Dutch Naval Officer: Reinier Claessen

Reinier Claessen was born either in 1560 or 1665. He was killed in action at Cape St. Vincent on 7 October 1606. He was killed in the Battle of Cape St. Vincent when he exploded his ship when he was being overcome by the Spanish. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam, and in 1588 he was promoted to captain. On 30 December 1605, he was promoted to Vice-Admiral. This is from my translation of the short entry in Luc Eekhout's Het Admiralenboek. I was familiar with his name, as I remember it being the name of a small coast defense vessel.