Dutch Naval Officer: Johan (or Jan) Taalman (or Taelman)

Johan (or Jan) Taalman (or Taelman) started his service with the Admiralty of Maze and served for a while with the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was born at Gouda on 11 January 1675 and died there on 26 May 1755. He was the son of Abraham Taalman. In 1695, he was appointed as a lieutenant by the Admiralty of the Maze. In 1706, he was promoted to extra-ordinary captain. In 1708, he joined an English detachment near Dunkirk. He commanded the Kampen (44 guns). He was then sent to Ostende. In 1717, he was promoted to captain. On 8 May 1744, the Admiralty of Amsterdam appointed him as Lieutenant-Admiral. From 1744 to 1748, he commanded the naval force on the Scheldt. In 1748, he commanded in the Holland and Zeeland tidal waters ("the flows"). On 8 March 1750, the Admiralty of the Maze appointed him as Lieutenant-Admiral. Sources:

1. Luc Eekhout, Het Admiralenboek: De Vlagofficieren van de Nederlandse marine 1382-1991, 1992.
2. J. C. De Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol.IV, 1861.