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.