English Captain: Robert Sanders

Robert Sanders (or Saunders) served in both the Commonwealth and Restoration navies. From 1650 to 1652, he commanded the 6th Rate Star (22 guns and a crew of 80 men). In the Star, he fought at the Battle off Dover in May 1652. In 1652, he commanded the 4th Rate Assurance (36 guns) and fought at the Battle of the Kentish Knock. In 1653, he commanded the 4th Rate Ruby (42 guns). He was in William Penn's division at the Battle of the Gabbard. In this battle, William Penn was Admiral of the White. Robert Sanders also fought at the Battle of Scheveningen. From 1653 to 1654, he commanded the 3rd Rate Essex. From 1654 to 1655, he commanded the 4th Rate Dover (40 guns). He set sail at Christmas day, 1654, with William Penn's expedition to the West Indies. From 1657 to 1659, he commanded the 3rd Rate Torrington (52 guns). In 1665, Robert Sanders commanded the Loyal Merchant (44 guns) at the Battle of Lowestoft. He was in Sir William Berkeley's division. Sir William Berkeley was Rear-Admiral of the Red. At the time of the Four Days' Battle, Robert Sanders was captain of the new St. Patrick, and was fitting her out. He was at Bristol, still fitting out the St. Patrick at the time of the St. James's Day Battle. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, “English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War,” The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938.
2. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
3. R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 1966.
4. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898.
5. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.
6. Brian Lavery, The Ship of the Line, Vol.I, 1983.

English Captain: Benjamin Blake

Benjamin Blake was the admiral's younger brother. He commanded the Paradox (14 guns) in 1649. From 1650 to 1652, he commanded the Assurance. He was in Nehemiah Bourne's squadron in the opening battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War. He fought at the Battle of the Kentish Knock as captain of the Triumph (62 guns). His older brother, Robert, thought that Benjamin had not fought hard enough at Dungeness, so he removed him from command. He must have been Robert's flag captain at Dungeness. He was later restored to command, and from 1654 to 1656, he commanded the Gloucester, including on the expedition to the West Indies. In 1657, he commanded the new 2nd Rate Dunbar. Benjamin Blake inherited the family estate in Bridgwater after his brother's death. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, "English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938.
2. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
3. R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 1966.
4. Michael Baumber, General-at-Sea, 1989.

English Captain: Jacob Reynolds

Jacob Reynolds served both the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth navies. In 1648, he commanded the Dove. In 1649, he commanded the Crescent. From 1651 to 1652, he commanded the Nightingale. He was present at the beginnings of the First Anglo-Dutch War, being in Anthony Young's squadron, off the Start, when they stopped Joris van der Zaan, Jacob Huyrluyt, and their the seven Straatsvaarders they were convoying. He had been relieved as captain of the Nightingale before the Battle of the Kentish Knock. In 1653, he commanded the 4th Rate Kentish (46 guns), and fought at the Battle of Portland. In April, he was with the Generals at Portsmouth, with the core of the main fleet. He was in John Lawson's division at the Battle of the Gabbard. John Lawson was Admiral of the Blue. Captain Reynolds also seems to have fought at the Battle of Scheveningen. He also served in the Restoration navy, starting in 1664 as a captain. In June 1665, he commanded the Great Gift, off the coast of Guinea. In June 1666, he was convoying merchant ships to Barbadoes. He commanded the 4th Rate Hope. In late July 1666, he was in Barbadoes, still in the Hope. He died in 1688. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, “English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War,” The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938.
2. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
3. C.T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910.
4. Michael Baumber, General-At-Sea, 1989.
5. Frank L. Fox, A Distant Storm: The Four Days' Battle of 1666
6. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898.
7. David Syrett, R. L. DiNardo, The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy 1660-1815, 1994.

English Captain: Edward Hall

Edward Hall served the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth navies. From 1644 to 1646, he commanded the Antelope (34 guns). In 1648, he again commanded the Antelope, until the ship went over to the Royalists with Prince Rupert. In 1649, he commanded the Adventure (36 guns) and Triumph (62 guns). In 1650, he commanded the Liberty (ex-Charles) (44 guns), until she was wrecked. In 1651, he commanded the Triumph. In 1652, he commanded the Andrew. The Andrew had a crew of 280 men in early 1652. Michael Baumber says that Edward Hall was "pensioned off" in 1652. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
2. R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 1966.
3. Michael Baumber, General-at-Sea, 1989.
4. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898.

Andrew says of George Dakins...

Andrew says that George Dakins had replaced Charles Thorowgood as captain of the Worcester, and fought bravely at the Battles of Dungeness (December 1652) and Portland (February 1653). At the Restoration, George Dakins was dismissed from the navy because he was "an irreconcilable Anabaptist". Andrew says that he then commanded a merchant ship that traded with the Mediterranean area.

English Captain: George Dakins

George Dakins commanded the Falcon shallop in 1648. In 1649, he moved up to the Tenth Whelp. From there, he commanded the Greyhound, in 1650. From 1650-1653, he commanded the 4th Rate Advice. In 1653, he commanded the Worcester and then the Andrew. He commanded the Worcester at the Battle of Portland, where he was wounded. Finally, in late 1653, he commanded the Paragon, and continued in command until 1654. In 1654, he was Rear-Admiral, West Indies, with his flag on the Torrington. In 1655, he moved back to the Paragon, still as Rear-Admiral, West Indies. In 1659, he commanded the Bristol. 1660, up until the Restoration, he was back in command of the Worcester. George Dakins did not serve after the Restoration. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
2. Michael Baumber, General-At-Sea, 1989.

English Captain: Roger Martin

Roger Martin (or Mostin) served both the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth navies. From 1644 to 1645, he commanded the hired merchantman Providence (16 guns and a crew of 54 men). He served in the Summer Guard and Winter Guard for 1644. From 1651 until 1653, he commanded the 4th Rate Diamond (42 guns). Immediately prior to the Battle of Portland, Captain Martin, in the Diamond, was stationed off of Land's End. He was recalled to the fleet before he was able to provide any useful information. That was a mistake made in the run up to the battle: the English recalled all their scouts from the Western Approaches. At the Battle of Portland, he was Rear-Admiral of the White, with his flag on the Diamond. In 1653, he commanded the Speaker (56 guns) and then the Bristol (46 guns). In the Speaker, he was William Penn's flag captain. After the Battle of the Gabbard, Blake and Monck recommended Captain Martin for command of one of the new ships, the Bristol. In late June 1653, he was also given command of a squadron that would ply the Channel, protect English shipping, and interfere with Dutch shipping. In December 1653, the squadron was 6 ships, the Bristol now carrying 50 guns. They were to operate between the Lizard and the Scilly Isles. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
2. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.VI, 1930.
3. Michael Baumber, General-At-Sea, 1989.
4. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "English Ships 1652-1654", 2004.
5. J. R. Powell, Ed., The Letters of Robert Blake, 1937.
6. J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962.

New Template

I finally have the new template in place that Violet at CCWDS did for me. She has done all of the web development for me at KentishKnock.com. She had done the work for some friend's website for their Smalltalk consulting business, and so I contacted her in late 2000. She is really into Flash, these days, so her site is really wild (Flash with sound). There is the minor drawback that her present site seems to be almost totally in Russian with Cyrillic alphabet. There is enough Roman characters and English, though, that the site is navigable (at least I find it so).

Dutch Captain: Simon van Panhuis (or Panhuys)

Simon van Panhuis served the Admiralty of Rotterdam (the Maas). He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. In 1665, he started as an army captain over marines. In 1666 and 1667, he fought in the battles of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. In 1672, he was captain of marines on Van Ghent's ship, the Dolphijnj (82 guns). When Van Ghent was slain, he restored the admiral's flag, even though he was severely wounded. The following winter he fought ashore. In 1673, he commanded the Zeelandia (42 guns) at the Schooneveld battles and at the Battle of the Texel. In 1674, he served under Cornelis Tromp on the French coast. This is mostly based on my translation of the entry from Mollema's "Honor Roll", supplemented by my unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1620-1700".

The Groenewold seems to have been renamed Groningen

I have just finished my first reading of a letter from Eimert Smits, the researcher who compiled the information listed at De Sneuper website. I now suspect that the Friesland admiralty ship Groningen was actually the purchased Groenewold, renamed. The length and beam fit, for example: 132ft x 31ft. Eimert Smits indicates that the Groningen was in service in 1652, as Hendrick Janszoon Camp's flagship. I'm starting to understand why that is likely.

Dutch Captain: Dirk Jobszoon Kiela (or Dirk Jacobszoon Kiela)

Dirk Jobszoon Kiela served the Admiralty of Zeeland. I have seen his middle name variously listed as Jobszoon or Jacobszoon. As Prof. Bruijn renders his name as Jobszoon, I accept that as the definitive word. He first appears in command of the frigate Delft (36 guns) in June 1666. He fought in the Four Days Battle, where he was assigned to the 2nd Squadron (Cornelis Evertsen). At the St. James's Day Battle, he was in Jan Evertsen's squadron, again in the frigate Delft (34 guns). He seems to have missed the campaign in the summer of 1667. We next see him in 1671 in command of the Zeeland ship Dordrecht (47 guns). In 1673, he commanded the Ter Veere (44 guns) (also known as Kampveere) at the Schooneveld battles and at the Battle of the Texel, where he was killed. For the entire 1673 campaign, he was assigned to Banckert's squadron. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, Journals and Narratives of the Third Dutch War, 1946.
2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "Dutch Ships 1620-1700", 2004.
3. Gerard Brandt, Het Leven van den Heere Michiel de Ruiter, 1687.
4. J. R. Bruijn, De Oorlogvoering ter Zee in 1673 In Journalen en Andere Stukken, 1966.

English Captain: Anthony Houlding

Anthony Houlding served in the Commonwealth Navy. Hist command was the Warwick (22 guns). From 1650 to 1651, he commanded the 2nd Rate Swiftsure. From 1652 until 1653, he commanded the 4th Rate Ruby, until he was killed. In the opening battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War, Anthony Houlding was in Robert Blake's squadron, originally at Rye Bay. He fought at the Battle of the Kentish Knock in September 1652. In February 1653, he fought at the Battle of Portland, where he was killed in action. Andrew says that he also commanded the Tiger's Whelp (14 guns) (ex-Royalist Mary Antrim) in 1649, but I do not have a reference for that. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, "English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol. XXIV, No.4, 1939.
2. R. C. Anderson, List of English Navy Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
3. R. C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700: Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 2nd Edition, 1966.
4. Michael Baumber, General-At-Sea, 1989.

English Captain: John Lambert

Before the Civil War, John Lambert was a captain in King Charles' navy. He commanded the Nicodemus from 1640 to 1641. From 1643 until 1649, he commanded the Lily (10 guns and a crew of 35 men). During the summer of 1643, he was assigned to the Irish Guard. During 1644, he was in the Summer Guard. At that time, the Lily was said to be of 80 tons, have 8 guns, and a crew of 45 men. The Lily was also in the Winter Guard in 1644. During the summer of 1645, he was with the Guernsey squadron, along with the Dove and the Welcome pink. Again, he continued with the Winter Guard for 1645. During the summer of 1646, he was still at Guernsey. He seems to have been inactive during the winter of 1646. In the Summer Guard for 1647, John Lambert and the Lily were back at Guernsey. He was again inactive during the winter of 1647. He was back at sea in the Summer Guard for 1648. In 1650, he commanded the Dutch prize Satisfaction. In 1651, he commaned the 4th Rate Ruby. From 1652 to 1653, he commanded the 4th Rate Convertine (a Portuguese prize). From 1653 until 1657, he commanded the Lion. He seems to have relieved Charles Saltonstall. He fought at the Battles of Portland, the Gabbard, and Scheveningen. He also commanded the rebuilt Lion from 1658 until 1659. He seems not to have served after the Restoration.

More about Robert Moulton from Andrew

Andrew reports that Robert Moulton commanded the 2nd Rate Vanguard up until May 1665. I happen to have a very poor copy of Granville Penn's book about William Penn (published in 1833), which says that by March 29, 1665, Robert Moulton commanded the Centurion (46 guns) and that Jonas Poole commanded the Vanguard (56 guns). Another source to check would be the journal of the Earl of Sandwich, of which I also have a copy (it is not rare). The journal says that Robert Moulton commanded the Vanguard (56 guns) in the Earl of Sandwich's squadron on 13 September 1665. That lists gives Daniel Keeling as captain of the Centurion on that date. Another list for April 1665 gives Robert Moulton as captain of the Centurion in the Earl of Sandwich's squadron. That list gives Jonas Poole as the Vanguard's captain.

English Captain: Abraham Wheeler

Abraham Wheeler commanded the 6th Rate Greyhound from 1642 to 1644. In the summer of 1642, he was in the Summer Guard and then the Winter Guard. When he was in the Summer Guard for 1643, the Greyhound carried 18 guns and had a crew of 50 men. The Greyhound was not in the Winter Guard for 1643, but was again in service in the Summer Guard for 1644. At that time, the Greyhound was listed as being 120 tons, carrying 12 guns, and having a crew of 58 men. He was dismissed from that command. By the summer of 1645, John Coppin commanded the Greyhound. Abraham Wheeler reappeared in command of the 5th Rate Cygnet from 1646 to 1648. He commanded the Cygnet in the Winter Guard in 1646. In the summer of 1647, Captain Wheeler commanded the Cygnet in the North Sea Fishing Guard. The Cygnet was inactive during the winter, but in the summer of 1648, the Cygnet was assigned to "Guard Milford and to ply about Land's End". Sir George Ayscue was apparently the commander in charge of the four ships in the guard. In 1650, he commanded the 4th Rate Expedition (30 guns). He was with Blake's squadron, in March 1650, off of Portugal, blockading the Royalist squadron. Two letters list Abraham Wheeler as commanding the Expedition, not the Providence (they were sisterships). R.C. Anderson lists Captain Wheeler as commanding the Providence. In 1651, he commanded the 4th Rate Convertine. From 1651 until 1652, when he died, Abraham Wheeler had been captain of the 2nd Rate Triumph. He only appears in The First Dutch War in a list from early 1652. Before the Civil War, he had commanded the Greyhound from 1638 until 1641. Sources:

1. R.C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
2. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898.
3. J.R. Powell, Ed., The Letters of Robert Blake, 1937.
4. J.R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962.

English Captain: John Pearce

There is a good deal of uncertainty about whether there was more than one Captain John Pearce. R.C.Anderson only credits him with serving in the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth navies. We know, however, that a Captain John Pearce served in the Restoration navy, although he came to a bad end. It is possible that the John Kearse who commanded the 8th Whelp in the Scottish squadron was the same man. After reading a great deal of handwriting from the 17th Century, I would think that they would likely be the same, as the "Kearse" name is only listed in 1645. John Pearce (or Pierce) commanded the Weymouth in the Summer Guard in 1646. His station was in the Downs. In the Summer Guard of 1647, he was assigned to the Western Guard. In the Winter Guard of 1647, he was at Guernsey, with the Robert and two ketches. In the summer of 1648, John Pearce now commanded the Hector in the Irish Guard, although Anderson still lists him as commanding the Weymouth until 1649. At least during the summer of 1648, John Bowen commanded the Weymouth, also in the Irish Guard. From 1649 until 1653, John Pearce commanded the 4th Rate Providence. He seems to have fought in the Battles of Portland, the Gabbard, and Scheveningen. From 1657 to 1660, a Captain John Pearce commanded the Lily. R.C. Anderson suggested that there could have been two men with the same name. A Captain John Pearce commanded the Convertine in the Second Anglo-Dutch War. At the Battle of Lowestoft, he was in the Duke of York's division. He was in Prince Rupert's division at the Four Days' Battle. They joined the battle over 3 to 4 June 1653 (Old Style). The Convertine (56 guns) tried to flee the battle on its own, and was taken by two Dutch ships. She was taken by the Wassenaer, seemingly without a fight. A Dutch newsletter reported that the crew had mutinied, afraid that the Dutch would not take their surrender if they fought. Captain Pearce later commanded the 4th Rate Sapphire, after the war. He ran his ship ashore on Sicily in 1671, rather than fight what he thought was a squadron of Algerines. They turned out to be English ships, and he was courtmartialed and shot. Sources:

1. R.C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
2. James C. Bender, unpublished manuscript "English Ships 1652-1654", 2004.
3. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.
4. J.R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962.

English Captain: Robert Moulton, Jr.

Robert Moulton, Jr.'s father, Robert Moulton, Sr., also served in the Parliamentarian and Commonwealth Navies. Robert Moulton, Jr., also served after the Restoration. From 1646 to 1647, Robert Moulton, Jr., commanded the 6th Rate Increase at Chatham, on the Summer Guard in 1646. This seems to have been a prize taken about 1645 (12 guns and 133 tons). In 1647, he also commanded the Satisfaction in the Irish Guard in 1647. This was a prize taken from the Dutch in 1646. From 1649 to 1650, he commanded the frigate Constant Warwick (32 guns). He was with Blake's squadron off of Portugal in the Spring of 1650. His father commanded the Leopard with the squadron. From 1651 to 1652, Robert Moulton, Jr. commanded the 4th Rate Sapphire (38 guns). He fought at Dover in May 1652, in the opening action of the First Anglo-Dutch War. He was in Blake's squadron, originally lying in Rye Bay. He also fought in the Battle of the Kentish Knock. He disappears after the Kentish Knock. The next time we see him mentioned is after the Restoration. He fought at the Battle of Lowestoft, in 1665, in command of the 4th Rate Centurion (46 guns). He was in the Earl of Sandwich's division (the Earl of Sandwich was Admiral of the Blue). At the Four Days' Battle, he was in John Harman's squadron (Rear-Admiral of the White). In this battle, Robert Moulton, Jr. distinguished himself in command of the 3rd Rate Anne (58 guns). The Anne seems to have been disabled on the second day, and left the fleet. Robert Moulton was one of a small number of captains who were praised by the Duke of Albermarle. Sources:

1. R.C. Anderson, Lists of Men-of-War 1650-1700, Part I English Ships 1649-1702, 2nd Ed., 1966.
2. R.C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
3. Michael Baumber, General-At-Sea: Robert Blake and the Seventeenth Century Revolution in Naval Warfare, 1989.
4. J.J. College, Ships of the Royal Navy, 2nd Ed., 1987.
5. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.
6. Frank Fox, Great Ships: the Battlefleet of King Charles II, 1980.
7. S.R. Gardiner, The First Dutch War, Vol.II, 1900.
8. J.R. Powell, ed., The Letters of Robert Blake, 1937.
9. J.R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962.

English Captain and Admiral: Samuel Howett

Samuel Howett served on the Parliamentarian side in the Civil War and in Cromwell's navy during the Interregnum. In 1645, he commanded the Duncannon in the Irish Squadron. The Duncannon had been a Royalist vessel that must have been captured by 1645. There is a confusing note in The Navy in the Civil War about the Duncannon being handed over by Lord Esmond in 1646. That seems to contradict the list of Parliamentarian ships from 1645. In 1649, he commanded the St. Cleer (persumably the St. Claire). She seems to have been a galliot. They council had thought that she was capable of carrying 16 guns, but they were informed that Samuel Howett had found that was not possible. He was appointed by the Council of State on 6 April 1649 (Old Style). In 1649 and 1650, he commanded the Concord, a Dutch prize. For a period in 1650, Captain Howett commanded the hired merchantman Falcon. In 1651 and 1652, he commanded the 4th Rate Foresight. After that, he commanded the Laurel and by early 1653, was Rear-Admiral of the Red. The new squadron system was only in place by the Battle of Portland. Later in 1653 and into 1654, Samuel Howett commanded the 3rd Rate Speaker and was also Rear-Admiral of the Red. At the Battle of the Gabbard, the Speaker carried 56 guns and had a crew of 300 men. He was George Monck's and Richard Deane's Rear-Admiral. References:

1. R.C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.
2. C.T. Atkinson, The First Dutch War, Vol.V, 1907.
3. J.R. Powell, Ed., The Letters of Robert Blake, 1937.
4. J.R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962.

French Chef d'Escadre des Rabesnières

I found that I do have some information about M. des Rabesnières, who commanded the French rear division at the Battle of Solebay. I have two sources:

1. R.C. Anderson, Journals and Narratives of the Third Dutch War
2. Julian S. Corbett, A Note on the Drawings in the Possession of the Earl of Dartmouth Illustrating The Battle of Sole Bay May 28, 1672 and The Battle of the Texel August 11, 1673

I am very fortunate to have the prints of the drawings that accompany the latter booklet, as well. In the Battle of Solebay, M. des Rabesnières flew his flag on the Superbe (70 guns), which was his flagship, as Rear-Admiral of the French Rear Division. The Superbe seems to have been the fifth ship in line in that division. M. des Rabesnières had been present at the council of war that the Duke of York had held, immediately after the French had joined the fleet. They were hoping to intercept the Dutch East Indies fleet at the Dogger Bank, and draw De Ruyter's fleet into a pitched battle. Contrary winds changed the English plans. The combined fleet eventually had to resupply and refit, and did so at anchor at Southwold Bay (Solebay). The Dutch caught them at anchor, although a French frigate, scouting to sea, gave warning so that the fleet was able to get underway. The French ended up on the opposite tack to the English squadrons, heading to the south, fighting Adriaan van Trappen Banckert's squadron. As they got underway to the south, des Rabesnières' ship, the Superbe, was second from the rear of the squadron. He was engaged with Vice-Admiral Star, although at long range. This is captured on the first print from the series. The French were seriously engaged, as des Rabesnières was killed, the Superbe heavily damaged, and the total French casualties are estimated as 450.

My current thoughts about Witte de With

Witte de With was certainly a controversial figure. He never became the main fleet commander for any extended period of time because of his violent temper and because of his rivalry with Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp. Witte de With was not alone in having a temper. I had not realized that Michiel de Ruyter was another flag officer with a violent temper. De Ruyter was accepted, because he was clearly the preeminent admiral in the Dutch navy, after the death of Maarten Tromp. However, De Ruyter reported to Witte de With during the latter part of 1653. Witte de With was always acknowledged to be a skilled admiral, one of the best in the Netherlands, during his professional career. When important operations were planned, he was usually given command. In 1645, he commanded the operation to push a large fleet of merchant ships into the Sound without paying the toll. In late 1647, he was sent, with a small fleet, to try to retrieve the deteriorating situation in Brazil. He was totally without support from the homeland, and finally returned, to keep from losing the entire force from lack of maintenance. He was made the scapegoat, and probably only the death of Prince Willem II kept him from being executed. He was quietly returned to the service with a slap on the wrist, as we would now say. When Tromp was clearly not doing well in the late summer of 1652, Witte de With was given command of the fleet for the Battle of the Kentish Knock. The Dutch should have been badly beaten, but they only lost one ship sunk and one captured. Apparently, they fought in an informal line, and kept the English from closing. The English, under Blake, never were in good order, and some individual ships were badly damaged. Blake rushed into battle with the leading ships, so that despite their large size, they were greatly outnumbered, at the point of contact. Blake didn't seem to comprehend the importance of formation and maneuver, despite having been an army officer. The general animosity towards Witte de With kept the Dutch from recognizing that the battle had gone better than could have been expected. Tromp was restored to command, and so for several more battles, the main fleets were commanded by officers who underperformed (Tromp and Blake). The Dutch was so strong at Dungeness, that despite missteps, they won. Blake was blind to his failings, and blamed his captains for the loss. The Battle of Portland was fought under similar circumstances, except with the English fleet being much stronger. They finally wore down the Dutch and should have annihilated them, but let them go, instead. It wasn't until George Monck took command on the English side that the effects of Tromp's leadership really were shown. The Gabbard was a disaster, more from the manner of the loss than the actual numbers, although they were bad enough. Scheveningen was almost as bad as to material loss, but the surviving vice-admirals kept the battle from turning into the rout that had taken place at the Gabbard. Witte de With was instrumental in forming the rear-guard that kept the English from achieving a Trafalgar-like victory. They needed to do better, as they were up against an English fleet lead by George Monck, who was an able commander. The English also had men like Edward Montagu and William Penn, who were as able as Monck. In the fall of 1653, when a returning fleet of Indiamen needed escort home from Norway, Witte de With lead a fleet of 70 ships to retrieve them. Michiel de Ruyter was his second. Again, when the Dutch needed someone on an independent command, they went to Witte de With, as they recognized his ability. Witte de With continued to gain grudging respect until his death at the Battle of the Sound. There, he was subordinated yet again to an admiral of lesser ability, in this case Jacob Wasseaner van Obdam.