English Captain: Jean Baptiste Du Tiel

Jean Baptiste Du Tiel was a Frenchman serving in the English navy. In 1665, he was captain of the prize Fountain (30 guns) and fought in the Battle of Lowestoft. He was assigned to the Duke of York's division. Later in 1665, he commanded the Jersey. In 1671, he was appointed to command a galley in the Mediterranean Sea, although Frank Fox says that he commanded the Jersey. Frank Fox says that Jean Baptiste Du Tiel took part in an action with the Algerines off Cape Spartel in 1670, and did so badly that he was dismissed from the service. Previously, he had been dismissed after fighting in the Four Days Battle. If he had not had the Duke of York as a patron, things could have gone very badly for him, such as being hung. He was relieved as captain of the Jersey by Francis Digby. 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.