I'm working on the list of the Dutch fleet at the blockade of Danzig in 1656

As soon as it is finished (hopefully, later today), I will be posting the listing of the Dutch fleet that took part in the blockade of Danzig in 1656. The fleet was commanded by Jacob Wassenaer van Obdam. The list is derived from that published in Brandt's biography of De Ruyter (from 1687). I have made a few obvious corrections, but have otherwise reproduced the list. The list will be posted at AngloDutchWarsBlog.com.

Dutch captain: Adriaan Houttuijn

Adriaan Houttuijn lived from 1599 until 12 June 1666. He served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier, although he was an Amsterdam Directors captain in 1640. He was a captain in 1653 and Schout-bij-Nacht in 1665.

In 1645, he commanded the Gouden Leeuw(24 guns) with Witte de With, in the Sound. This was the operation to force a large fleet of merchant ships through the Sound without paying the toll to Denmark. From 1646 to 1651, he was in the Venetian service, fighting against the Turks. He assumed command of the Kasteel van Medemblick (30 guns), after Gabriel Antheunissen was sacked. In 1653, he fought under Tromp at the Battles of the Gabbard and Scheveningen. In 1656, he served under Van Wassenaer in the blockade of Danzig, where he still commanded the Kasteel van Medemblick. In 1658, he fought at the Battle of the Sound. In 1659, he served as a commandeur under De Ruyter in the Sound and at Funen and Nyborg. In 1665, he commanded the Wapen van Medemblick (46 guns) at the Battle of Lowestoft. He convoyed for the VOC fleet as a Schout-bij-Nacht. At the Four Days Battle in 1666, he was killed while commanding the Prins van Oranj(66 guns).

I have a "work in progress": Dutch ships in Various Operations During the First Anglo-Dutch War

I have gradually been able to add to my unfinished work Dutch Ships in Various Operations During the First Anglo-Dutch War. I started writing this document/book in September 2001, and have gradually been able to add more detail. My lastest acquisition, Hendrick De Raedt's pamphlet about the voyage to the Shetlands in July and August 1652 has helped to be able to fill in one more piece. The paper is currently at 89 pages, but I would expect it to grow up to soemthing like 150 pages, as I am able to acquire more sources. The next target acquisition would be the "Staet van Oorlog te Water" for 1648, which apparently exists.

Dutch Captain: Govert Voorns (or Voorens)

Dr. De Boer says that "he was a problematic character from beginning to end", and was frequently exchanged in sources with Jacque Forant. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. In 1638, he fought with great courage, under Tromp, at Dunkirk. Right after this, he was in trouble with Witte de With, who seemed to have trouble, during this period, with many men. He left the fleet without authorization and then gave untrue reports about his activities. He received a heavy fine and was suspended. At the Battle of the Downs, Robbert Post was in Voorns' ship, the Deventer. In 1645, he worked at the Admiralty of Amsterdam. In 1647, he was assigned to Witte De With's squadron to relieve Brazil, but he died on the voyage on 5 August 1648. He had commanded the Amsterdam ship Huis van Nassau (40 guns). On 15 March 1651, his widow requested payment of pay due to him.

Dutch Captain: Sijbrant Janszoon Mol

Sijbrant Janszoon Mol commanded a hired merchantman, the Witte Olifant (28 guns). This was apparently a hired Italian ship named the Elefante Bianco in mercantile service. In August 1653, he was in Anthonis van Zalingen's squadron off of Livorno, blockading Henry Appleton's squadron. . The van de Velde drawing of the Battle of Livorno shows the taffrail with a large elephant. His ship was part of a 16-ship fleet commanded by Johan van Galen, who flew his flag on the Amsterdam ship Veerenigde Provinciën (40 guns). In the Battle of Livorno on 14 March 1653, Henry Appleton led his squadron out of the harbor at Livorno prematurely, and was faced with the entire Dutch fleet present. Appleton quickly lost the Bonaventure (44 guns) to an explosion with only 5 survivors. Almost immediately, Van Galen lost a leg and eventually died. Of the ships in Appleton's squadron, only the fast Mary escaped. The Sampson was destroyed by a fireship, while the Peregrine and Levant Merchant were taken. Appleton's flagship, the Leopard (48 guns) was overwhelmed and taken, as well. The only Dutch loss was the hired merchantman Madonna della Vigna, which was forced ashored north of the harbor. Richard Badiley's squadron exchanged fire with the 8 ships, including the Witte Olifant, and then withdrew, eventually from the Mediterranean Sea. That left the Dutch in control, and allowed them to send ships home.

In 1658, the city of Amsterdam fitted out two merchant ships for the war against Sweden (as per Jan Glete). They were the Waeg and the Cogge, both of 40 guns. The Waeg had a crew of 107 sailors and 30 soldiers. The Waeg was commanded by Sijbrant Janszoon Mol, and was assigned to Lt.-Admiral van Wassenaer's division. He took part in the Battle of the Sound, where the Dutch soundly defeated the Swedish fleet, with the loss of Witte de With and his flagship Brederode, which had run aground and been severely raked.

Dutch Captain: Barend Rees

In May 1673, Barend Rees commanded the Rotterdam ship Wassenaer (60 guns and a crew of 239 sailors and 46 soldiers). On 6 June, he was in Cornelis Tromp's squadron and took part in the second Schooneveld battle. He very likely had been in the first battle, as well. At the Battle of the Texel, he was in Jan de Haan's division in Cornelis Tromp's squadron. He still commanded the Wassenaer (now 59 guns and a crew of 223 sailors and 17 soldiers). On 24 May 1673, he was under Lt-Admiral van Nes. By 8 June 1674, he was in De Ruyter's division in the expedition to Martinique. Barend Rees commanded the Utrecht (36 guns and a crew of 128 sailors and 41 soldiers). In 1688 he participated in the voyage taking Willem III to invade England. Barend Rees commanded the Honslaardijk (48 guns and a crew of 190 men) in Schout-bij-Nacht Jan van Brakel's squadron.

Dutch Captain Ruth Maximiliaan

Captain Ruth Maximiliaan started the Second Anglo-Dutch War in command of a Lisbon trader Catherina (about 40 guns). At the action at Bergen, when an English squadron attempted to attack Pieter de Bitter's Retourvloot, Ruth Maximiliaan's ship was in a tight spot, in line between the Walcheren and Slot Hooningen. The harbor mouth was so narrow that there was only room for 7 ships, including the Catherina. In the fierce battle, the Catherina was holed underwater and had to be run ashore to keep from sinking. At the Four Days Battle, where he commanded the Rotterdam warship Wassenaer (56 guns), Ruth Maximiliaan took part in the fight with John Harman's ship Henry. The Dutch were convinced that she must have been sunk, although the Henry survived to fight another day. On the second day of the battle Captain Maximiliaan played a major part in sinking the Black Eagle (the former Friesland ship Groningen). Ruth Maximiliaan was killed at the St. James's Day Battle from 4-5 August 1666 (July 25-July 26 Old Style). Frank Fox called him one of De Ruyter's best captains.

The Friese Admiralty at Dokkum website

I need to give a better link to the Friesland admiralty at Dokkum website, as I was not aware of the correct access page that has links to the other pages. Now, if there would be websites of comparable quality for the other admiralties, we would be able to fill in most of the knowledge gaps we have about the Dutch navy from 1628-1654. I would like to discuss a few issues that I found when examining the Friese website ship list, as I have some questions that I have regarding several of the ship and captain associations. Still, the site is a great source of information and has advanced my knowledge of Friese ships and captains in the First Anglo-Dutch War (and the 1630's and 1640's, as well).

Dutch Captain: Cornelis Cruijck

Cornelis Adriaanszoon Cruijck (from Schiedam) was a captain for the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC). He took command of the Vogelstruis from Douwe Aucke. The Vogelstruis belonged to the Amsterdam Chamber of the VOC.

He was present at the start of the Battle of Portland, in De Ruyter's squadron. Forty of his crew were also from Schiedam. De Ruyter's ships combined their attacks so that four or more ships was board a single English ship. De Ruyter, himself, boarded, was repulsed, and then reboarded and took the large hired merchantman Prosperous (42 guns). In the intense fighting on the first day, Captain Cruijck was killed, his crew was decimated, and the ship was heavily damaged aloft. That night, the English took the Vogelstruis. The ship was so heavily damaged that the English made her a hulk, rather than trying to return her to service.

We estimate the Vogelstruis' dimensions to have been 160ft x 38ft x 18ft and she carried 40 to 44 guns. The large retourschepen such as the Vogelstruis were heavily armed. They often had 4-brass 24pdrs and a lower tier filled with 18pdrs. The upper tier would be 12pdr with 8pdr on the quarterdeck. We can't be sure how the Vogelstruis was armed, however. We do know that she had a crew of about 200 men.

I have two new theories about Friese ships

I have been immersed into thinking about Frisian ships today (thanks to finding the website). Now, I wonder again if the ship purchased in 1652 as the Groenewold actually served as the Zevenwolden? There is no sign of the Groenewold, except for the mention in the "Staet van Oorlog te Water" for 1654 and in "Vreugdenhil". Now, the Zevenwolden was lost at Scheveningen, but as I have indicated, the Groenewold shows in the "Staet" for 1654 and in Dr. Elias' book in a list from 1655. There is also a listing for Claes Jansoon Sanger and the West Cappel in both 1654 and 1655. Of course, the West Cappel was also taken and burnt at Scheveningen.

The other thing I wonder about is the Groningen. The Friese website says that Hendrick Janszoon Camp commanded the Groningen at Dungeness, and that it was the same 36-gun ship that fought at the Battle of the Sound in 1658 (as well as participating in the rest of the First Anglo-Dutch War). If that is correct, than the ship was built prior to 1653, unlike what Dr. Weber said in his book about the Four Days Battle. The ship is often shown with a smallish crew, so perhaps this was the ship from the March 1653 list that had 110 men in the crew and the Zevenwolden was the one with a 140 man crew.

We shall see how this develops, as I continue to gather more information.

Website for the Historische Vereniging Noordoost Friesland

I highly recommend the website of the Historische Vereniging Noordoost Friesland (”homepage van 'De Sneupers'). My friend Andrew, in Russia, discovered the site, and had drawn my attention to some of the text. The site has information that I have not seen anywhere else, in the published sources available to me. I will have to modify my view of Friesland ships in the First Anglo-Dutch War, given the information contained in the site. There are pages with comperhensive lists of Frisian captains and ships. This site confirms, yet again, what Frank Fox has told me: the information that we want exists; we just need to be persistent and find it.

Dutch captain Rombout van der Parre during the First Anglo-Dutch War

Thanks to the website of the Historische Vereniging Noordoost Friesland, we know more about some Frisian ships and captains (thanks to Andrew who found the site). I immediately noticed that the site adds to what is known about some captains and ships. For example, there is the following about Rombout van der Parre:

• Fought under De Ruyter at the Battle of Plymouth on 26 August 1652, where he commanded the Albertina (24 guns)
• Before the Battle of the Kentish Knock, he was sent home, due to his ship being unfit due to damage from the Battle of Plymouth
• Fought at the Battle of Dungeness (near the Singels) under Tromp in the Albertina
• Fought in the Battle of Portland (28 February to 2 March 1653) in the Albertina
• Commanded the new ship Oostergo (54 guns)

Dutch captain: Jan Thyssen

The information that I have about Jan Thyssen (Tijssen) is from the First Anglo-Dutch War up until 1659. In May 1652, he joined Tromp's fleet with a squadron of 7 Vlissingen and Middelburg Director's ships. This brought the fleet up to a strength of 42 ships. He fought at the Battle off Dover on 29 May 1652, and had gone into the Downs prior to the battle. In August, he sailed with the fleet to the Shetlands, and survived the storm. Hendrik de Raedt's pamphlet says that Commandeur Thyssen commanded a Middelburg directors' ship carrying 32 guns and a crew of 110 men. He seems to have been absent from the Battle of the Kentish Knock. Jan Evertsen's journal from 30 November 1652 says that Michel De Ruyter flew his flag from Jan Thyssen's ship (which we know was the Witte Lam). We are reasonably sure that De Ruyter used the Witte Lam as his flagship for the battles of Portland and the Gabbard. In late July 1652, Commandeur Thyssen and four ships lying there were intended to join the fleet. He must have been at the Battle of Scheveningen, as he and his mastless ship, the Liefde, were lying in the Goeree Gat.

The last time that I have seen Jan Thyssen mentioned was in 1659, when he commanded the Zeeland ship Dordrecht (40 guns) with De Ruyter's fleet in the Sound.

Dutch captain: Matthijs Gilliszoon

Apparently, Matthijs Gilliszoon's full name was Matthijs Gilliszoon Kampen. He served the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He died on 19 February 1649. He was promoted to captain in 1637 and Schout-bij-Nacht and then Vice-Admiral in 1647. In1639, he served under Tromp in the Battle of the Downs. In 1643, he had served under Tromp in the blockade of Dunkirk. In 1647, he commanded the ship Huis van Nassau (40 guns) as Vice-Admiral in the relief fleet sent to Brazil. They had been sent with inadequate resources to restore the Dutch position in Brazil, which had deteriorated after Prince Maurice had left the country. In 1648, Matthijs Gilliszoon's ship was disabled and abandoned in the battle near Bahia. A Portuguese captain blew up his ship, rather than being defeated, and destroyed the Utrecht (32 guns) and disabled the Huis van Nassau. The Huis van Nassau, after being abandoned, ended up in the harbor of Bahia, where it was taken by the Portuguese and refitted for use against the Dutch. In 1649, Matthijs Gilliszoon was killed in the land battle near Guararapes in Brazil. Sources:

• Mollema's "Honor Roll"
• W.J. van Hoboken, Witte de With in Brazilië

Dutch Captain: Cornelis Barentszoon Slordt

Cornelis Barentszoon Slordt is not mentioned in Mollema's "Honor Roll", still played a part in the actions at sea during the 1650's. I will give as much information as I have found:

Cornelis Barentszoon Slordt served the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. The earliest reference to him that I have found is on 16 November 1650, Joris van Cats found Captain Slordt and his ship, the Jonge Prins (28 guns) in the harbor of Cadiz. Captain Slordt spent the next three years as part of the Dutch Mediterranean squadron. He took part in the Battle of Monte Christo (Elba) in September 1652, under the command of Johan van Galen. On 14 March 1653, he took part in the Battle of Livorno (Leghorn), were Johan van Galen was mortally wounded. At the end of the battle, Captain Slordt's ship was one of 7 ships that exchanged fire with Richard Badiley's squadron, which withdrew without serious fighting. We next see Captain Slordt at the Battle of the Sound in 1658, where he commanded the Caleb (40 guns). The last mention of Captain Slordt was at the Battle of Lowestoft, where he commanded the Jozua (50 guns). Perhaps he was killed at Lowestoft, but I don't have a definitive reference.

New information thanks to a reader

Two questions have been answered, thanks to a reader, Andrew. He pointed out a quote: "In Augustus 1652 Andries Douwesz. Pascaert onder Adm. M.H. Tromp kruisend bij Shetland eilanden op het schip Prins Willem, 28 stukken". The questions that have been answered are:

"Who was Captain Pascaert" (mentioned in the passage about the Shetlands)

"What ship was commanded by Andries Douweszoon?"

There are conflicting reports about whether Andries Douweszoon Pascaert reported to the Admiralty of Friesland or to the Harlingen Directors. Hendrick de Raedt's pamphlet says that he reported to the Harlingen Directors, and that his ship carried 28 guns and had a crew of 105 men. Another reference gives the figures as 30 guns and a crew of 100 men. Andrew gives the figures as 28 guns and a crew of 90 men. In any case, Captain Pascaert took part in the Battle of the Gabbard and was courtmartialed and cashiered for his actions in the battle.

Little-known Dutch warships in the First Anglo-Dutch War

I noticed that Dr. Elias lists Cornelis van Houtten as being at the Battle of the Kentish Knock. His ship was the Witte Lam. She carried 28 guns (12-12pdr, 8-8pdr, 6-6pdr, and 2-3pdr), a crew of 96 and had dimensions of 127ft x 27-1/4ft x 12-1/2ft.

In another case, three captains operated in the Baltic from November 1652. They were Adriaan van Loenen, Gerrit Schuyt, and Cornelis Janszoon Brouwer. The latter two are more obscure, as you would not have seen their names associated with a ship in the published literature.

Gerrit Schuyt commanded the Rozeboom. She was the ship, later commanded by Bartholomeus van Rietbeeck, which was captured by the English at the Battle of the Gabbard. She had a crew of 96 men and carried 28 guns (12-12pdr, 8-8pdr, 6-6pdr, and 2-3pdr) with dimensions 118ft x 27ft x 12-1/2ft.

Cornelis Janszoon Brouwer's ship was the Valck. The Valck has not appeared in the published literature (by name). She carried 28 guns (12-12pdr, 8-8pdr, 6-6pdr, and 2-3pdr), in 1652 had a crew of 95 men. Her dimensions were 132-1/2ft x 26-1/6ft x 12-3/4ft.

The storm off the Shetlands in August 1652

This is my first attempt at translating note 1 on page 130 of Vol.II of Dr. Elias' book, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen:

According to the Hollandsche Mercurius, we lost at the Shetlands no more than 4 or 5 ships. In reality, our losses were a lot heavier. Before the storm, Tromp's fleet numbered 92 warships, 1 supply ship, 7 fireships, and 3 galliots. From that, on 5 and 6 August, Tromp collected 40 warships, 1 fireship, and 1 galliot. With captains Balck and De Lieffde came 40 warships, the supply ship, and 1 fireship. Previously, the warship of Captain Pascaert and the fireship of Captain Bondt had separately arrived. So that in total returned 81 warships, 1 supply ship, 3 fireships, and 1 galliot. One galliot was taken by Blake. For the Shetlands 11 warships therefore must have remained (among which included 1 admiralty ship of Amsterdam, the Amsterdam, Captain Barend Dorrevelt, "with people and ship" were lost, and 2 of the defective Friesland admiralty ships, which both as given as "to ahve stranded"), 4 fireships, and 1 galliot.

I want to attempt to determine the lost warships, which I firmly believe included at least several of the ships belonging to the Amsterdam Directors.

Dutch captain: Willem van Nieuhoff

This is based on my translation of the entry for Willem van Nieuhoff in Mollema's "Honor Roll" which I have augmented with additional information:

Willem van Nieuhoff died on 3 March 1653, and had served teh Admiralty of Amsterdam. He had been promoted to captain in 1636. In 1639, he had distinguished himself against 4 Dunkirkers. He was rewarded with a gold medal. He also fought at the Battle of the Downs. He was in Commandeur Denijs' squadron on the South side of the Downs, to block that exit for the Spanish fleet. In 1645, he commanded the Wapen van Goes under Witte de With in the Sound. In 1653, he died on board the transport ship Aartsengel Michiel (40 guns) in the Mediterranean Sea.

A possible ship-captain association

Dr. Ballhausen identifies Jacob Claeszoon Boet's ship as the Leeuwin on page 436 of his book. Captain Boet commanded a ship of the Monnikendam Directors with 32 guns and a crew of 115 men. I am not ready to absolutely say this is true, as Dr. Ballhausen is often wrong about this sort of identification. He attributes this to page 82 of the Onstelde-Zee (1654). I just happen to have a photocopy of this book (thanks to the James Ford Bell Library at the University of Minnesota). All that passage says is:

"Maar 't Schip den Meerman met 24 Yzere en 4 Metale stukken tussen 2 Engelse grote Bengels beklemt, worde na een langh geveght in de gront geschoten; daar op quam 't Ship de Leewwin met 28 Yzere en 4 Metale stukken, den eenen Engelsman van aghteren aan ter zyden dight aanboort leggen, dat het volk van den Meerman ziende leepen over de Engelsman, en salveerden haar in de Leewin."

I have maintained the exact spelling from the passage, even though it differs, even within the same passage. The mapping to more modern Dutch is fairly obvious. The bottom line is that I don't see anything to tie the Leeuwin to Captain Boet, except that the number of guns matches. The passage does suggest that the Leeuwin's armament was 32 guns: 4-brass and 28-iron guns.

Dr. Ballhausen suggests that the Meerman was commanded by Simon Corneliszoon van der Meer (Rotterdam), and gives her armament as 4-brass and 24-iron guns, as indicated by the passage above.