Battle of Portland (The Three Days Battle)

I am going to push for a Battle of Portland scenario, based on my current understanding, for posting at kentishknock.com. My webmaster has the new organization in place that I had suggested. We will continue to flesh out this framework. My intent is to continue to make available information that has not been previously published, along with my analysis.

I ran some tests, late this afternoon, with my revised understanding of the Battle of the Kentish Knock, and found that if the battle were of short duration, the Dutch did quite well. If the battle became extended, and the English were able to close, the battle would decisively tip to the English. That may well be the explanation for the Dutch performing well at that battle. The English were so badly organized and led by Blake, that they were fortunate not to lose any ships.

I did not see that quite so dramatically for Portland, which I also tested. Part of the reason seems to be that it was too easy for Monck's squadron to come up, against the wind. I don't understand, yet, what the issue is (I have been testing with my favorite computer simulator for sailing naval warfare).

The Battle of Portland (28 February-2 March 1653)

This afternoon, I read Peter Padfield's account of the Battle of Portland (Tide of Empires, Vol. 1), and then read Michael Baumber's account (General-at-Sea). There is no indication that the Dutch had fired off ammunition at shore batteries or castles in either of these books.

I'm sorry to say that Baumber's book has many factual mistakes about the various battles of the First Anglo-Dutch War. Unless I am able to do some "fact checking" and corroborate what he has written, I would hesitate to use what he says. I hope he is generally correct, but I need to read his book more closely, and do some cross-checking before I would be ready to affirm that estimate.

Another thing I noticed is that Peter Padfield's map, showing the squadron positions, differs radically from Dr. Ballhausen's map. Peter Padfield shows Monck's squadron to the Southeast, instead of the Northeast.

English 5th Rates

I spoke with the reigning expert on Van de Velde drawings, and we discussed English 5th Rates. We can't make any blanket assertions that apply to all ships, but we can make some generalizations.

Most 5th Rates, from the 1650's and 1660's, had forecastles. One prominent exception was the Garland.

Perhaps all 5th Rates had two decks. Only the lower deck was completely armed.

Generally, the upper tier had guns under the forecastle and under the quarterdeck. There may have been ships where there were guns under the ladders. A few ships had guns on the quarterdeck,. such as the Speedwell.

I will be modifying my 5th Rate drawings, accordingly.

My next project is to look more closely at the Onstelde-Zee

After recently looking at the Onstelde-Zee chapter on the Battle of Portland, I can see that I need to look more closely at what is there. I still have many questions about the battle, especially from the Dutch perspective, and this seems to be a good way to get the contemporary perspective. A challenge associated with that, though, is that it is in very archaic Dutch.

The pain might be worthwhile, though, because I saw references to three ships that I had not previously associated with the Battle of Portland. One of the names, I have had trouble taking seriously: Poort van Troijen. After finally obtaining a good number of manuscripts from 1652 and 1653, I can see that it is more plausible than I had thought. For example, Abraham van Campen's ship was the Arche Troijane. I have had some confusion about the Poort van Troijen name, as I had equated it with the ship called Hector in Vreugdenhil's list. In the manuscripts I have, that captain's ship was the Nassouw. The captain that I had believed was referenced was Lambert Pieterszoon. Now, I am not so sure.

A new drawing: The George, circa 1650

I just finished my first attempt at a drawing to represent the George (the Jacobean ship, St. George), as well as her sister ship, the Andrew. I am starting to think that both these ships may have served in this form, through the First Anglo-Dutch War. I base that on the drawings of the Andrew, at the Battle of Scheveningen, under fireship attack. The head could very well be like that in this drawing. Certainly, the Jacobean and Carolean Third Rates still had the archaic head.

I am going to continue to revise the other drawings, and will update them, as I make changes.

A larger 1650's English 5th Rate

A larger type of 5th Rate was built in the early 1650's, and was later expanded upon, after the Restoration. This is my first cut at a drawing of such a vessel.

I have kept updating my last drawing

I finally decided to try Windows XP Paint to draw the rigging. That actually worked about as well as you could hope for, given that we are working in a raster or pixel world, not a vector world. Anyway, you can judge if this was successful. What will help is that I intend to reduce the drawing to either 1/1200 or 1/3200 scale, depending on the application. For use in Iain Stanford's General-at-Sea, I will reduce this to 1/3200, so most detail will be lost. At 1/1200, you can still recognize some of the detail.

A small English 5th Rate

I just got done doing a new sort of drawing. I took a scan of a sheet of ships drawn in pencil. I converted the sheet to color, from black and white. Then, I drew or painted on the sheet, using Corel Photopaint 8 (which just happens to be what I have). I did it "freehand", using a mouse. I found that I was starting to develop a facility for drawing with a mouse. I used a Reinier Nooms painting of a scene from the Battle of Livorno as a guide to shading sails. I had thought it was not possible, but I am satisfied that it can be done, after all. This is the result:

The ship in intended for use in the First Anglo-Dutch War, and other places where a small 5th Rate, only 80 feet long, would be used. The flags could be easily changed.

The Raid on Chatham and Jan van Brakel

I was just reading Frank Fox's book, A Distant Storm, about the raid on Chatham. Frank says that Jan van Brakel's ship was the Amsterdam ship, Vrede. I had thought that, as well, but Brandt has a list of the ships on the raid, and the Amsterdam ship Vrede (46 guns) was commanded by Jan du Bois, while Jan van Brakel commanded the Admiralty of the Maas ship Vrede (40 guns). Because of this list, we even know the crews, including the numbers of sailors and soldiers. I highly recommend getting a facsimile copy of Brandt, as you don't need to know Dutch to take advantage of the ship lists. It is invaluable.

My latest thoughts on unresolved issues

I have had a number of open questions that I had not been able to resolve, in my research about the First Anglo-Dutch War:

Claes Janszoon Sanger, the West Cappelle, and the Battle of Scheveningen

Sipke Fockes, the Sint Maria and the Groot Sint Lucas

The first seems clearer, at this point. There is overwhelming evidence that Claes Janszoon Sanger became an English prisoner, after the Battle of Scheveningen and that his ship was burnt. The fact that the West Cappelle was listed in the "Staet van Oorlogh te Water voor den Jaere 1654" is simply a records keeping issue. That there was a West Cappel in service later is likely explained by a new ship having been built. We don't know that for sure, from what we have seen to date, but it seems likely.

The question of Sipke Fockes, the Sint Maria, the Groot Sint Lucas are still hard to finally resolve. There is the following pieces of evidence:

In a document dated 18 March 1652, Sipke Fockes is listed as commandiing the Amsterdam Directors' ship Sint Maria (28 guns).

In a 8 November 1652 document, Sipke Fockes still was said to command the Sint Maria

At the Battle of Portland, Sipke Fockes was killed and his ship captured.

The book, Onstelde-Zee, published in 1654, says that Sipke Fockes' ship was the Groote St. Lucas, and that the ship was captured at Portland.

The 1653 volume of the Hollandsche Mercurius for 1653 has lists of warships and merchant ships captured at Portland. The Groote St. Lucas (28 guns) was taken to Portsmouth, in early March 1653.

There is a document dated in March 1653 that lists Amsterdam Directors' ships needing repairs after the Battle of Portland. That list includes the Sint Maria, and lists the defects.

I have been resistent to concluding that there really was another ship named Groote St. Lucas that has not otherwise been noted in any published sources, or in any records found, to date. I am starting to think that it might be the case, however.

As an afterthought, I need to examine the section on the Battle of Portland, in the Onstelde-Zee, as there are at least three Dutch ships mentioned there that need further research:

Poort van Troijen

Leeuwin

Meermin

The page about Dutch ships in French intelligence documents is now available

An HTML version of my paper about Dutch ships found in French intelligence documents, primarily from the Marquis de Seignelay, is now available on KentishKnock.com. This is the direct link:

Dutch ships in French intelligence documents.

It looks like there is something copied that is left over, but that doesn't detract from the information, as it precedes the main table. As for the "unknown" ships, it is more the case that there is no known Dutch ship that matches, rather than we guess the right name. For example, Les armes de Leuarden is obviously equivalent to 't Wapen van Leeuwarden (50 guns). There are two obviously similar names: Les armes de Zelandé (60 guns) and les armes de Zélandy (30 guns), both of which refer to Noorderkwartier ships named 't Wapen van Zeeland. We just don't know of such ships from Dutch records. In another case, La Concorde (40 guns) obviously refers to an Eendracht of 121 feet long. We just don't know of such a ship. In the same way, L'Estoille du Levant would equate to a Star van Levant. I can go on, as I can see appropriate Dutch names for most, just no corresponding Dutch ships from other records.

English flags in 1652 and 1653

I would be interested to know if anyone can point to useful sources about English flags used during the First Anglo-Dutch War. So far, Willem van de Velde de Oude drawings seem to be a useful source, although it is hard to know how accurate his Dungeness drawing is. I have also looked at several Reinier Nooms paintings. I have been somewhat surprised at the ubiquity of white vanes and flags with the red St. George's cross. That is even true in Willem van de Velde de Oude drawings for Livorno, Dungeness, and even Scheveningen (Terheide).

My current thinking about my last post regarding Dutch ships at Dover in May 1652

I am increasingly skeptical about the three entries in my list from Mollema's "Honor Roll". When I originally saw the Gorcum in the list, ten years ago, I just assumed it meant at the action off Folkestone, between Tromp and Blake, in May 1652. I am much more doubtful, now, that the Gorcum was there. Instead, the three ships mentioned in the "Honor Roll" were meant to be at the Battle of the Kentish Knock, as Mollema wrote about battles.

I am less uncertain about the other captains and ships that I list, although the references in Dr. Elias' book still could be ambiguous. Much rests on ships having been at the battle, when they are mentioned either right before or right after the battle, as being with the fleet, or carrying messages for Tromp, about the recent battle.

Dutch captains mentioned in various published sources for Dover (May 1652)

There are Dutch captains and admirals mentioned in relation to the Battle off Dover (29 May 1652) in various published sources, other than Ballhausen's book. It seems relevant to list those, as they often differ from Ballhausen's list (unfortunately). Dr. Elias' book (Vol.II) gives the Dutch convoy commander as Jacob Huyrluyt. His ship was the Amsterdam ship, the Zeelandia (34 guns), built in 1643. There is some uncertainty introduced, as J. C. Mollema, in the "Honor Roll" doesn't distinguish between "Dover", the battle on 29 May or the "Dover" that we call the Kentish Knock. The latter seems to be mistaken, given the actual locations. Nonetheless, that is what he calls the Battle of the Kentish Knock. This is clear from the various entries for captains that did not appear on the scene, until the Kentish Knock.

Captain/Admiral	Admiralty	Ship	Guns	Reference
Pieter Aldertszoon	Noorderkwartier	Burcht	24	First Dutch War
Evert Anthonissen	Amsterdam	Hollandia	32	Honor Roll
Cornelis Janszoon Brouwer	Amsterdam Directors	Valck	28	First Dutch War
Abraham van Campen	Amsterdam Directors	Arke Troijane	28	First Dutch War
Cornelis Evertsen de Jonge	Vlissingen Directors	Vlissingen	26	First Dutch War
Sipke Fockes	Amsterdam Directors	Sint Maria	28	First Dutch War
Willem Ham	Noorderkwartier	Sampson	24	Schetsen
Allert Janszoon	Zeeland	Dubbele Arend	26	Schetsen
Isaak de Jongh	Rotterdam Directors	Sint Pieter	29	Schetsen
Dirck Janszoon Juynbol	Rotterdam Directors	Gelderland	30	Honor Roll
Cornelis Naeuoogh	Amsterdam Directors	Sint Matheeus	34	First Dutch War
Jan van Nes de Oude Boer Jaap	Rotterdam	Gorcum	30	Honor Roll
Jacob Corneliszoon Swart	Amsterdam Directors	Faam	28	First Dutch War
Jan Thyssen	Vlissingen Directors	Witte Lam	32	First Dutch War
Maarten Tromp	Rotterdam	Brederode	54	First Dutch War
Bastiaan Tuynemans	Vlissingen Directors	Sint Laurens	30	First Dutch War

Sources:

Elias, Johan E., Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, 6 volumes, 's-Gravenhage, 1916-1930

ed. Gardiner, Dr. S.R., First Dutch War, Vol.I, Navy Records Society, London, 1898

"Honor Roll" appendix to Vol.II, J.C.Mollema, Geschiedenis van Nederland ter Zee, 4 vols, Amsterdam 1940

The Battle off Dover (19/29 May 1652)

I just finished updating my OOB and short description for the Battle off Dover. It now reflects the Dutch fleet's organization and order of sailing, as described in Dr. Ballhausen's book. I have also corrected the ship names, in a few cases, to reflect my best information. Now, the only ship name, for the Dutch, that we know nothing about, is Johannes van Regermorter's ship. For working purposes, I am calling it Leeuwin, but there is little basis for that. I expect it is a name that we have not previously seen used.

I learned something new

I had seen Jan Glete's notes listing some ships belonging to Directors, from early 1652. I have not been able to obtain a copy of the original manuscript, but want have it. One of the names listed was a ship named Weesp. I had not realized that this is the name of a town that is Southeast of Amsterdam. It would be extremely valuable, if someone can locate the original manuscript, at the Nationaal Archief in the Hague.

Information we need to find

With respect to the First Anglo-Dutch War, there are two areas that need to be addressed:

English ship armaments and dimensions for hired ships and Dutch prizes

Names and data for "missing" Dutch ships

An important, but more secondary issue are more order-of-battle information for both sides in some battles. Typically, either the English or Dutch are well-known, and there is a lack on the other side. At Plymouth, we know the Dutch OOB pretty well, but that for the English is sorely lacking. At the Kentish Knock, we know the Dutch OOB, again, pretty well, but have a less precise view of the English fleet. At Portland, we have pretty complete information about the English, but have only a sketchy idea about the Dutch. in fact, for all of 1653, we have a very poor idea of the Dutch OOB at all the battles.

One thing that can be definitely said is that there are some severe gaps in our knowledge of Dutch ships. That is somewhat true of Admiralty and hired ships. While we have an almost complete knowledge of the Amsterdam Directors' ships, we have very little knowledge about the others.

The sad thing is that we definitely know that more information exists. There is Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet, at Rotterdam. There is Zeeland director's ship data in the Zeeuwse Archief, but I have not been able to arrange to get reproductions of either, despite trying. There is also a manuscript in the Nationaal Archief, in the Hague, that Rick van Velden was not able to find, but that Jan Glete saw, about 20 years ago. It has some tantalizing ship names (such as Colburg and Harderwijck). I expect that it probably names captains, and this would resolve some of the remaining "holes" in our knowledge.

Wikipedia

I have started to make some contributions to Wikipedia on the subject of the Dutch in the Anglo-Dutch Wars. The Wikipedia is desperately in need of improvement, so anyone who can, should help them. That work will benefit everyone.

Their site can be found at:

Wikipedia.

Wiki editing is quite different, but is easily learned.

This site now is easily searched by Google

I found out, today, that quite obscure searches will find content from this Blog's archives. That should be of great benefit to people looking for Anglo-Dutch Wars content.

Some thoughts about the Battle of the Sound in 1658

As I am doing more research about the Battle of the Sound, I am left with the impression that the Swedish fleet had a lower level of efficiency and competence than the Dutch. Otherwise, how can we account for the Dutch beating a superior fleet?

I suspect that if Witte de With's flagship, the Brederode had not run aground, teh Dutch would not have lost a single ship. As it was, the Brederode did run aground and was mercilessly raked for several hours, until Witte de With was killed and the ship was left in a sinking condition, when she was captured by the Swedes.

When we do a comparison of the fleets, we find that the Swedes had two very large ships, the Viktoria (72 guns) and the Kronan (74 guns), and several large ships with 50-some guns. The only large Dutch ships were three flagships: the Eendracht (72 guns), the Brederode (59 guns), and the Jozua (50 guns). Many of the rest were quite small.

Dutch prizes in the English navy during the First Anglo-Dutch War

There were a considerable number of captured Dutch ships that served in the English navy during the First Anglo-Dutch War. A considerable number were captured warships, but many were merchant ships that were suitable as warships.

During July 1652, Robert Blake captured or destroyed approximately 12 Dutch warships engaged in fishery protection duties. The number is approximate, because there is evidence that at least one more ship was captured at that time (the Marcus Curtius). Only one other captured the rest of the year. That was the Maria, captured at the Battle of the Kentish Knock.

In the first month or so of the war, Dutch warships in English ports were seized, along with some ships returning from overseas. One of these, the Rotterdam Admiralty ship, the Prinses Roijaal Maria probably served in the English navy as the Princess Maria.

I think it is extremely likely that most Dutch prizes carried their Dutch armament in English service. In at least one case, the Rozeboom, the two brass 24-pounders where removed for use on board a larger english ship. As the Rosebush, she had to carry on with only the 24 smaller guns of the original 28 guns. Others, such as the Sampson (26 guns), probably carried their original Dutch armament.

In the case of the Vogelstruis, the big East Indiaman captured at Portland, the ship was so heavily damaged in two hard-fought battles, that she only served as a hulk in the English navy (although for an extended period). In any case, she was built for the East India trade (as a Retourschip), and was built to merchant ship standards, although substantial enough for round trips to the East Indies.

Maps and locations from the Anglo-Dutch Wars

I have been studying a map of the Seven United Provinces (The Netherlands). Walcheren Island and the rest of Zeeland are quite useful. I am working on a suitable map that I will be posting. I knew that this would be challenge, and it is "slow going".

One thing that I learned was the location of "The Rammekens". After the Battle of the Gabbard, Tromp had ships needing repairs beached "on the Rammekens". That is an area in the South East part of Walcheren. Vlissingen is to the West. Tromp reported that since the shore off Vlissingen (Flushing) was so rocky, that they would use the beach at the Rammekens for making repairs.

Looking at the map, you can see that the area off Vlissingen appears to be an ideal fleet anchorage, as there is very large, protected area of water. To the North, where the "Goeree Gatt" is located, near the island of Goeree, there is a much smaller-looking anchorage. Some ships sheltered there, after the Gabbard, as well. As usual, there was a contingent, including Witte de With's squadron, which retreated to the Texel roads (often referred to as "The Texel".

A French intelligence report on the Dutch Navy

I hope that my webmaster will be able to put some of my research results where I analyzed some French intelligence reports that Prof. Jan Glete passed on to me. They were referenced in Prof. Glete's book, Navies and Nations: Warships, Navies and State Building in Europe and America, 1500-1860 (1993).

The reports, not that surprisingly, use French names for Dutch ships. In some cases, the Dutch name is fairly obvious. In other cases, by translating the French name to English (and then to Dutch), I could associate the correct ship. In other cases, I have not been able to tell what ship was meant.

French name	Admiralty	Guns	Length	Beam
Les armes de Cergant	?	40	130	32
Les armes de dergau	?	?	?	?
Les armes de Leuarden	?	50	148	38
Les armes de Zelandé	NQ	60	?	?
les armes de Zélandy	NQ	30	?	?
Le Chesne	?	55	140	37
L'oiseau de mer	?	40	120	29
La Sigongne	A	72	?	?
La Soy	?	50	150	40
La ville de groenwijk	?	40	120	30.5

If anyone ever reads this, and has an idea what some of these ships were, I would welcome the input.

What is great about these documents, is that they supply information about Dutch ships, which researchers have not been able to find in the Netherlands.

Dutch vessels: Advijs jacht and a Galjoot

There is information, from Nicolaes Witsen, that gives dimensions for an advijs jacht (advice yacht) and a galjoot (galliot). They are later than what was used in the First Anglo-Dutch War, so they are not comparable, but they are both of interest. We also know the dimensions for an older, three-masted yacht of war, as well.

The advis jacht, from Witsen, has the following dimensions:

Length: 115ft
Beam: 27ft-5-1/2in
Hold: 11ft-5-1/2in

The galjoot, from Witsen, has the following dimensions:

Length: 85ft
Beam: 21ft
Hold: 11ft

The older three-masted jacht, built in 1638, was smaller than the later jacht. This type of jacht could have been employed during the First Anglo-Dutch War. Such a vessel could have carried 14 guns. One example of such a ship was the Zeeland jacht, the Gloeyenden Oven. At the beginning of the First Anglo-Dutch War, she had 14 guns and a crew of 56 men. She was commanded by Adriaan Janszoon den Oven.

Length: 106ft
Beam: 24ft
Hold: 9ft

Some items from the August 1658 Swedish list

To be specific, the list that Jan Glete sent me is dated 28 August 1658. The list is divided into three sections:

Swedish navy ships

Stockholm company ships

Captured Danish ships
The list is also divided vertically: on the left are brass guns and on the right are iron guns.

Here is a taste of what is there:

Ship	Brass Guns	Iron Guns
Victoria	24-24pdr, 14-14pdr,10-12pdr, 16-6pdr, 6-3pdr
Draken	4-30pdr, 20-24pdr, 2-18pdr, 22-12pdr, 8-6pdr, 4-3pdr
Hercules	24-24pdr, 20-12pdr, 8-6pdr, 2-3pdr
Maria	4-24pdr, 10-6pdr, 3-3pdr	8-14pdr, 2-6pdr

Wargame pieces

Brederode

Stad en Lande

The Battle of the Gabbard

I have made some more progress on developing the orders of battle for the Gabbard. The English side is quite straight-forward, as the widely published list seems to be accurate.

The Dutch order of battle is quite difficult, as there are probably more than a dozen ships that we don't know their names. There are a few ships that we know the name and captain, but don't know anything else. I have previously mentioned Jan Glete's notes that show a list, from early 1652, that indicates that there were some Directors' ships with names like "Colburg" and "Harderwijk". I have not been able to find that document (in the Nationaal Archief, in the Hague), and really need to find it. I also desperately need a copy of Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet that lists Tromp's fleet during his disastrous voyage to the Shetlands, in July-August 1652.

The Dutch fleet closing the English fleet at the Battle of the Kentish Knock

This another of the semi-acceptable photographs of Privateers Bounty. The picture was taken on January 27, 2004. This shows the Dutch fleet, at the opening of the battle scenario, closing with the English fleet. They would turn to starboard, into the general shape of a line. They broke the English line, although with heavy casualties.

Picture from Battle of the Kentish Knock scenario

I have struggled getting good digital photographs of the Privateers Bounty simulation, running one of my scenarios. This is a picture from January 27, 2004, from the Battle of the Kentish Knock scenario. One of the drawbacks of this simulation is that there are no 17th Century 3D ship models (except one merchant ship).

Dr. Carl Ballhausen's book

Despite my criticisms, I would highly recommend Dr. Ballhausen's book about the First Anglo-Dutch War and the war between the Dutch and Swedes in 1658-1659. The reference for the book is:

Carl Ballhausen, PhD, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654 Sowie der Schwedisch-Holländische Seekrieg 1658-1659, Martinus Nijhoff, Haag, 1923.

Despite Dr. Ballhausen's frequent leaps of imagination in listing ships at various battles, there are enough positive features to make the book valuable:

The charts of the battles, showing wind direction and the position of squadrons

Some unique information that is very likely to be correct, such as the Swedish armaments listed in footnotes in the section about the Battle of the Sound

A valuable bibliography that lists many obscure, published sources

Extensive footnotes (however, you need to check the sources, as I have found that I often disagree with Dr. Ballhausen's conclusions

Information about the fleet organizations

The Library of Congress holds a copy of this book (as does the Wilson Library at the University of Minnesota). The Library of Congress will make a photocopy of the book, at a fairly high price. I was persistent, and finally was able to buy the book, after persistent searching using Addall.com.

I am making progress on updating formating

I hope to be done updating formatting on this blog by this weekend. I need to transfer this to AngloDutchWarsBlog.com, quite soon. It will accelerate the process of building a content index for this material.

Off topic, I often can search and find material from this blog in Google. For whatever reason, it seems to "come and go", but I was able to find "Maarten Schaeff", this morning. It will be a big help to users of this site, if it will be constantly searchable. I am doing things to facilitate that, with some changes, including the new formatting.

Formatting

I'm afraid that temporarily, the formatted will be bolixed up, until I can do a total conversion of content to match the new posting format. The advantages for the new format are that having the title with an anchor tag should help Google, plus tables now can be used, as the hard breaks have been removed (which temporarily is a bother). I am working from the oldest posts, in the conversion process, although maybe I can convert the from page, sometime later today.

Google and this blog

During the day, yesterday, content from this, and the related blogs and website, were searchable in Google. By late afternoon, that had all disappeared. On AngloDutchWarsBlog.com, I have added a index to content, so that individual items can be accessed. For now, the scheme used is to use the first, non-pronoun-word of the title. This is a time-consuming process, so this will be an on-going project for some time. There will be great benefit, that will provide a way to access content originally published here (since Google is so generally non-cooperative, which is hard to understand).

Swedish ships from August 1658

I received a package, today, that has some information from Prof. Jan Glete about Swedish ships, circa 1658. The most interesting document is a list of ships and the guns planned for them, from August 1658.

One striking feature about the list is the gun calibers listed. I have not seen, on the Internet, any indication that the Swedes used 14pdr and 10pdr guns. I had seen that noted in Carl Ballhausen's book, where he quoted a book from Johan Levin Carlbom, from almost a 100 years ago. I was skeptical that those guns were correct, but after seeing this document, the credibility of what I saw has soared.

I will be interested to compare this list with what I saw in Dr. Ballhausen's book, to see what differences there are. He lists ships that are not in this list, but others are in both.

Here is what is listed in this August 1658 document for a well-known ship, the Amarant:

4-24pdr, 18-14pdr, 14-6pdr, and 2-3pdr = total of 38 guns

I can see that I will need to compare a list that I can easily read, with this list, as I cannot easily decipher some of the names. Victoria, Samson, and Jacob are easy. I won't even attempt to guess at several of the other ship names.

The document that I am looking at is "List of the armament of ships in the main fleet 28/8/1658, Swedish Riksakivet, volume M 1850.

The entry from the July 1653 list from Vlissingen

My latest attempt to transcribe the handwritten entry, show below is:

absant - 81) een advijs barck. is crucende en niet onder het getal van schepen van oorloge.

The "crucende" is the most suspect word. I will need to browse my copy of Van Dale to see if I can figure out what the word should be. I would welcome suggestions. The other possible problem would be "absant". After further study, I realized that the word before "oorloge" was "van". This is somewhat more sloppy writting than usual, but is not untypical. It has a mix of modern and old ways of forming letters.

This is the entire text for what looks like an "Advijs berck"

I had to squeaze the image, so I removed the "absant" from the left side.

The July 1653 list from Vlissingen

In this list, there is an entry that is difficult to understand, under the Rotterdam Chamber of the VOC. The handwriting strongly resembles "An Advijs berck", which doesn't make sense.

Dutch ships that were definitely at the Battle of the Gabbard (1653)

Admittedly, this is a pretty unwieldy list, but nothing like this has been previously published. Dr. Carl Ballhausen lists other ships and captains, but these have not been included, until they can be verified. Most of Dr. Ballhausen's estimates are unsupportable, so we can't be too trusting.

These are based on what is in the inventory of Dutch ships that had been at the Battle of the Gabbard, and were listed in July 1653, at Vlissingen. This is from an unpublished document from the Nationaal Archief at the Hague. Other ships are primarily from Dr. Elias' book, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen (6 volumes), published between 1916 and 1930. A few are from the Navy Records Society 6-volume set, The First Dutch War.

Ships are listed alphabetically, by captain (in some cases, it is the more usual last name used for the captain).

The Admiralty key is:

A	Amsterdam
A-D	Amsterdam Directors
Ed-D	Edam Directors (Noorderkwartier)
F	Friesland
Ha-D	Harlingen Directors (Friesland)
Mi-VOC	Middelburg Chamber of the VOC (the United East India Company)
Mo-D	Monnikendam Directors (Noorderkwartier)
NQ	Noorderkwartier (the archaic spelling is Noorderquartier)
R	Rotterdam (the Maas or Maze)
R-VOC	Rotterdam Chamber of the VOC
Z	Zeeland

*=estimates

You will notice some unfamiliar names. Those that are not estimates are based on unpublished manuscripts from the Nationaal Archief, in the Hague. There is a tremendous volume of information in the Archives, especially about the Amsterdam Directors' ships.

Ship, guns	Admiralty	captain/admiral
Brak, 18 guns	A	Jan Admiraal
Prins Willem, 28 guns	A	Jan Janszoon Boermans
Bommel, 30 guns	A	Pieter van Brakel
Kameel, 28 guns*	F	Joost Bulter-sunk
Groningen, 40 guns	A	Gillis Tijssen Campen
Gekroonde Liefde, 23 guns	Z	Dingeman Cats
Westergo, 28 guns	F	Tijmen Claeszoon-captured
Prins te Paard, 38 guns	R	Jacob Cleydyck
Postpaert, 28 guns*	F	Isaak Codde
Catarina, 28 guns	A-D	Jan Jacobszoon Coppe-captured
Groningen*, 28 guns	Ha-D	Andries Douweszoon
Zon, 28 guns	Ed-D	Jacob Claeszoon Duym-lost
Leeuwin, 30 guns	Z	Jan Evertsen, Claes Janszoon-captain
Monnikendam, 36 guns	NQ	Pieter Florissen
Eendracht, 24 guns	Z	Andries Fortuijn
Gekroonde Liefde, 36 guns	Z	Markus Hartman
Windhond, 18 guns	A	Dirk Pieterszoon Heertjes
Kasteel van Medemblik, 30 guns	NQ	Adriaan Houttuijn
Gideon van Sardam, 34 guns	A-D	Ulrich de Jaeger
David en Goliad, 34 guns	A-D	Claes Bastiaenszoon Jaersveld
Sint Vincent, 28 guns	F-D	Adriaan Gerritszoon Kleijntien
Amsterdam, 30 guns	Z	Adriaan Kempen
Leiden, 28 guns	A	Hendick Kroeger
Fazant, 32 guns	A	Jan Janszoon Lapper
Sint Matheeus, 36 guns	A-D	Cornelis Laurenszoon (larger)-captured
Sint Matheeus, 34 guns	A-D	Cornelis Naeuoogh (smaller)
Neptunus, 28 guns	Z	Adriaan Janszoon den Oven-lost
Halve Maan, 32 guns*	Mo-D	Hendrick Pieterszoon-captured
Leeuwarden, 36 guns	A	Govert Reael
Rooseboom, 28 guns	A-D	Bartholomeus Rietbeeck-captured
Prinses Louise, 36 guns	R	Abel Roelants (Vader Abel)
Hoop, 30 guns	A	Boëtius Schaeff-killed
Dolphijn, 32 guns	A	Gerbrand Schatter
Stad Medemblik, 30 guns	NQ	Pieter Schellinger-captured
Elias, 34 guns	A-D	Frans Franszoon Sluyter-captured
Prinses Aemelia, 28 guns	A	Jan Fransz. Smit, Lt. of Jan Ter Stegen-lost
Gulden Pelikaan, 28 guns	A-D	Barend Tijmenszoon Soudaen-captured
Brederode, 54 guns	R	Lt-Admiral Tromp
Omlandia, 30 guns	A	Jacob Troucquois
Gelderland, 28 guns	A	Cornelis van Velsen-Blown up
Graaf Willem, 40 guns	A	Jan Gideonszoon Verburch-Lost
Walvisch, 30 guns	A-D	Abraham Verleth
Swarte Bul, 36 guns*	Mi-VOC	Willem Volckertszoon
David en Goliad, 42 guns*	R-VOC	Jan Adriaanszoon van de Werff
Vrede, 44 guns	A	Gideon de Wildt
Vrijheid, 46 guns	A	Witte de With, Abraham van der Hulst, captain
Campen, 42 guns	A	Willem van der Zaan
Gloeyenden Oven, fireship	Z	unknown captain-captured

We also know that other naval officers were present, but there is some doubt about what ship they were in (such as Michiel Adriaanszoon de Ruyter).

Pieter Florissen

All kinds of things show up in Google. I just a listing that shows that the Noorderkwartier admiral's name was actually Pieter Florisse Blom (another way of saying Florissen or Floriszoon), and that his father was Floris Hendrickszoon Blom. Pieter Florissen's wife was Lidewij Teding van Berkhout. Pieter Florissen was born in 1602 and died in 1658, killed in the Battle of the Sound.

Evert Pieterszoon Swart and the Gerechtigheid

I had not realized it, but we know the captain of the ship, Gerechtigheid, which belonged to the Amsterdam Chamber of the VOC. The Gerechtigheid took part in the Battle of the Gabbard and the Battle of Scheveningen.

As early as April 17, 1653 (new style), the Gerechtigheid was with Witte de With, when his squadron sailed.

We know the captain's name from Dr. Elias book, Schetsen uit de Geschiedenis van ons Zeewezen, volumes V and VI, and from Vol.IV of The First Dutch War, p.323.

Maarten Jacobszoon de Boer

I have only sparse information about Maarten de Boer. What I have is from Dr. Bruijn's book from 1966 and from my unpublished list.

Maarten de Boer lived from 1641 to 1681. He was a captain of the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. In 1673, he commanded the ship Gelderland (45 guns).

Ship:	Gelderland
Date:	8/1673
Guns:	45
Sailors:	226
Soldiers:	20
Admiralty:	Noorderkwartier
Built:	1654
Length:	136ft
Beam:	36ft
Hold:	13-1/2ft

Cornelis Jacobszoon de Boer

Cornelis Jacobszoon de Boer lived from 1631 to 16 June 1673. He served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. In 1652, he was an Extraordinary Captain and a Captain in 1661.

In 1658, he commanded the Jupiter (32 guns) in the Battle of the Sound. In 1661, he commanded the Asperen (32 guns) in the Mediterranean Sea, under De Ruyter. In 1665, he commanded the Gelderland (56 guns) in the Battle of Lowestoft. In 1666, he commanded the Wapen van Holland (48 guns) in the St. James Day Battle. In 1672, he commanded the Jupiter at the Battle of Solebay. In 1663, he commanded the Wapen van Holland at the First Battle of Schooneveld, where he was wounded and died of his wounds on 7 June.

Captain De Boer's ships as noted in sources:

Ship:	Jupiter
Date:	1658
Guns:	32
Sailors:	111
Soldiers:	55
Admiralty:	Noorderkwartier
Built:	1653
Length:	132ft
Beam:	32ft
Hold:	12-1/2ft

Ship:	Gelderland
Date:	6/1665
Guns:	56
Crew:	264
Admiralty:	Noorderkwartier
Built:	1654
Length:	136ft
Beam:	36ft
Hold:	13-1/25ft

Ship:	Gelderland
Date:	8/1665
Guns:	56
Sailors:	200
Marines:	47
Soldiers:	45
Admiralty:	Noorderkwartier
Build:	1654
Length:	136ft
Beam:	36ft
Hold:	13-1/2ft

Ship:	Wapen van Holland
Date:	8/1666
Guns:	48
Crew:	226
Admiralty:	Noorderkwartier
Built:	1664 (estimated)

Ship:	Wapen van Holland
Date:	1671
Guns:	48
Sailors:	160
Soldiers:	54
Admiralty:	Noorderkwartier
Built:	1664 (estimated)

Ship:	Wapen van Holland
Date:	23/5/1673
Guns:	46
Sailors:	196
Soldiers:	4
Built:	1664 (estimated)

A French intelligence report from the early 1670's, found by Prof. Jan Glete, and shared with me, gives some dimensions for the Wapen van Holland. The information is actually from Jan Glete's notes, taken from a document. The length is given as 131ft and the beam is given as 32ft.

The text is my translation of what is in Mollema's "Honor Roll". The ship information is from my unpublished list, Dutch Ships 1620-1700.

Willem Codde van der Burgh

Willem Codde van der Burgh lived from about 1600 to 1666. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was a captain in 1624 and commandeur in 1630.

In 1626, he fought against the Dunkirkers,hunted in the area and bombarded Dunkirk. In 1627, he served under Reael in the Atlantic Ocean and on the coast of Morocco. In 1628-1629, he fought against the Dunkirkers. In 1630, he was a squadron commander in the North Sea. In 1631, Hunted a Spanish ship with reinforcements for Dunkirk near the area of Calais. He accompanied a convoy to the Shetlands. In 1634-1636, he was a squadron commander before Dunkirk. In 1636, dismissed because of indignation of the Dutch people over the desultery manner of the blockade, is blessed. 1638-1639, he served under Tromp before Dunkirk and at the Battle of the Downs. In 1643, he left the service. He was proposed for Vice-Admiral in 1665.

This is my translation of what is in Mollema's "Honor Roll".

My list has two of his ships:

Ship:	Eendracht
Note date:	5/1628
Captain:	Willem Janszoon Codde
Guns:	36
Crew:	100
Admiralty:	Noorderkwartier
Size:	300 lasts

Ship:	Mars
Note date:	1628
Captain:	Willem Janszoon Codde
Crew:	90
Admiralty:	Noorderkwartier
Size:	160 lasts

As lasts were often just estimated, and there was not a closed form calculation that you can perform, we can only guess at the dimensions. A way of estimating size would be:

Length x Beam x Hold / K, where K could be something like 237 or 217.

160 lasts x 237 = 116ft x 27-1/4ft x 12ft, for example.

This comes out quite nicely, and is a "standard" size.

300 lasts x 235 = 143ft x 34ft x 14-1/2ft

This makes for a large ship!

The Amsterdam Directors' ship Gulden Pelikaan

I don't imagine that too many people are aware of the specifications for the Pelikaan (18 March 1653), an Amsterdam Directors' ship. I have a copy of an unpublished manuscript from the Nationaal Archief, in the Hague, that has the following information:

Length: 126ft Beam: 26-3/4ft Hold: 12-1/5ft Height between decks: 6-1/4ft

Guns (28): 10-12pdr, 8-8pdr, 8-6pdr, 2-3pdr

I have been reviewing unpublished manuscript copies, and this was apparently the Gulden Pelikaan, not the ship commanded by Captain Overcamp, even though the adjective is omitted in the manuscript copy that I have.

The latter Pelikaan (or as the archaic spelling was, Pelicaen) was a ship belonging to the Admiralty of Amsterdam. There are three references to that ship. One is in "Thurloe", and is part of a list, and is reprinted in The First Dutch War, Vol.V, page 185. The other is on page 359, as part of a list of ships that had been at the Battle of Scheveningen and needed repairs.

We know that Pelikaan was also at the Gabbard, but survived. On 22 June 1653, the Pelikaan was lying in the Texel, with other surviving ships, after the battle (The First Dutch War, Vol.V, p.185). Therefore, we know the ship was at both the Gabbard and at Scheveningen.

The published reference to the Gulden Pelikaan is in Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.V, Note p.94. The note says that the Gulden Pelikaan was lost at the Battle of the Gabbard, and was commanded by Barend Tijmenszoon Soudaen.

Karel van der Putte

Karel van der Putte lived from about 1640 to 1695. He served the Admiralty of Zeeland.

In May 1672, at the time of the Battle of Solebay, he commanded the Zeeland frigate Ter Goes (34 guns). There is evidence that in both July and September 1672, he still commanded the Ter Goes. By 23 May 1673, he commanded the Domburg (60 guns). That was still true in August 1673, at the time of the Battle of the Texel (Kijkduin). In June 1674, he commanded the Vlissingen (50 guns). This was during the expedition to Martinique. He served under Michiel de Ruyter, and is listed with that fleet in Brandt's book. In 1688, he was a Vice-Admiral, and his flagship was the Gekroonde Burg (60 guns). He was in the fleet that took Willem III to England.

Sources:

Brandt, Gerard, Het Leven en Bedrijf van den Heere Michiel de Ruiter, Amsterdam, 1687.

Bruijn, Drs. J.R., De Oorlogvoering Ter Zee in 1673 in Journalen en Andere Stukken, Groningen, 1966.

De Jonge, J.C., Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, Vol. III, Zwolle, 1869.

Jan van Nes de Jonge Boer Jaap

On 26 February 1652, the Jonge Boer Jaap (Jan van Nes), commanded the small frigate, the Gelderland. At least, the 26 February 1652 Rotterdam admiralty manuscript says that. The details are:

Ship: Gelderland At Date: 2/1652 Captain: Jan van Nes de Jonge Boer Jaep Guns: 20 Admiralty: Rotterdam Length (Maas feet): 100ft (Amsterdam feet): 109 Beam (Maas feet): 23ft (Amsterdam feet): 25 Hold (Maas feet): 8ft (Amsterdam feet): 8-3/4

In August 1652, Lieutenant Jan van Nes commanded the ship Gelderland (26 guns, crew 90) in Michiel De Ruyter's fleet. This was said to be the Jonge Boer Jaep's ship. I believe that the Lieutenant actually was the younger Jan Janszoon van Nes, but that is somewhat unclear.

Dr. Elias makes clear, in Schetsen, that there were two men named Jan Jacobszoon van Nes. There was the "Oude Boer Jaep" and there was the "Jonge Boer Jaep". On 7 July 1652 (new style), he wrote an intelligence report from Gravesend, listing the English fleet. This was eventually passed to Lt-Admiral Tromp. On 12 August 1652, his ship was lying mastless, at Havre de Grâce, after a collision that sank the Friesland ship, Sint Nikolaas (23 guns). Apparently, J.C. de Jonge, in Vol.I of Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen has more information on page 771 and beyond.

Gerard van den Dussen

I am weak on information on the Dutch navy and naval officers, after 1683. The most obvious sources that I have seen really do not have that much, either. I rely, at least some, on J.C. de Jonge's Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen.

Gerard van den Dussen was a "commandeur" in 1688, and took part in the voyage taking Willem III to England. He commanded the Zeelandia in this operation. In 1696, he was a captain in Lt-Admiral van Almonde's squadron, commanding the Unie. They seem to have been operating in a commerce protection role, which is not surprising.

Ship: Zeelandia At Date: 1688 Captain: G. van den Dussen Guns: 62 Crew: 290 Admiralty: Amsterdam Built: 1685 Length: 145 Beam: 38 Hold: 14.5

Ship: Unie At Date: 1696 Captain: G. van den Dussen Guns: 94 Crew: 500 Admiralty: Amsterdam Built: 1692 Length: 173 Beam: 45 Hold: 16.5

We continue to be indebted to Prof. Jan Glete for his help

I am not the only beneficiary of Jan Glete's help. He has also been advising the mastermind behind the "Sailing Warship index" website. His interest, as is my focus, is the Swedish navy. I am interested, right now, because I want to do a credible job on a Battle of the Sound scenario and OOB.

I had not realized, until I had started to do research, how much information was available about the Swedish fleet. I am greatly indebted to Teemu Koivumäki for the work he has done on the "Sailing Warship index". I have provided a link to his excellent site, as there is a wealth of information there (although we always need more).

Gillis Schey

Gillis Schey lived from 5 September 1644 to 15 June 1703. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was a Midshipman in 1656, Lieutenant in 1661, Extraordinary Captain in 1669, Captain in 1675, Schout-bij-Nacht in 1683, and Vice-Admiral in 1692.

In 1659, he served of commander of soldiers, under De Ruyter, at Funen. In 1664, he served with his father, in the Mediterranean Sea, under Cornelis Tromp. In 1665, he distinguished himself at Lowestoft. In 1666, he distinguished himself at the Four Days and St. James Day Battles, serving with his father. In 1667, he fought in the Raid on Chatham. In 1670, he fought under Van Ghent in the destruction of 6 Algerian ships. In 1673, he commanded the Tijdverdrijf (50 guns) at Schooneveld and the Battle of the Texel (Kijkduin). In 1674, he served under Cornelis Tromp in the voyage off the French coast. In 1675-1676, he commanded the Essen (50 guns) which was sunk in the Battle of Stromboli. He commanded the Spiegel (70 guns) in the Battles of Etna and Palermo. In 1678, he served under Evertsen in the relief force sent to Spain. In 1683, he served under Schepers in the voyage to the Sound and Göteborg. His ship was lost on the return voyage (along with many others, in a storm). In 1685-1686, he was a convoy commander in the Sound and the Mediterranean Sea. In 1688, he commanded the Wapen van Utrecht (62 guns) in the fleet that brought Willem III to England, fighting in the capture of Cork. In 1690, he commanded the Prinses Maria (92 guns) in the Battle of Beach Head. In 1692, he distinguished himself at La Hogue. In 1694-1695, he commanded under Almonde in the Channel. He took part in the bombardment of Dunkirk.

This is my translation of what is in Mollema's "Honor Roll".

Another Dirck Schey

This Dirck Schey lieved from 1614 to October 1679. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was an Extraordinary Captain in 1652 and an Ordinary Captain in 1654.

In 1652, Dirck Schey fought at Dover and Dungeness. In 1653, he fought at the Battle of Portland and he ship was taken. In 1657-1658, he commanded the Campen (42 guns) under De Ruyter in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1659, he commanded the Stad en Lande (50 guns) in the voyage to the Sound, Funen, and Nyborg. In 1663-1664, he distinguished himself, under Cornelis Tromp, against the Algerians. In 1665, he fought as temporary Vice-Admiral in the Oisterwijck (70 guns) at the Battle of Lowestoft. In 1666, he commanded the Gouda (40 guns) in the Four Days and St. James Day Battles. In 1667, he commanded the Spiegel (70 guns) in the Raid on Chatham. In 1672-1673, he commanded convoys to Spain and the Baltic. In 1674, he served under Cornelis Tromp in voyage off the French coast. In 1678, he served with the relief force sent to Spain.

This is from Mollema's "Honor Roll".

Dirck Schey's ships:

1652 Achilles, 28 guns, crew 100, built in 1644

1654 Zuiderhuis, 32 guns, built in 1653 (the ship later carried at least 40 guns)

1658 Campen, 42 guns, crew 150, built in 1652

1659 Stad en Lande, 50 guns, crew 225, built in 1653

1665 Oosterwijk, 60 guns, crew 290, built in 1653

1666 Gouda or Stad Gouda, 46 guns, crew of 192 sailors and 30 soldiers, built about 1656

1666-1671 Spiegel, 70 guns, crew 325 sailors and 50 soldiers, built in 1663

This information is from my unpublished document, Dutch Ships 1620-1700, mostly compiled in 2003.

Dirck Schey (1581 to about 1660)

There was an earlier Dirck Schey. In 1626, he was charged with taking money, from a Spanish barge on the Rhine intended for the States. In 1631, he distinguished himself at the capture of Schenkenschans.

This is my attempt at translating the entry in Mollema's "Honor Roll".

Jan Snellen

Jan Snellen lived from about 1630 to 1691. He served the Admiralty of the Maze (Rotterdam). In May 1673, he commanded the frigate Utrecht (34 guns). He was part of Michiel De Ruyter's squadron. His ship had a crew of 133 sailors and 27 soldiers. In June, he still commanded the Utrecht.

Sources:

Gerard Brandt, Het Leven en Bedrijf van den Heere Michiel de Ruiter, Amsterdam, 1687.

Dr. J.R. Bruijn, De Oorlogvoering Ter Zee in 1673 in Journalen en Andere Stukken, Groningen, 1966.

Barent Martenszoon

Barent Martenszoon served the Admiralty of Zeeland. At the time of the Battle of Solebay, Captain Martenszoon commanded the frigate Visschers Harder. His ship was part of Lt-Admiral Banckert's squadron. The ship carried 26 guns and had a crew of 57 sailors and 51 soldiers. Circa 21 May 1673, Captain Martenszoon commanded the frigate Goes, which had a crew of 142.

Source:

Gerard Brandt, Het Leven en Bedrijf van den Heere Michiel de Ruiter, Amsterdam, 1687.

The Carlbom book

The author's name for the book that has detailed Swedish ship information is Johan Levin Carlbom, who was born in 1854. The book to which I previously referred was published in 1905 (according to Dr. Ballhausen). This morning, I received a recommendation for Carlbom's books from Dan Schorr, who has a website that deals with 17th and 18th Century history in the Baltic (I hope I have not too badly characterized his site).

Swedish ships

I was pleasantly surprised at how much information is available about Swedish ships, mid-17th Century. The website, "Sailing Warships", to which I have contributed, is a very good source. For Danish prizes, I looked at his Danish section. I also found, to my amazement, that Dr. Ballhausen's book was a good source for the subject of Swedish warships. I found a reference to a new source, as I have already mentioned.

I have a new Excel spreadsheet for doing calculations about Swedish ships. I also calculated weights for a new set of guns, suitable for the Swedish ships. For the last 4 or 5 years, I have had a system for calculating gun weights, with an Excel spreadsheet, that uses the shot weight, the barrel length, in feet, and a thickness factor, designed to reflect the amount of metal in the gun barrel, on a relative basis.

The Swedish gun spreadsheet has 42pdrs, 36pdrs, 30pdrs, 24pdrs, 18pdrs, 14pdrs, 12pdrs, 10pdrs, 8pdrs, 6pdrs, 4pdrs, 3pdrs, and 2pdrs. Dr. Ballhausen's book had gun lists that added 42pdrs, 14pdrs, and 10pdrs to the mix.

Swedish ship information

I have been doing research for an OOB for the Battle of the Sound, in 1658. Dr. Ballhausen, in footnotes on pages 721 to 726 of his book, has much information about Swedish ship armaments. He attributes it to a book:

John Levin Carlbom, Om Karl X Gustafs Polska Krig och övergången till det 2 dra Sundkriget, Göteborg, 1905.

He also has crew numbers for all the ships which seem very plausible.

I will list some of the information:

Samson, 34-36 guns, crew 113 Captain: Matts Mårtensson Dynkirch Built in1632 Guns: 4-24pdr, 14-14pdr, 4-12pdr, 8-10pdr, 4-6pdr

Carolus, 50-54 guns, crew 187 Captain: Major Klas Johannson Uggla Built in 1650/51 Guns: 26-24pdr, 20-12pdr, 2-10pdr, 6-6pdr

I would be interested to know what someone knowledgable thinks about this source and the information. I may post more of it, over the next week.

A new blog about 17th Century Naval Wargaming

I just started a new blog for 17th Century Naval Wargaming, and have added a link from this blog. I will move my wargaming commentary, in the future, to that forum, and keep this blog for strictly 17th Century naval history, especially the Anglo-Dutch Wars.

Jan Janszoon Dick Jan Dick lived until 10 July 1690. He served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. He was a captain in 1671 and a Schout-bij-Nacht in 1673. In 1672, he fought at Solebay where his ship, the Jozua was sunk. In 1673, he commanded the Eenhoorn (70 guns) at Schooneveld, and fought as a Schout-bij-Nacht at the Battle of the Texel (Kijkduin), where he was severely wounded. In 1674, he served under Cornelis Tromp on the French coast and in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1688, he commanded a squadron in the fleet that brought William III to England. In 1690, he was killed at the Battle of Beach Head (Bevesier). This is from my translation from Mollema's "Honor Roll". These are Jan Dick's ships (from my unpublished document): 1671 Caleb, 48 guns, crew 184 sailors and 59 soldiers May 1672 Jozua, about 54 guns July 1672 Noorderkwartier, 60 guns, crew 256 sailors and 13 soldiers May-August 1673 Eenhoorn, 70 guns 1688 Noorderkwartier, 64 guns, crew 300

Joris van Cats

Mollema, in the "Honor Roll" calls him Joris Catz (without the "van"). He lived from about 1590 to 1654. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was a captain in 1621, Commandeur in 1640, and Schout-bij-Nacht in 1647.

In 1622, Joris van Cats was a squadron commander in the expedition of Pijnacker to Morocco. In 1630-31, he made two voyages as squadron commander to Muscovy. In 1631, he distinguished himself with Captain Vink against the Dunkirkers. In 1636-38, he commanded the Zutphen in the blockade of Dunkirk. In 1639, he distinguished himself as a squadron commander at the Battle of the Downs. In 1641-43, he was the blockade commander before Dunkirk. In 1651-52, he was fleet commander in the Mediterranean Sea, blockading the English in Livorno. He was replaced by Johan van Galen.

R.C. Anderson can give us some more insight into the latter event, in his 1963 Mariner's Mirror article, "The First Dutch War in the Mediterranean". This relies upon what Anderson has to say about Cats.

In August 1651, the Dutch decided to send a fleet of 15 ships, under Maarten Tromp's command, to the Mediterranean to defend Dutch sea commerce against the French. That did not actually happen. Instead, about October 1651, Joris van Cats was sent with 5 ships towards Cadiz. Tromp got sick, so he never arrived. There is a document, from the Rotterdam Admiralty, that mentions this deployment. They were actually going to send Tromp, in the Brederode (54 guns), along with other ships. Instead, the Dutch found that the English had hostile intent towards them, and so Tromp stayed in home waters.

Joris van Cats did not receive his orders to move into the Mediterranean Sea until 20 March 1652 (probably Old Style). Apparently on 27 June (I believe that this is the correct month) blockaded the English commodore Appleton in Livorno, with his squadron.

Appleton made the mistake to let Owen Cox, in the Constant Warwick take a French ship, outside the port. That offended the Duke of Tuscany, who demanded the ship's release. After the Constant Warwick left Livorno to careen at Genoa, Appleton was left with only two ships.

The Dutch, at home, were disappointed at Joris van Cats' lack of action. Johan van Galen was sent out, over land, to replace him. He arrived at Livorno on 22 August (Old Style), and led the fleet into battle, after only five more days.

From my unpublished document, Dutch Ships 1620-1700, we know something more about Joris van Cats' ships (this is only for what I have documentation):

1627-1629 Zeeland (30 guns plus 9 steenstukken), the crew varied from 90 to 105 men. The ship measured 200 lasts. The guns consisted of 6-18pdr, 6-12pdr, 12-8pdr, 4-5pdr, 2-3pdr bases, and 9 steenstukken (Jan Glete says that these were swivels, despite the name).

1636-1637 Zutphen (8 brass and 18 iron guns), crew of 110 salors and 20 soldiers.

1639 Zutphen (28 guns), the crew being 110 men.

1652 Jaarsveld (44 guns), the crew being 150 men.

Additional Sources:

1. Dr. M.G. De Boer, De Kapiteinsjaren van Maerten Harpertszoon Tromp, Amsterdam, 1938.
2. Dr. M.G. De Boer, Tromp en de Armada van 1639, Amsterdam, 1941.

The Swart family of naval officers

Hendrick Claeszoon Swart

He lived until 6 September 1652. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was an Ordinary Captain in 1650.

In 1636, he distinguished himself and received a gold medal for capturing a Dunkirker. In 1643, he was in the blockade service before Dunkirk under Tromp and De With. In 1651 and 1652, he commanded the Vereenigde Provinciën under Catz before Livorno. He was killed, serving under Van Galen, in the Battle of Monte Cristo (Elba).

Jacob Andrieszoon Swart

He lived from about 1620 to 8 May 1679, and a captain for the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was an Extraordinary Captain in 1652 and an Ordinary Captain in 1654.

In 1652 and 1653, he fought in the sea battles of the First Anglo-Dutch War, and distinguished himself at the Battle of Scheveningen (Ter Heide). In 1654, he served in the relief force sent to Brazil, but they arrived at the capitulation. In 1656, he commanded the three-masted yacht, Windhond (22 guns) under Van Wassenaer in the Sound and before Danzig. In 1659, he commanded the Vrede (40 guns) under De Ruyter in the Mediterranean Sea, and at Funen and Nyborg. In 1661, he commanded the Asperen (32 guns) under De Ruyter in the Mediterranean Sea an don the Portuguese coast. In 1665, he commanded the Huis te Kruiningen (62 guns) at the Battle of Lowestoft. In 1666, he distinguished himself on the Deventer in the Four Days and St. James Day Battles. In 1667, he commanded the Stad en Lande in the Raid on Chatham.

Jacob Corneliszoon Swart

He lived from about 1630 to about 1680. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam and was a captain in 1659.

In 1659, he commanded the Dom van Utrecht (40 guns) under De Ruyter in the Sound. In 1661 and 1664, he served under De Ruyter in the Mediterranean Sea, on the Portuguese coast, and in the expeditions sent to Guinea and the West Indies. In 1666, he commanded the Provincie van Utrecht (60 guns) in the Four Days and St. James Day Battles. In 1667, he took part in the Raid on Chatham. In 1669, he served under Van der Zaan against the Algerians. He was dismissed due to an absence from duty. 1675, was taken back into the service. In 1676 and 1677, he fought under Schepers against Sweden at Malmö.

Jacob Pieterszoon Swart

He was a captain for the Admiralty of the Maze. He was a captain in 1666.

In 1666, he commanded the Schiedam (22 guns) in the Four Days and St. James Day Battles. In 1667, he fought at Chatham. He commanded the frigate Rotterdam (30 guns) in 1673, and fought at the Schooneveld Battles and at the Battle of the Texel. In 1674, he served under Cornelis Tromp on the French coast.

Jan Swart

Jan Swart lived from about 1640 to 3 March 1677. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was a skipper in 1664, a lieutenant in 1666, a captain-Lieutenant in 1666, and a captain in 1673.

In 1666, he served as a lieutenant under Cornelis Tromp in the Four Days and St. James Day Battles. In 1667, he served as captain-lieutenant under Palm at the Raid on Chatham. In 1676 and 1677, he commanded the Middelburg (32 guns) in the expedition, under Benckes, to the West Indies. He ship was burnt in the action against d'Estrées at Tobago.

Volckert Hendrickszoon Swart

He lived from 1643 to 29 August 1673, and was a captain for the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was a captain in 1666.

In 1666, he was the flag captain of Van Ghent in the Four Days and St. James Day Battles. In 1672, he commanded the Oisterwijck at the Battle of Solebay. In 1673, he commanded the Callantsoog (70 guns) at Schooneveld and the Battle of the Texel (Kijkduin), and was wounded and died at the last battle.

Sources:

1. Dr. J.R. Bruijn, De Oorlogsvoering Ter Zee in 1673 in Journalen en Andere Stukken, Groningen, 1966.
2. J.C. Mollema, "The Honor Roll", contained as an appendix to Vol. 2 of Geschiedenis van Nederland ter Zee, 4 Vols., Amsterdam, 1939-1941

Bastiaen Centen

Frank Fox says that rumour said that Bastiaen Centen (or Senten) was an expatriat Scot. In any case, he served with distinction from the First Anglo-Dutch War until he was killed at the Battle of Lowestoft. Apparently, his ship in the First Anglo-Dutch War was the Haes. Possibly, this was the Haes in 't Veld (30 guns), which had been commanded by Leendert den Haen at the Battle of Plymouth.

Bastiaen Centen was present at the Battle of Dungeness, and after the battle, captured the English hired ship, the Hercules (34 guns), which had been sailing independently.

At the Battle of Lowestoft, Bastiaen Centen commanded the East Indiaman, Oranje (76 guns). Thanks to Artitec, the Dutch model makers, we know the Oranje's dimensions:

Length: 170 feet
Width (beam):  38 feet
Hold ("hol en koebrug,
overloop en verdek"): 14 feet

I suspect the depth of hold would be 18 feet, measured from the keel to the underside of the main deck.

At the Battle of Lowestoft, Bastiaen Centen fought gallantly to support his fleet commander against the Duke of York, whose flagship was the Royal Charles (78 guns). There is a Van de Velde drawing, on page 118 and 119 of Frank Fox's book that shows the bow of the Oranje, engaging an unidentified English ship.

After the Dutch flagship, Eendracht (73 guns), blew up, Bastiaen Centen attacked the Royal Charles. Eventually, the great East Indiaman was overcome and captured. The Oranje was so badly damaged, the English burnt the ship, after taking off the survivors, including a badly wounded Captain Centen. The Duke of York was saddened when the gallant Centen died a half hour after being captured. He had hoped that such a brave man would survive.

Sources:

1. J. C. Mollema, "Honor Roll"
2. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days Battle of 1666
3. Artitec.nl website: voc.artitec.nl
4. J.E. Elias, Schetsen uit de Geschiedenis van Ons Zeewezen
5. various volumes of The First Dutch War (Navy Records Society)

Frans Querijnszoon Mangelaer Frans Mangelaer lived from about 1600 to 1661. He served and Zeeland Admiralty. He was a lieutenant in 1631 and a captain in 1646. In 1633, he fought under Banckert against the Dunkirkers. In 1636, he fought under Evertsen against the Dunkirkers (Collaert). In 1639, he distinguished himself at the Battle of the Downs. In 1643, he again fought the Dunkirkers. In 1652, he commanded the Liefde (30 guns) under De Ruyter at the Battle of Plymouth. After that, he fought under Witte de With, at the Battle of the Kentish Knock. In 1653, he fought at the Battles of Portland and Scheveningen (Ter Heide). In 1654 and 1656, he was a convoy commander in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1659, he commanded the Utrecht (44 guns) under De Ruyter in the actions in the Sound, at Funen and Nyborg. In 1661, in Cornelis Evertsen's squadron, he captured the privateer Collaert. He was awarded a golden chain. This is an edited version of my translation of what J.C. Mollema wrote in the "Honor Roll" (from Geschiedenis van Nederland ter zee ).

AngloDutchWarsBlog.com Is now propagated to DNS, so that it can be accessed, directly: www.AngloDutchWarsBlog.com. This is tracking www.anglo-dutch-wars.blogspot.com quite closely. Again, the reason for its existence is to make the content searchable by Google, etc., as this blog is not (although it was for a period of time).

More Dutch Naval Officers

Adriaan Teding van Berkhout

Adriaan Teding van Berkhout served the Admiralty of Noorderkwartier. He was a lieutenant in 1652 and a captain in 1665. In 1652 and early 1653, he served as lieutenant under Cornelis Tromp in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1666, he fought in the Four Days and St. James Day battles.

Frank Fox, in A Distant Storm says that Captain van Berkhout commanded the Prinses Roijaal (40 guns), in Cornelis Tromp's squadron at the Battle of Lowestoft. At the Four Days Battle, he was in Jan Meppel's squadron, where he commanded the Drie Helden Davids (48 guns). At the St. James Day Battle, he commanded the same ship in Meppel's squadron.

Otto van Treslong

Otto van Treslong was one of the few members of Dutch nobility to serve in the navy (Frank Fox). He lived from about 1640 to 11 June 1666. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam, having become a captain in 1665. He was killed at the Four Days Battle, where he commanded the Duivenvoorde (46 guns), which was burnt. Previously, he had distinguished himself at the Battle of Lowestoft, where he had commanded the Stad Gouda (48 guns).

At Lowestoft, Captain Treslong was in Jakob Wassenaer's squadron, where Abraham van der Hulst was the second-in-command. At the Four Days Battle, Otto van Treslong was in Jan Janszoon van Nes' division in Aert van Nes' squadron.

This information is mainly from Frank Fox's book, A Distant Storm: The Four Days Battle of 1666. Some of it from Mollema's "Honor Roll".

Wemberich van Berchem

Wemberich van Berchem lived from 1581 to 30 May 1653. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam, and was a captain in 1621 and Vice-Admiral in 1628. 1605, he was captured in the West Indies. In 1607, he served the VOC (the East India Company). In 1621 to 1628, he fought against the Dunkirkers. It seems that in 1624, his ship blew up, but he survived. In 1628, he was a convoy commander in the Sound. He defeated two Dunkirkers at Skagen. In 1629, he was a squadron commander under Piet Hein, and fought in the Gulf of Biscay against Dunkirkers. In 1632, he served under Van Dorp in the Channel. In 1637, commanded, as Vice-Admiral, the Fredrick Hendrick off the Flemish coast. In 1638, he was dismissed from the service.

This is my translation of what J.C. Mollema wrote in the "Honor Roll".

The 226 Dutch ships authorized for the First Anglo-Dutch War

At one point, knowing how the makeup of the 226 Dutch ships funded, at the time start of the First Anglo-Dutch War seemed important. The problem being is that although some published sources treat this like a solid number, the real number of ships that participated in the war was fluid.

There are some useful figures in the mix. That is especially true for the Directors' ships and the "36 ships of 1651). There is a direct and obvious mapping between the Noorderkwartier ships and what is found in the list (at least by captain's name).

The source for this information is H.T. Colenbrander's book, Bescheiden uit vreemde archieven omtrent de groote Nederlandsche zeeoorlogen 1652-1676, Vol.I, pp.51-53, published in 1919. I knew of this book from Frank Fox's book, A Distant Storm: the four days battle of 1666 (1996).

The 40 Ships of 1648

Rotterdam-----------8
Amsterdam----------16
Zeeland-------------8
Noorderkwartier-----8

Total:-------------40

The 36 Ships of 1651

Rotterdam-----------7
Amsterdam----------14
Zeeland-------------7
Noorderkwartier-----7
Friesland-----------1

Total--------------36

The 100 Ships of 1652

Rotterdam----------16-1/2
Amsterdam----------33
Zeeland------------16-1/2
Noorderkwartier----16-1/2
Friesland----------16-1/2

Total-------------100

The 50 Directors Ships

Rotterdam-----------7
Amsterdam----------24
Zeeland-------------9
Noorderkwartier-----7
Friesland-----------2
Groningen-----------1

Total--------------50

In addition, there were 6 VOC (East-India Company) ships that were allocated to the fleet, beyond the 226. There were two 30-ship building programs plus purchases that were also added, although most of the new construction was completed post-war.

The Battle of the Kentish Knock (UPDATED)

I have increased respect for the Dutch performance at the Battle of the Kentish Knock. I have run the simulation, recently, and the Dutch are really out-matched by the large English ships. The worst formation for the Dutch is to "cross the T", by sailing in front of the English, in a line. The English will break the line, and the Dutch take too many losses. I have had the best outcome for the Dutch by getting into position to break the English line. That is difficult, as the Dutch are downwind from the English. Running the simulation, solo, the English sail towards the Dutch in line abreast. That is actually favorable for the Dutch, if the Dutch fleet is able to get turned to break the English line. When I have been able to do that, the English quickly take a large number of losses. The Kentish Knock is a sharp contrast to the Battle of Portland. The Dutch were in a very favorable position at Portland, with the English fleet divided. Frank Fox says that the Dutch very nearly won the battle on the first day. They were able to board English flagships, and almost took them. As as the Kentish Knock and Dungeness, Blake paid no attention to tactics and formations; he just wanted to fight, and to bring the Dutch to battle as quickly as possible. The main problem for the Dutch, and was that they still had small ships and were poorly supplied. The third day was brutal, as the Dutch ships ran short of ammunition.

Anglo-Dutch Wars republish site My new website, meant for republishing posts from this site, is now up and running, although with a temporary URL (until DNS servers are all updated): AngloDutchWarsBlog.com Google and other search engines do not seem to be indexing blogs, so the concept is to republish the information in such a way that search engines would crawl the site, indexing the information for access. I will post when the real URL, www.anglodutchwarsblog.com actually works. For now, the site is being published with the free version of CityDesk, from Fog Creek Software. I am using a default look, as I am new to the tool.

Pieter Bakker Pieter Bakker served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. In August and September 1672, he commanded the small frigate, the Mercurius, 24 guns. In early 1653, Pieter Bakker commanded the Jupiter, 42 guns. I have some contradictory information about what happened after that. George Legge, the captain of the English 2nd Rate Royal Katherine said in his log that he captured the Jupiter of Enkhuizen, whose captain was Pieter Bakker, and which carried 50 guns and had a crew of 150 men. I have information that Pieter Bakker commanded the Jupiter in May 1673, at the Schooneveld battles and in August 1673, at the Battle of the Texel. In April 1674, he commanded the Jupiter, presumably at Martinique, with De Ruyter. Pieter Bakker's ships: 1672: Mercurius, 24 guns and a crew of 100 Built in 1669 Dimensions: 106ft x 26ft x 12ft 1673-1674: Jupiter, 40-44 guns, crew in 1674 was 166 sailors and 31 marines Built in 1653 Dimensions: 132ft x 32ft x 12-1/2ft Sources: My unpublished list, "Dutch Ships 1620-1700". Dr. J.R. Bruijn, De Oorlogvoering ter zee in 1673 in journalen en andere stukken, Groningen, 1666. R.C. Anderson, Ed., Journals and Narratives of the Third Dutch War, London, 1946.

Claes Bakker (Klaas Backer) Claes Bakker commanded the Noorderkwartier ship, the Wapen van Holland (38 guns) in Pieter Florissen's squadron at the Battle of the Sound, in 1658. That squadron was the rear of the fleet. In 1659, Claes Bakker and Claes Valehaan captured the Delmenhorst. Claes Bakker's ships: 1654: Enkhuizen, 30 guns Built 1645 Dimensions: 116ft x 26-1/2ft x 10ft 1658: Wapen van Holland, 38 guns and a crew of 125 Sources: Carl Ballhausen, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654 Sowie der Schwedisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1658-1659, Haag, 1923 My unpublished list, "Dutch Ships 1620-1700"

New website with Anglo-Dutch War archives I will have a new website: www.anglodutchwarsblog.com. When it is in operation, it will have content from www.anglo-dutch-wars.blogspot.com, in hopes that the content will be searchable in Google. In late December 2003 and early January 2004, this information from this blog was searchable in Google. Since later in January, it has not been. I will post on this blog, when the new website is available.

More Dutch naval officers

This is mainly from J.C. Mollema's "Honor Roll".

Engel De Ruyter

Engel De Ruyter lived from May 2, 1649 to February 27, 1683. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was a midshipman in 1666. In 1668, he became a Extraordinary-Captain. In 1669, he was a captain and in 1673, he was a Schout-bij-Nacht (Rear-Admiral).

In 1664-1665, he served with his father in the Mediterranean Sea, on the coast of Guinea, and in the West Indies. In 1670, he fought under Van Ghent against the Algerians. He was awarded medal and chain for his distinguished service. In 1672, he was intended to be part of the fireship attack at Solebay. That is when the 100-gun flagship, the Royal James was burnt and the Earl of Sandwich drowned. Instead, he commanded the Deventer (60 guns) at Solebay, where he was wounded. In 1672-1673, he commanded a company of sailors defending a water-filled defense line. In 1673, he commanded the Waesdorp (72 guns) at Schooneveld and the Battle of the Texel (Kijkduin). In 1674, he commanded the Spiegel (70 guns), under Michiel De Ruyter, at Martinique. In 1675, he was a convoy commander in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1676, he commanded temporarily in the Sound. In 1678, he was squadron commander with the fleet sent to aid Spain. He fought Chateaurenault.

Jan de Lapper

Jan de Lapper died in 1658. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. In 1638, he became a captain.

In 1639, he distinguished himself against the Dunkirkers and at the Battle of the Downs. In 1645, he served under Witte de With, in the operation to push a merchant fleet into the Sound, without paying the toll. In 1652-1653, he fought in the great battles of the First Anglo-Dutch War. In 1656, he commanded the Marseveen (42 guns) under Van Wassenaer in the Sound and before Danzig.

Jan de Lapper's ships that are known are:

1628: Gouden Leeuw, a small vessel of 50 lasts

1652-1653: Fazant, 32 guns and a crew of 120
Built in 1646
Dimensions: 120ft x 29ft x 12ft

1656: Marseveen, 42 guns and a crew of 155
Built in 1653
Dimensions: 130ft x 32ft x 13-1/2ft

AOSII/Privateers Bounty--some lessons I just fought a strongly contested Battle of the Kentish Knock. As usual, I took the Dutch side. The battle ended up being closer than it should have for several reasons. The main reason is that I didn't do a good job of managing burning ships. I needlessly lost other ships, before I started taking care that other ships did not sail into them. What I found worked well is to steer the burning ships away, although perhaps towards English ships. Then, right click have the crew fight the fire. Then, I steered other ships away from them. Radical manouvers do not work well. A smaller move, in the general direction the ship is sailing works much better. The other point is to be more attentive to keeping ships together, and sailing as groups. Keep manouvering your ships to keep the enemy under fire. In some circumstances, start manouvering ships individually, to be able to rake the opposing ships. The best situation is to be able to rake your opponent, while he cannot fire at you. Another point is to monitor where your ships are, and what their course is. It is all too easy to touch a ship, to see how its guns are pointing or the course set, and have the course steered jump in some odd direction. This battle I fought, this evening was quite even, as the Battle of the Kentish Knock, or at least the way the battle is set up, makes the approach difficult. My best results have been when I have been able to manouver the Dutch into an oblong mass and use that to break the English line. That is a devastating attack, while sailing in a parallel line to the English can be very dangerous. The Dutch cannot risk that situation.

More Dutch Naval Officers

This is more from J.C. Mollema's "Honor Roll".

Sier de Liefde

Sier de Liefde lived from 1595 to December 1652. He served the Admiralty of the Maze (Rotterdam). He was a captain in 1636 and a Schout-bij-Nacht in 1651.

In 1620, he convoyed the fishing fleet and repelled an attack, by two Dunkirkers at Texel. In 1637, he recaptured two prizes from the Dunkirkers. In 1638, he fought an action against two Dunkirkers. In 1639, he fought under Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp at the Downs. In 1641, he commanded the Witte Engel (30 guns) under Gysels in the operation off Portugal, fighting at the Battle of St. Vincent. In 1643/'44, he convoyed the fishing fleet. In 1652, he fought at the Battles of Dover and Dungeness. He was wounded at the last battle and died.

Douwe Aukes

Douwe Aukes was born about 1610. From Mollema, we don't know when he died. He served the Admiralties of Friesland and Amsterdam.

In 1652, he distinguished himself as captain of the Vogelstruys in the Battle of Plymouth. In 1657, he was a skipper in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1665, he was a merchant at Amsterdam. In 1666, he supposedly went to the East Indies.

For those who are interested in this sort of thing... As an experiment, I ran the AOSII/Privateers Bounty simulator with the Battle of Portland (28 February-2 March 1653--New Style). I ran the simulator with the difficulty turned up to maximum. I intended to not maneuver the Dutch, at all, to see what would happen. I was monitoring damage, and on touching the Overijssel (28 guns), altering the course, accidentally. I altered the course again, to send the ship back towards the fleet. Eventually, I did some maneuvering, but generally tried to restrict the course changes to a squadron or the entire fleet. Towards the end, I maneuvered the entire Dutch fleet back toward the remaining English squadron. The AI performed as well as I have seen, as the English went after Dutch stragglers, and kept squadrons together, to some extent. They still tended to go directly after the Dutch, even when that meant heading directly into the wind, not a useful maneuver. Eventually, these situations were corrected. The end result was that 52% of the Dutch fleet remained at the finish, with the English completely destroyed. Obviously, this is nothing like the real world. Still, the sailing mechanics are very well done, and nothing that you can with miniatures can match the experience. I would like to be able to run two computers, and control both the English and Dutch fleets. I think that could be very instructive (I'm not prepared to play networked games, with someone outside of my LAN, for security reasons).

The Dutch naval officer Jacob van Meeuwen We don't know, from Mollema, when Jacob van Meeuwen was born, but he died on 29 May 1678. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was extraordinary captain in 1658, ordinary captain in 1659, temporary Schout-bij-Nacht in 1672. After that, he was commander. In 1657, he served under De Ruyter in the Mediterranean Sea and on the Portuguese coast. In 1658, he commanded the Burg van Leiden (42 guns) on the Portuguese coast. In 1659, he commanded the Hilversum (52 guns) on the operation to the Sound, Funen and Nyborg. In 1661, he commmanded the Vrede (42 guns) under De Ruyter in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1664, he convoyed the Smyrna fleet, with Van Brakel, and distinguished himself in the defense against the English attack. In 1666, he commanded the VOC ship Amsterdam (60 guns) in the Four Days and St. James Day Battles. In 1667, he commanded the Komeetstar (60 guns) in the raid on Chatham. In 1672, he distinguished himself as a commander at Solebay. In 1673, he commanded the Spiegel (70 guns) at Schooneveld and the Battle of the Texel. In 1675, he convoyed merchantmenfrom Portugal, and distinguished himself against the French assault in the Channel. In 1678, he distinguished himself as a convoy commander to Cadiz.

Dutch captain, Pieter Middelandt We don't know when he was born, but Pieter Middelandt died on 2 June 1676. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was appointed captain in 1666 and Schout-bij-Nacht in 1676. In 1666, he commanded the Haarlem (42 guns) in the Four Days and the St. James Day Battles. In 1672, he commanded the Gideon (60 guns) at the Battle of Solebay. In 1673, he commanded the Komeetstar (70 guns) in the two Schooneveld battles. In 1674, he commanded the Oisterwijck (56 guns) under De Ruyter in the operation to Martinique. In 1675/'76, he commanded the Steenbergen (68 guns) under De Ruyter in operations in the Mediterranean Sea. He fought at Stromboli, Etna, and Palermo, and was drowned in the last battle. This information is from Mollema's "Honor Roll".

Lievens de Zeeuw This is what J.C. Mollema had to say about Lievens de Zeeuw: He served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. He became a captain in 1636. In 1637, he commanded the Wapen van Nassau under Tromp before Dunkirk. In 1639, he fought at the Battle of the Downs. For his service, he received a gold medal. In 1643 of the blockading force before Dunkirk. In 1645, he served with Witte de With in the Sound. That was when they forced a fleet of merchantmen into the Sound without paying the toll to the Dutch. There is a picture on my website of De Zeeuw's ship sailing from the Vlie, with the fleet: Wapen van Nassau sailing from the Vlie in 1645. De Zeeuw served as a temporary Schout-bij-Nacht, under Witte de With, in the rescue fleet sent to Brazil and fought at the battle for Bahia, after which De With removed him from his position.

More about Robert Sansum Robert Sansum's flagship at the Battle of Lowestoft was the 3rd Rate, Resolution (58 guns). Robert Sansum was killed at this battle. He had been a Rear-Admiral of the White in Prince Rupert's squadron.

The English naval officer Robert Sansum During the Commonwealth, Robert Sansum commanded a number of ships: From 1651 to 1653, he commanded the small frigate, the Bryer. From 1654 to 1655, he commanded the 4th Rate Adventure. From 1655 to 1660 (the Restoration), he commanded the larger 4th Rate, the Portsmouth. This information is from R.C. Anderson's List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, published by the Society for Nautical Research in 1964. I have found this to be a very valuable source.

Fredrick Stellingwerff About all we know about Fredrik Stellingwerff is that he served the Admiralty of Friesland at the Battle of Scheveningen. As I mentioned previously, his ship was the Zevenwolden. The Zevenwolden was captured at Scheveningen and sunk. Captain Stellingwerff went into captivity in England, where he died of disease, not that long after his capture.

Pieter van Brakel Here is more information from J.C. Mollema's Honor Roll list. Other sources may differ, apparently. This list was published circa 1941. Pieter van Brakel lived from about 1624 to 29 December 1664. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was an Extraordinary-Captain in 1644 and an Ordinary Captain in 1653. He served in the First Anglo-Dutch War. He fought at Dungeness and Terheide (Scheveningen) in the Bommel (28 guns) under Maarten Harpertsz. Tromp. In 1654, 1656, and 1657, he served under De Ruyter in the Mediterranean Sea and on the Portuguese coast. In 1658 and 1659, he commanded the Huis te Kruiningen (54 guns) on the Portuguese coast and in the Sound. In 1661, Captain ban Brakel was a convoy commander in the North Sea. In 1664, while defending the Smyrna convoy, he distinguised himself and was killed while fighting Sir Thomas Allin.

Why I have had reservations about Dr. Ballhausen's book Before I had seen this book, I had great hopes for it. The history section of the Netherlands Navy recommended it to me. Michael Robinson, in his catalogue of Van de Velde paintings quoted the book. I had not seen R.C. Anderson's criticism in the 1938 Mariner's Mirror. My concern started when I had seen the latter article, which has the English orders-of-battle for the First Anglo-Dutch War. I gave up on the book, as a source, when I started to get information that contradicted what he had. I had also started checking his footnotes. An example of his problems is that he says that Dirck Juynbol's ship, which was lost at the Battle of Dungeness, was the Hoop. Instead, the ship was the Gelderland. His main problem seems to be that he extrapolated from limited information. R.C. Anderson said that Dr. Ballhausen seemed to draw up lists randomly. That is too harsh, as I can see what his influences were. Too often, he followed The First Dutch War, after Dr. Gardiner died, when the series suffered from less knowledgable editing. I have also found, when checking Dr. Ballhausen's footnotes (those that I have been able to check), that they often don't support the conclusions drawn. His footnotes are difficult, as they reference obscure, published sources. I have not been able to find an instance where he actually consulted archival sources.

The Battle of Portland scenario-simulated As the Dutch, I tried attacking George Monck, first. Monck's squadron was Southeast of St. Alban's Head, East-Northeast of Tromp's squadron. Penn and Blake were to the Southeast, where the Dutch had the wind. The Dutch could easily isolate Monck and beat him, and then turn on Blake and Penn. That really worked out well. In another run, I used a different approach. I took the Dutch fleet against Blake and Penn, giving Monck time to close, unhindered, from the Northeast. That didn't work so well, as Monck caught then between two fires, as his squadron had approached unopposed. The Dutch finally won, but only after having defeated Penn and Blake. The last ships destroyed were from Monck's squadron.

Carl Ballhausen, Ph.D. and facts I am about ready to concede that Dr. Ballhausen actually might have some useful facts in his book. I can think of two examples that I have seen this weekend. One is that Jan Evertsz. de Liefde's ship might well have been named Jonas. In any case, the ship was hired by the Rotterdam Directors, and in about mid-1652 carried 36 guns and had a crew of 125. The second is that Fredrik Stellingwerff's ship, the Zevenwolden might well have had 38 guns and a crew of 135. In any case, I have been relying on Dr. Ballhausen for information about position of squadrons at battles, during the First Anglo-Dutch War. I have also assumed that his initial wind directions are accurate. In some cases, where I have lacked other data, I have drawn upon what he has, in building orders-of-battle and information about how ships were grouped into squadrons. I am checking, as best I can, against The First Dutch War.

A new scenario for AOSII: the Battle of Portland (28 February-2 March 1653 (new style) I now have implemented the battles of the First Anglo-Dutch War as scenarios for Age of Sail II/Privateers Bounty. I will e-mail anyone who is interested with a zip file with the scenarios and the usrships.ini file that implements the scenarios and ships. I just finished Portland and tested the scenario in the simulator. The scenario plays quite well, the squadrons are laid out as is documented in Dr. Ballhausen's book.