volume he recommended or not. In any case, I suspect that I need to collect every volume that becomes available, since the Marineblad is difficult if not impossible to find in the US. My copy arrived today. The volume is very large. The dedication is to Her Majesty Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria, Queen of the Netherlands and Princess of Orange-Nassau (my translation from the Dutch).

I believe that Sijmon Corneliszoon's ship sunk in June 1652 was the Prins

I was reviewing Vreugdenhil's list of Dutch ships and I now suspect that Sijmon Corneliszoon's ship sunk in June 1652 was the Rotterdam Director's ship Prins. The Prins is mentioned by Vreugdenhil as having been sunk in 1652, and is a Rotterdam Director's ship. The Prins is the only ship mentioned in the published literature that I have seen that fits the ship sunk in June.

English Captain: Dominick Nugent

Dominick Nugent served in the Restoration navy. In 1665, he was lieutenant on the 3rd Rate Lion. In 1668, he was appointed as lieutenant of the 3rd Rate Revenge. He was reappointed in 1669 as lieutenant of the Revenge. On 2 May 1671, he had led a boat attack, with the fireship Eagle, on Algerine pirates. The attack failed, but was eventually successfully executed in daylight on 8 May. In 1671, he was appointed as captain of the 4th Rate Advice (50 guns). On 13 January 1672, he was reappointed as captain of the Advice. He fought in the Battle of Solebay and was probably assigned to the Red Squadron. In August, he was with the fleet and assigned to Sir Edward Spragge's division in the Blue Squadron. He seems to have fought in the Schooneveld battles in the Advice (48 guns). On 28 June 1673, Prince Rupert appointed him as captain of the 3rd Rate Fairfax. He also apparently fought in the Battle of the Texel in the Fairfax. On 30 January 1678 (they called in 1677 in the Old Style), the King appointed him to command the boats at Chatham. On 29 July 1682, the Commissioners appointed him captain of the Thomas and Catherine. Only a short time later, on 8 August 1682, the Commissioners appointed him as captain of the John and Alexander. On 11 June 1685, the King appointed him as captain of the Charles galley. On 30 August, the King reappointed him as captain of the Charles galley. Less than a month later, on 27 September, he was appointed as captain fo the Reserve. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, Journals and Narratives of the Third Dutch War, 1946.
2. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898.
3. J.R. Tanner, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts in the Pepysian Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Vol.I, 1903.

English Naval Officer: Sir Joseph Jordan (UPDATED)

Sir Joseph Jordan served in the Parliamentarian, Commonwealth, and Restoration navies. As early as 1642, he commanded the hired ship Caesar. From 1643 until 1646, he commanded the 4th Rate Expedition. From 1647 until 1648, he was back in the Expedition. From 1650 until 1652, he commanded the 4th Rate Pelican (42 guns). He fought in the Battle of Plymouth on 16 August 1652, under Sir George Ayscue's command. He also fought in the Battle of the Kentish Knock, the first action between the main fleets. In 1653, he was in the Vanguard and then the Triumph. He fought in the Battle of the Gabbard in June 1653, where he was Vice-Admiral of the Blue Squadron and flew his flag on the Vanguard (56 guns). He also very likely fought at the Battle of Scheveningen in that same command. In 1654, he commanded the 2nd Rate George. He was Rear-Admiral in Blake's fleet that was sent to the Mediterranean Sea in 1654. Jordan returned home on the Hampshire on 1 September 1654 to take care of personal business. From 1654 until 1655, he commanded the 2nd Rate Unicorn. In 1664, he was back in command of the St. George (called George during the Commonwealth). He fought in the Battle of Lowestoft in 1665 in the St. George. When Sir John Lawson was wounded in the battle. At William Penn's suggestion, the Duke of York ordered Joseph Jordan to take command of the Royal Oak and lead the division, which he did quite well for the remainder of the battle. He fought in the Four Days' Battle as Vice-Admiral of the Red Squadron with his flag on the Royal Oak. He also fought in the St. James's Day Battle in that same position. In 1668, he flew his flag from the 2nd Rate Victory. Later in 1668, he was in the 2nd Rate Henry. Finally, in 1672, he flew his flag on the Sovereign. He fought in the Battle of Solebay, where he was Vice-Admiral of the Blue Squadron. After the battle, he was moved to the Red Squadron. He was not employed again at sea, after September, as there was controversy over his support, or lack of support, to the Earl of Sandwich at Solebay. 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, Journals and Narratives of the Third Dutch War, 1946.
3. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
4. Michael Baumber, General-at-Sea, 1989.
5. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898.
6. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.
7. J.R. Tanner, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts in the Pepysian Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Vol.I, 1903.

There are still many questions to be resolved about Dutch ships and captains in the First Anglo-Dutch War

We still have many unresolved questions about Dutch ships and captains during the First Anglo-Dutch War. We have filled in some gaps in the last 3 years, including in the last 6 months, but many remain. One question, still, is if Bastiaan Centen took command of the Haas in 't Veld from Leendert den Haen, or if the Haes that he commanded was a different ship. The ship that he commanded had been hired by the Vlissingen Directors. He apparently commanded her in the Battle of Dungeness, and probably, beyond that date. He fought in the Battle of Portland, as he was with the 17 ships that went to Vlissingen after the battle. We also know that he fought in the Battle of Scheveningen, where he was assigned to Frans Mangelaer's small unit (certainly not a "squadron"). He was assigned to De Ruyter's squadron. Sources:

1. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de Geschiedenis van ons Zeewezen, Vol.IV, 1927.
2. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910.
3. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.V, 1912.
4. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol. VI, 1930.

We now know how Sijmon Corneliszoon's ship was sunk in 1652

Ever since I had seen Vol.I of The First Dutch and had read that Sijmon Corneliszoon's Rotterdam Directors' ship had been sunk by gunfire. We now can be reasonably certain that this occurred in June 1652, and that the incident was that recorded by Dr. Elias in Vol.II of "Schetsen". I had attempted a translation and paraphrased that a few days ago. The mystery is solved. As usual, the mystery was caused by too many people (including myself) not having read enough of the published literature (much less the contents of the Nationaal Archief).

The Dutch fleet and hired ships in the First Anglo-Dutch War

Dr. Elias, in De Vlootbouw in Nederland tells about the situation in the Dutch fleet, starting in 1652, when they had to rely upon hired ships for their fleet. This is my paraphrase and summary from a passage in that book:

The country entered into a naval war with inadequate seapower. The quality of our ships was made worse by the need to be equipped with largely hired ships. At the beginning of 1652 there were no more than 5 ships in service, to which were added the fishery protection ships for defending the herring busses. Among the 79 ships, these hardly mattered. This proportion was totally reversed after March 3, when their High Majesties made a move that intimidated the English: the massive hiring and outfitting of 150 ships. This transformed the navy so that the greatest proportion were hired. By June 1652, 99 of the 186 ships were cruisers hired to aid the cause. In service in March 1653, of a total of 226 ships, no less than 150 were hired. The unfavorable situation was we can infer from the fact that in Tromp’s attack on the Downs in July 1652, there were 58 hired ships and only 34 states’ ships. A year later, Tromp and de With lead a fleet at Terheide with 57 hired ships and 49 states’ ships. From this we can see that our strong fleet formations in the war were due to the practice of hiring ships. The hired ships were not warships and lacked the construction features of purpose-built warships. There were many complaints from the commanders about the nature of the hired ships.

Sources:

1. Johan E. Elias, De Vlootbouw in Nederland 1596-1655, 1933.

How insufficient the measures taken after the outbreak of the war were was proved all too swiftly. Heavy losses which were sustained in the month of June in the narrow seas. The first victims of this unlucky political situation were 6 merchant ships from the Caribbean escorted by Captain van den Kerckhoff in the ship Nijmegen. They were unexpectedly attacked by three English warships on 10 June between Dover and Calais and the Nijmegen was sunk. In an encounter a week later between two ships under Jan Evertsen and a Directors' ship of the Maze and two strong parliaments ships, the Dutch "men and mouse" were sunk. This is based on my translation from Dr. Elias. Source:

1. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.II, 1923.

Late May 1652

Tromp led his fleet southward, when he received a message about cruising along the shore from the Texel to the Flemish coast. He was able to locate the group of 7 Vlissingen and Middelburg Directors' ships, under the command of Jan Thyssen. He was unsuccessful in locating Jan Evertsen, who he had hoped to find. One Jan Thyssen's ships was insufficiently ballasted and was unnavigable, so he sent her into Vlissingen. The rest brought his strength up to 42 warships, where he was sailing off the Hoofden. This was circa 23 May 1652. This is based on my translation of a passage in Dr. Elias's book. Sources:

1. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.II, 1923.

Dutch Captain: Cornelis van Houtten

In 1645, Cornelis van Houtten served the Admiralty of the Maze. He commanded the ship Gekroonde Liefde (33 guns) in Witte de With's fleet that forced a large convoy of merchant ships into the Baltic without paying the toll to the Danes. In 1652, he served the Amsterdam Directors. When the Witte Lam (28 guns) was hired, presumably on 12 March 1652, he was assigned as captain. His lieutenant was Jan Janszoon van Ridderstraet. He was with the fleet in the summer and sailed with Tromp to the Shetlands in July and August 1652. He fought in the Battle of the Kentish Knock in October. His ship lost its bowsprit in the battle. We don't see him mentioned after the battle. Sources:

1. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Directors' Ship Information 1652-1653", 2004.
2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1600-1700", 2005.
3. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de Geschiedenis van ons Zeewezen, Vol.III, 1925.

Dutch Captain: Cornelis Hoola

Cornelis Hoola served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. In February 1652, his ship was fired upon off Falmouth for not saluting the English colors. He was operating with the fleet in June 1652. In July and August, he was with Tromp's fleet on the voyage to the Shetlands. In August, he ship, the Leiden (28 guns) was with Witte de With's squadron. He fought in the Battle of the Kentish Knock on 8 October 1652, where his ship loss its mainmast. In early December 1652, he is mentioned in reference to convoying the Archengel Michiel which was bound for the Mediterranean Sea. He is still listed as captain of the Leiden in an undated list which seems to be from early March 1653. Sources:

1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910.
2. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de Geschiedenis van ons Zeewezen, Vol.III, 1925.
3. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898.
4. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.II, 1900.

More about the Prins te Paard in De With's journal

Witte de With's journal starting from 24 August 1652 refers to Corstiaean Corstiaenszoon as commanding a Rotterdam Directors' ship. On that date, Witte de With had 22 ships with him. This is the list:

Rotterdam Admiralty

Witte de With             Prinses Louise     36 guns
Aert van Nes              Gelderland         26 guns

Rotterdam Directors

Ruth Jacobszoon Buys      (not known)        26 guns
Corstiaen Corstiaenszoon  Prins te Paard     38 guns

Amsterdam Admiralty

Gideon de Wildt           Vrede              42 guns
Cornelis Hoola            Leiden             28 guns
Abraham van der Hulst     (not known)        26 guns
Albert de Graeff          Hollandia          32 guns
Joris van der Zaan        Campen             38 guns
Nicolaes Marrevelt        Zeelandia          36 guns
Jacob Paulussen Cort      Star               28 guns
Jan van Campen            Overijssel         28 guns
Dirk Schey                Achilles           28 guns

Amsterdam Directors

Cornelis van Houtten     Witte Lam          30 guns
Abraham van Campen       Arke Troijane      28 guns
Jacob Corneliszoon Swart Faam               28 guns
Stoffel Juriaenszoon     Sint Francisco     28 guns

Noorderkwartier Admiralty

Arent Dirckszoon         Monnick            24 guns

Hoorn Dirctors

Pieter Adriaanszoon
       van Blocker       (not known)        28 guns

Zeeland Admiralty

Adriaan Bankert          (not known)        26 guns

Middelburg Directors

Jacob Penssen            Gouden Leeuw       30 guns
Johannes de Regermorter  (not known)        30 guns

As you can see, there are still some holes in our knowledge of ships and captains of the First Anglo-Dutch War.

Rotterdam Director's ships in 1652 and early 1653

A tentative list of ships and captains is as follows. It is less satisfactory than I would like:

Ship name            Commander                 Guns Crew Notes

Prins te Paard       Corstiaen Corstiaensz.    38   120              
                     Jacob Cleydijck          
Jonas                Jan de Liefde             36   125
Meerman              Jacob Cleydijck           30   120  Sunk at Portland in 1653
Sint Pieter          Isaac de Jongh            29   110  Foundered off 
                                                         the Shetlands 1652
?                    Adriaan de Zeeuw                    July 1652 in the Meuse
                                                         "is slaeghs geweest"
Kalmar Sleutel?      Sijmon Corneliszoon                 sunk on July 22, 1652
Meerman              Sijmon Corn. van der Meer 28        (at Portland) 
Sint Pieter          Sijmon Cornelszoon                  
Burgh                Hendrik Adriaanz. Glas              

I received a package of copies today from Friesland

I was glad to receive a package of copies, today, from Friesland. The first page of the set of copies has a title that says "Een en ander over Friesland's Zeewezen voor 1665". Some of the goodies contained are the geneology for the Stellingwerff family, showing Aucke and Frederick, the guns and crew for the Zevenwolden (38 guns and crew of 135 men). It also mentions Ariaen Heeres Cleyntie's ship, by name, in 1652. He commanded the Vergulde Pelicaen. His fellow Harlingen Directors' captain, Andries Douweszoon Pascaert, commanded the Sint Vincent in September 1652.

Dutch Naval Officer: Teunis Post

Teunis Post served the Admiralty of Zeeland. On about 16 May 1673, he was with the fleet in the adviesjacht Parel (8 guns) in Lt-Admiral Bankert's squadron. He fought in the First Schooneveld Battle on 7 June. Since he was also with the fleet on 12 June, he probably fought in the Second Schooneveld Battle, as well. He fought in the Battle of the Texel in August 1673, where he commanded the adviesjacht Parel (6 guns). He was assigned to Cornelis Tromp's division. Sources:

1. Gerard Brandt, Het Leven en Bedrijif van den Heere Michiel de Ruiter, 1687.
2. J. R. Bruijn, De Oorlogvoering ter zee in 1673 in Journalen en Andere Stukken, 1966.

The Dutch fleet organization at the Gabbard

I was rereading the section in Vol.V of The First Dutch War, where there is a discussion of the Dutch fleet organization at the time of the Battle of the Gabbard. I have written about this before, I believe, but it seems worth noting again. There were five squadrons, each with an admiral, vice-admiral, and rear-admiral (in Dutch, Schout-bij-Nacht). The guns are those that are known. They well may have actually carried more in the battle:

1. Tromp's squadron 
   Admiral:       Maarten Tromp, in Brederode, 54 guns Flag captain Egbert Kortenaer
   Vice-Admiral:  Gideon de Wildt, in Vrede, 44 guns
   Rear-Admiral:  Abel Roelants, in Prinses Louise, 36 guns

2. Jan Evertsen's squadron
   Admiral:       Jan Evertsen, in Vlissingen, 40 guns Flag captain Jan Pouwelszoon
   Vice-Admiral:  Cornelis Evertsen de Oude, Wapen van Zeeland, 30 guns
   Rear-Admiral:  Adriaan Kempen, in Amsterdam, 30 guns

3. Witte de With's squadron
   Admiral:    Witte de With, in Vrijheid, 44 guns Flag captain Abraham van der Hulst
   Vice-Admiral:  Jan de Lapper, in Fazant, 32 guns
   Rear-Admiral:  Jacob Cleydyck, in Prins te Paard, 38 guns

4. De Ruyter's squadron
   Admiral:       Michiel De Ruyter, in Witte Lam, 40 guns flag captain Jan Thyssen
   Vice-Admiral:  Adriaan Janszoon den Oven, in Neptunis, 28 guns
   Rear-Admiral:  Markus Hartman, in Gekroonde Liefde, 36 guns

5. Pieter Florissen's squadron
   Admiral:       Pieter Florissen, in Monnikendam, 38 guns
   Vice-Admiral:  Gillis Thyssen Campen, in Groningen, 42 guns
   Rear-Admiral:  Claes Bastiaanszoon Jaersvelt, in David en Goliad, 34 guns
   

Dutch Naval Officer: Jacob Stadtlander

Jacob Stadtlander served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. In 1672, he commanded the adviesjacht Eenhoorn (10 guns). He fought at the Battle of Solebay, where he was assigned to Van Ghent's squadron. He was still with the fleet in August. We don't see him mentioned again until July 1675, when he sailed with De Ruyter's fleet that eventually went to the Mediterranean Sea. He commanded the supply ship Zwarte Tas (4 guns). He fought in the Battle of Stromboli on 8 January 1676, where he was assigned to Nikolaas Verschuur's squadron. He also fought in the Battle of Etna on 22 April 1676, where he was in De Ruyter's squadron. We don't know if he was at the Battle of Palermo, or not, due to the limitations of our list for that battle. Sources:

1. Gerard Brandt, Het Leven en Bedrijif van den Heere Michiel de Ruiter, 1687.

Dutch Naval Officer: Arent Ruighaver (or Ruyghaver)

Arent Ruighaver (or Ruyghaver) served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He took part in De Ruyter's expedition to Martinique in 1674, where he commanded the fireship Salm (4 guns). IN 1675, he sailed to the Mediterranean Sea with De Ruyter's fleet. He commanded the fireship Melkmeisje (4 guns). On 8 January 1676, he fought in the Battle of Stromboli, where he was assigned to De Ruyter's Second Squadron. He also fought in the Battle of Etna (Agosta) on 22 April, where he was still assigned to De Ruyter's squadron. Since I do not have a list for the Battle of Palermo on 2 June 1676, I do not know if he took part. Sources:

1. Gerard Brandt, Het Leven en Bedrijif van den Heere Michiel de Ruiter, 1687.

A good point: not every ship commander was a captain

Carl Stapel makes a good point:

Be aware that people commanding fireships were not always captains ordinaris or extra-ordinaris but commandeur. Furthermore people commanding adviesjachten and galjoten were also commanders and captains. Sometimes commanders of galjoten are called schippers for they were hired by the admirality with their ship and crew.

For instance Peter Melkenbeeke was never a captain but always remained commander a rank lower then lieutenant.

I come from the American naval tradition where we would call every ship or boat commander "captain", even if they were an Lieutenant (Junior Grade), so I have been sloppy about referring to Dutch naval officers as captains, when they were just Commandeurs.

Dutch Captain: Wijbrand Barendszoon

Wijbrand Barendszoon (Wijbrant Barentszoon) served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He fought in the First Schooneveld Battle, where he commanded the fireship Sayer (4 guns). He was also in De Ruyter's squadron on 12 June. In August, he commanded the fireship Zaaier (4 guns) and fought in the Battle of the Texel. He was assigned to Aert van Nes's division in De Ruyter's squadron. In 1675, he sailed for the Mediterranean Sea with De Ruyter's fleet. He commanded the snauw Kreeft (8 guns). On 8 January 1676, he fought in the Battle of Stromboli, where he was assigned to De Ruyter's Second Squadron. He also fought in the Battle of Etna on 22 April 1676, where he was in De Ruyter's squadron. The list for the Battle of Palermo only has ships of the line, so it is unclear if he fought in the disastrous last battle. Sources:

1. Gerard Brandt, Het Leven en Bedrijif van den Heere Michiel de Ruiter, 1687.
2. J. R. Bruijn, De Oorlogvoering ter zee in 1673 in Journalen en Andere Stukken, 1966.

Dutch Captain: Jan Kramer

Jan Kramer served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. In May 1672, he commanded the adviesjacht Kater (10 guns) with the fleet. He fought in the Battle of Solebay, where he was attached to Lt-Admiral Bankert's squadron. He was still with the fleet in August. In 1673, he commanded the adviesjacht Egmond (10 guns). He fought in the First Schooneveld Battle and was in Cornelis Tromp's squadron. Perhaps he fought in the second battle, as well. In August, he fought in the Battle of the Texel, where he was assigned to Cornelis Tromp's division. Sources:]

1. R. C. Anderson, Journals and Narratives of the Third Dutch War, 1946.
2. Gerard Brandt, Het Leven en Bedrijif van den Heere Michiel de Ruiter, 1687.
3. J. R. Bruijn, De Oorlogvoering ter zee in 1673 in Journalen en Andere Stukken, 1966.
4. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "Vlootlijst Schooneveld I 7 juni 1673", 2005.