Dutch Captain: Hendrik Gotskens

Hendrik Gotskens served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. In 1659, Hendrik Gotskens was in the Sound under De Ruyter. He commanded the Raadhuis van Haarlem (40 guns). In December 1659, he was in Kiel, along with Commandeur Sweers and otherships, as well as with the Danish Rear-Admiral Rootsteen.

In 1665 Hendrik Gotskens commanded the Vrede (48 guns) in Lt.-Admiral vanWassenaer's First Squadron at the Battle of Lowestoft. At the Four Days Battle, he was in De Ruyter'sdivision, where Captain Gotskens commanded the Wapen van Utrecht (66 guns). When Baron van Ghent's ship, the Gelderland (64guns), was damaged by the wind, he went on board the Wapen van Utrecht as an observer. On the fourth day, after the council of war, Cornelis Tromp moved his flag to the Wapen van Utrecht so that Isaak Sweers would be free to use the Gouda as his flagship, as he assumed command of Abraham van der Hulst's division, after van der Hulst was killed. Hendrik Gotskens, still in the Wapen van Utrecht, was again in De Ruyter's division at the St. James Day Battle.

Dutch Captain: Jacob van Bergen

Jacob van Bergen served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was killed on 7 June 1673 at the second Schooneveld battle, while commanding the Prins te Paard (55 guns). He was succeeded in command by Adam van Brederode, who commanded the Prins te Paard at the Battle of the Texel on 17 August 1673 (new style). At the Second Schooneveld, the Prins te Paard had a crew of 188 sailors and 57 soldiers.

the Amsterdam ship Star built in 1644

In De Vlootbouw in Nederland, there is a van de Velde drawing of the Amsterdam ship Star. The ship was a two-decker, as were most Dutch ships of this size. The Star's dimensions were: 120ft x 28ft x 12ft. In 1652, she was commanded by Jacob Paulussen Cort. Her crew was 95 men. The drawing shows that she had ten ports per side on the lower deck. The upper deck was only armed aft, at this time. There were four ports to a side , aft of the quarterdeck break. There was one port on either side on the poop, from the height of the port above the upper tier. The look of the stern indicates that there may have been a centerline port in the stern, aligned with the doors in the sides of the quarter galleries. There were also stern ports, one on either side of the rudder on the lower deck. The Star survived in service until 1677, when she was burnt. I would hazard a guess that it was in an action in the West Indies that turned disastrous for the Dutch. It probably was at Tobago in February 1677, when the French attacked the Dutch in port and burned them.

Hendrick van Tol

There is really not very much information available to me about Hendrick Tol, except in Brandt's biography of De Ruyter published in 1687. Hendrick van Tol served in the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch Wars, and perhaps, in the War of the English Succession. There was at least SOME Hendrick Tol who commanded a ship at that time. This is an outline of Hendrick Tol's commands:

Duivenvoorde, date 8/1665, 52 guns, crew: 176 sailors+38marines and 27 soldiers, Amsterdam Admiralty, built in 1655, dimensions: 140ft x 32ft x 13.5ft

Huis te Cruijningen, date 1671, 60guns, crew 240 sailors+50 soldiers, Amsterdam Admiralty, built 1653, dimensions: 140ft x 34ft x 13.5ft

Komeetstar, date 5/1672, 70guns crew 270 sailors+70 soldiers, Amsterdam Admiralty, built 1665, dimensions: 152.5ft x 38.5ft x 15ft

Komeetstar, date 7/1672, 70 guns, crew 288 sailors+18 soldiers, Amsterdam Admiralty, built 1665, dimensions: 152.5ft x 38.5ft x 15ft

Beemster, date 1688, 50 guns, crew 200 men, Amsterdam Admiralty, built 1686, dimensions: 138ft x 36ft x 14.5ft

Captain Tol in the First Anglo-Dutch War

There is really not very much information available to me about Hendrick Tol, who served in the First Anglo-Dutch War. Here is on piece of what I have:

Captain Tol
On November 10, 1653, Captain Tol's ship, the Moerian, was listed as having been lost in the
storm on October 29, 30, and 31, 1653. There is a notation that half the men
were saved. [1DW6, p.175]

Ship: Moorin

date 1653

28 guns

Amsterdam Directors

dimensions: 125ft x 29ft x 12.75ft

guns: 10-12pdr, 8-8pdr, 8-6pdr, and 2-3pdr

I am now convinced that this cannot be Hendrick Tol, as he served too late into the 17th Century for him to be the same man.

Witte de With's flagship of 1636 must have been gone before 1652

Rotterdam built Witte de With a strong, new flagship in 1636: the Maecht van Dordrecht. Her dimensions in Maas feet were 130ft x 32ft x 13.5ft. This translates to 142ft x 35ft x 14ft-8in in Amsterdam feet. Her armament in 1642 was 46 guns. I believe that the lower tier had 10-24pdr and 14-18pdr. The upper tier had 16-12pdr, so the waist must not have been armed. The quarterdeck was probably 6-6pdr. Vreugdenhil had assumed that she had survived until 1665, but she was not even around in 1652. We can be pretty certain of that.

Goodies from the March 1653 list of Dutch ships

I want to make an effort to see if we can find a list that corresponds to the March 1653 list in Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen. There is no guarantee that it survived past the mid-19th Century, sadly. There are some valuable nuggets to be found there: Rotterdam ships:

• Brederode, 54 guns crew 200 sailors and 50 soldiers
• Gelderland, 40 guns crew 110 sailors and 30 soldiers
• Prinses Louise, 36 guns crew 124 sailors and 46 soldiers
• Gulden Dolphijn, 32 guns crew 95 sailors and 30 soldiers
• Gorkum, 30 guns crew 95 sailors and 30 soldiers
• Rotterdam, 30 guns crew 80 sailors and 20 soldiers
• Gelderland, 24 guns crew 80 sailors and 20 soldiers
• Overijssel, 22 guns crew 80 sailors and 20 soldiers
• Utrecht, 22 guns crew 80 sailors and 20 soldiers

Amsterdam ships:

• yacht Brak, 18 guns crew 70 sailors and 15 soldiers
• yacht Windhond, 18 guns crew 70 sailors and 15 soldiers

Zeeland ships:

• Hollandia, 36 guns crew 116 men
• Gekroonde Liefde, 24 guns crew 85 men
• yacht Dordrecht, 70 guns
• yacht Gloeyenden Oven, 14 guns crew 40 sailors

I wonder if the Overijssel's armament in 1666 is anything like she carried in 1652?

The Overijssel was a fairly new ship in 1652, having been completed in 1650. Her dimensions were 114ft x 28ft x 11ft. I would guess that she measured at about 170 lasts. In 1666, she carried 6-12pdr and 12-8pdr on the lower tier, 12-6pdr on the upper tier (presumably with an unarmed waist), and 4-2pdr "voor de hut". Her crew in 1666 was intended to be 120 sailors and 20 soldiers, although she only had 110 sailors at the Four Days Battle.

In 1652-1653, the Overijssel carried 28 guns and had a crew of 100 men. The dimensions listed by Dr. Weber differ from those in Vreugdenhil's list, which were 112ft x 28ft x 11ft. I suspect that the guns listed in 1666 differ wildly from those carried in 1652, but it is hard to know. The only place where we might have seen what was carried, the "Staet van Orlogh te Water" for the year 1654 doesn't list an armament.

The smallest ships from the Dutch First Anglo-Dutch War building program

I don't understand the rationale for this, but both the Noorderkwartier and Amsterdam built smaller ships for part of their contribution to the two-30-ship building programs. Examples built by the Noorderkwartier were 130ft x 32ft x 12ft. Two of these were the Caleb (built in 1654 at Hoorn) and the Jupiter (built in 1653). An example of a small Amsterdam ship was the Dom van Utrecht (built at Amsterdam in 1654). Her dimensions were 130ft x 32ft x 13ft. The Zeeland ships built to the 130ft charter tended to be larger: 130ft x 34ft x 13-1/2ft. The Zeeland Dordrecht and Kampveere were built to these dimensions.

Dutch Captain Pieter Salomonszoon

Pieter Salomonszoon commanded a ship belonging to the Amsterdam Chamber of the VOC at the Battle of Plymouth. Here are some of the notes that I took about him during the First Anglo-Dutch War:

Pieter Salomonsen was a late arrival from the Texel, to join De Ruyter's fleet, probably in July, 1652 [1DW6], p.157

Listed as being part of De Ruyter's fleet, the ship de Vrede, with 40 guns and 200 men, noted as being fitted out by the Amsterdam Chamber for the VOC [1DW2], p.147

On November 2, 1653, Admiral Wassenaer reported that Pieter Salomonszoon's ship, belonging to the Amsterdam Admiralty, was lying off the Texel with other ships (after the big storm). [1DW6, p.160]

This is my translation and editing of what is in Mollema's "Honor Roll":

Pieter Salomonszoon He lived until 12 June 1666. He served the Admiralty of the Amsterdam. As captain of the VOC, he was brought into the navy in 1652. He was made a captain in 1654. In 1665, he became a temporary Schout-bij-Nacht (Rear-Admiral).

In 1652, he commanded the "Vrede" (40 guns) under De Ruyter at Plymouth.

He fought at the Battle of the Kentish Knock and Dungeness.

In 1653, he fought at the Battle of Portland and Scheveningen.

In 1657/58, he served under De Ruyter in the Mediterranean Sea and on the Portuguese coast, in the "Fazant" (28 guns).

In 1659, he was engaged in convoying near the Sound and served there under De Ruyter.

In 1665, he commanded the "Campen" (54 guns) at Lowstoft.

In 1666, he commanded the "Liefde" (66 guns) at the Four Days Battle, where he was killed.

Estimating the Dutch dimensions for the English fireship Fortune

The English used a captured Dutch ship, the Fortune, as a fireship at the Four Days Battle in 1666. Her English dimensions were: 94ft x 28ft x 12ft-6in. Using my system, we would estimate the Dutch dimensions:

• Length: English 94ft x 1.33 = 125ft Dutch
• Beam: English 28ft x 1.13 = 31-1/2ft Dutch
• Depth (Dutch Hold): English 12ft-6in x 1.07 = 13-1/2ft Dutch

Those are the dimensions of a typical First Anglo-Dutch War hired ship such as those used by the Dutch as a 28 or 30 gun warship.

It is surprising that I don't have a document from April 1653 that shows the St. Matheeus that was captured

I have documents that show most Amsterdam Directors' ships that were in use in 1652 and 1653. The only ship that seems to be missing is the Sint Matheeus that was captured by the English at the Battle of the Gabbard. I do have a number of documents that show the "other" Sint Matheeus, the one that was not captured. She was a somewhat smaller vessel.

The captured ship was called the Matthias in English service. The only reason we know some of her dimensions is because Dr. Weber published them in his book about the Four Days Battle. They were: 144ft x 36ft, with an unknown depth in hold (in Amsterdam feet). Her dimensions as measured by the English are well known. They were: 108ft x 32ft x 15ft. The length is that on the keel and the beam is that outside the planking. The Dutch dimensions are the length from stem to sternpost and the beam is that inside the planking. The English and Dutch depths also differ. The English depth is from the keel to the underside of the deck planking on the main deck, at the center. The Dutch "hold" is measured to where the deck meets the side, from the keel.

My "system" for converting between Dutch and English dimensions only "sort of works". I use factors derived from example ships where we know both the English and Dutch dimensions. You need to be perpared to round liberally, as well.

Factors:

• Converting English LK to Dutch L: 1.33
• Converting English B to Dutch B: 1.13

Depths are a problem, because unlike the other dimensions, there seems to be no consistency. Even with length and beam, we can find examples that fail this system. Still, it is a way to estimate Dutch dimensions where we only have English dimensions preserved.

In some cases, English D to Dutch D (Hold) works with 0.92 as a factor. Sadly, there are other cases where 1.07 works. In the case of the Clovetree (ex-Nagelboom), the depth conversion factor is something like 1.18. In other cases, a figure in between these works. The problem seems to be with the English measurements. The Dutch dimensions are generally "well known". In the case of Dr. Weber's book, however, there are so many typographical errors that one needs to be cautious. For example, the Dutch beam for the Ruiter van Gelder (VOC) is shown to be 29ft while the English beam is 35ft. If you multiply the English beam by the factor 1.12, you get a Dutch beam of 39ft, which is reasonable. That would mean that the 29ft is a typo, and should be 39ft.

The effect of political leadership on navies is easily ignored

The Restoration navy benefitted greatly from having Charles II and the Duke of York (eventually James II) as the national leadership. After 1688, the English suffered from having William III as King, as he was focused on military matters, as had the French leadership during the entire time from 1660 on. The French were admittedly of two minds. A tremendous investment was made in their navy, but it was always secondary to the military. The French had many of the great generals of the day: Prince Conde, Turenne, and Vauban. Louis XIV also took an interest in generalship, under the tutelage of Vauban.

Contrast that with the Duke of York's service as an admiral (originally under the guidance of William Penn), and you see the difference between the two countries. At times, the French could outbuild the English, but when it came down to a choice between the military and the French navy, the military won.

The embrace of commerce raiding over fleet actions at the end of the 17th Century and the beginning of the 18th left the French unable to contend for mastery at sea. The ships had been built and armed where the mastery could have been achieved. They had a taste of what could be done at Beachy Head, but then backed off. The French downfall at Barfleur and La Hogue was politically driven, from the highest level. They also had a technically adroit admiral in Tourville, but had someone without the judgment and tactical flair that might have won the day. The man who could have won was dead. In any case, he had been a Huguenot, and the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 would have meant that he would not have been allowed to help, in any case.

In Britain, under William III and Mary II and then during Queen Anne's reign, the navy came under the grip of unimaginative bureaucrats who could enforce rules, and liked order, but didn't understand naval affairs. The establishments effectively shut down innovation in warship design, and the navy was not reinvigorated until Anson, Hawke, and others came along. New ship types were created, such as the 74 and frigates. The links to the mid-17th Century ships were gradually severed, so that the three-decked 80 could be discarded, with more progressive designs.

The Providence and Expedition: precursors to frigates

The Providence and Expedition were built about the same time as the Sovereign of the Seas. They completed circa 1637, and had frigate proportions, although they were not originally classed as such. Their dimensions were:

• 90ft x 27ft-4in x 11ft (this was after girdling from the original 26ft beam)

I have seen lists that gave slightly different dimensions for each ship., at least as originally built.

The armament for the Providence at the Four Days Battle known. Apparently, she had a mixed armament on the lower tier: 6-culverins (18pdr) and 14-demi-culverins (9pdr). There was not a complete upper tier, as the waist was not armed. She had a uniform armament of 14-sakers (5-1/4pdr) divided between the forecastle and quarterdeck. The Van de Velde drawing of the Expedition has too few ports for this armament. There seem to be 18 guns on the lower tier and 4 forward and 8 aft on the upper tier. There were also two guns on the poop, for a total of 32 guns.

I keep hoping to find the dimensions for the Rotterdam frigate Vrede

I keep wondering if the Rotterdam ship Vrede built circa 1654, was a small frigate or a member of the class of ships built to the 130ft charter. At the Battle of Lowestoft, the Vrede was commanded by Laurens van Heemskerck. She carried 40 guns but only a crew of 156, not the 200-some crew carried by a 130ft ship. She was not present for the Four Days Battle in 1666, but was at the St. James's Day Battle, where she only carried 34 guns and had a crew of 118 men. She was commanded by Juriaan Juriaanszoon Poel. At the famous raid on Chatham in 1667, she was commanded by the heroic Jan van Brakel. In the raid, she carried 40 guns and had a crew consisting of 110 sailors and 25 soldiers. I wondered if this Vrede was the ship reduced to a fireship and which burnt the Royal James (100 guns) at the Battle of Solebay.

The Amsterdam ship Hollandia at the Four Days Battle

Apparently, the Hollandia (built in 1665), which served as Cornelis Tromp's flagship at the Four Days Battle, was armed as if it were a three-decker. The waist was unarmed, however, so she didn't have three full tiers. her real dimensions seem to have been 165ft x 41-3/4ft x 15-1/4ft. Her crew was intended to be 400 sailors and 50 soldiers. She was armed as follows:

• Lower tier: 10-brass 24pdr, 18-iron 18pdr
• Middle tier: 28-brass 12pdr
• Upper tier: 20-brass 6pdr (under the quarterdeck and forecastle)
• Quarterdeck: 4-brass 6pdr

A 170 last ship

A ship measured at 170 lasts is probably something with dimensions similar to 116ft x 27ft x 11ft. If we use a factor of about 200, then lasts = length x beam x depth computes to 170 lasts = 116ft x 27ft x 11ft / 202.7. In reality, 200 is a good factor, and we just need to round generously.

The Dutch seemed to like certain ship lengths, such as 112ft, 116ft, 118ft, 120ft, 125ft, 128ft, 130ft, 132ft, and so on.

For example, the Zeeland ship West Cappelle (which we know was 112ft long) was measured at 150 lasts. That would mean dimensions something like 112ft x 26ft x 10.5ft, if we still round generously.

This is my system for estimating ship dimensions, where we only know lasts, or lasts and a length.

The Rotterdam ship Dolphijn in 1629

This is another Rotterdam ship listed in the "Staet van Oorlogh te Water" for the year 1629. The Dolphijn, built in 1623, was commanded by Wilboort Leendertszoon, of Den Briel. The ship was 170 lasts in size, and had a crew of 85 sailors. Her armament was:

• 2-brass half-cartouwen, 24pdr
• 2-brass chambered 24pdr
• 2-brass 12pdr ("veltstucken")
• 8-iron 8pdr
• 4-iron 6pdr
• 2-iron 5pdr
• 2-iron 4pdr
• 5-steenstukken with 10 chambers

This is the sort of ship that took part in the attack on the Spanish silver fleet with Piet Hein, in 1629.

Anglo-Dutch Wars blog is at 151 pages of text and pictures

I have been collecting the text and pictures for Anglo-Dutch Wars blog, since its inception in November 2003, and have a Word document that is now 151 pages long. I will be doing the same for my other blogs and websites. I'm not sure if these might see publication in some edited form, but given the volume of work, that is a possibility.

Tromp's proposed building program

In late 1652, Lt-Admiral Tromp proposed building 30 large ships to better match the English navy. The smallest of the ships would have been comparable to the Vrijheid, built by Amstedam in 1651, and then the rest were to be larger. The three charters would have been:

• 150ft x 38ft x 15ft (8ft between decks)
• 140ft x 36ft x 14-1/2ft
• 134ft x 34ft x 14ft

This is Tromp's proposal by admiralty:

• Rotterdam: 1-150ft, 2-140ft, 2-134ft
• Amsterdam: 2-150ft, 4-140ft, 4-134ft
• Zeeland: 1-150ft, 2-140ft, 2-134ft
• Noorderkwartier: 1-150ft, 2-140ft, 2-134ft
• Friesland: 1-150ft, 2-140ft, 2-134ft

Totals: 6-150ft, 12-140ft, and 12-134ft

The definitive plan finally agreed to included the following ships:

Charters:

• 150ft x 38ft x 15ft (8ft between decks)
• 136ft x 34ft x 14ft (7-1/2ft between decks)
• 130ft x 32ft x 13-1/2ft (7ft between decks)

This is the plan by admiralty:

• Rotterdam: 1-150ft, 4-130ft
• Amsterdam: 4-136ft, 6-130ft
• Zeeland: 2-136ft, 3-130ft
• Noorderkwartier: 2-136ft, 3-130ft
• Friesland: 2-136ft, 3-130ft

Total: 1-150ft, 10-136ft, 19-130ft

This plan was ultimately modified, with the effect of increasing the ship slightly.

As the war continued to go badly, another 30 ships were to be built, giving a 60-ship building program. I will cover the details later.