Admiralty of Friesland
Encyclopedia
The Admiralty of Friesland or Frisian Admiralty (Dutch
- Admiraliteit van Friesland or Friese Admiraliteit; West Frisian
- Fryske Admiraliteit) was one of the five admiralties of the Dutch Republic
. Set up on 6 March 1596, it was dissolved in 1795 during the reforms by the Batavian Republic
.
, and many maps and documents relating to the history of Friesland were also lost. What little archive material remained was held in the Department of Navy
at The Hague
, until that too was destroyed by fire on 8 January 1844. Little is known on the great men of the Admiralty, due to a lack of surviving archival material. One example of such loss is described by historian Beucker Andreae, who studied the life of Admiral Auke Stellingwerf
. About his search on the latter's baptismal records in what might have been the man's birthplace, Workum, he wrote:
(1568-1648) brought about the need for an improved organisation for the protection of trade, i.e., the sea routes of the new Dutch Republic
. Difficulties quickly arose between the different provinces with different views on the design of such organisation. Originally there were three different Admiralties: that of Zealand
, that of the Southern Quarter of the province of Holland, and that of the Northern Quarter of Holland, with Friesland to be controlled by the latter. In 1587, the Northern Quarter Admiralty established its headquarters at Amsterdam. Quickly a dispute arose between Friesland and this Amsterdam Admiralty over earnings from convoys, over import and export rights, over the financial administration, and because Amsterdam was simply too far away. Consequently, on 6 March 1596, the States of Friesland decided on the "Foundation of a Chamber or Council of Admiralty for this Territory." On 5 May 1597, Hoitze Aisma, Feijcke Tetmans, Sicke van Dijckstra, and Frans Jansz were entrusted with creating the Frisian Admiralty board.
, the highest confederal executive power of the Republic, approved a proposal in which the foundation of a Generaliteitscollege was decided upon; this replaced an earlier navy board, the Collegie Superintendent, of which Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
(Admiral-General since 1588) had been the head, but which had been dissolved in 1593 as a result of disputes between the provinces. The Generaliteitscollege was to be a loose cooperation, itself a mere formality without actual power, between five autonomous Admiralties (the Zealand, the Frisian, the West Frisian, the Amsterdam and the Rotterdam) to be represented in it. Each admiralty also had its own hierarchy. The Frisian Admiralty was led by a college responsible for the appointment of civil servants as bailiffs and clerks. Furthermore, the States-General appointed for each admiralty a receiver-general, a secretary, and a public prosecutor. Friesland's Admiralty was partly funded by the capital of another province, the city of Groningen (capital of the province of the same name
), and so people from Groningen could also be admitted to the Admiralty's positions (e.g. Admiral Rudolf Coenders), in return for its providing ships. The Frisian Admiralty was thus founded within a confederal context on 15 August 1597.
. This building had been bought in 1589 by captain Tjaerd Tjebbes for the sum of 900 gold guilder
s.
The Admiralty also took up residence in the Blauhuis, an impressive building with a striking slender tower. The city administration initially paid the rent, but from 1610 this was taken over by the Admiralty.
In 1618 the institution moved to another building, which thereby acquired the name Het Admiraliteitshuis ("The Admiralty House"); it is the location of the present city museum of the same name at Dokkum. Contrary to what might be expected from its name, this museum is not devoted to the maritime past of the city.
The period between the foundation and the Battle of the Downs
is little known due to the destruction of the Admiralty archives. It appears from a fleet list that at the Battle of Gibraltar
Captain Teunis Woltersz was present in command of De Friesche Pinas, though her number of crew and of guns are both unknown.
That employment with the Admiralty at Dokkum brought rich earnings is demonstrated by this excerpt from the minutes of an assembly of the States General, in which a captain asks around for payment of reward money promised to him because of courage he has shown:
In 1626 the Frisian Admiralty was exempted from its duty to deliver six warships, suggesting that not all was well in Dokkum financially and administratively. The Admiralty, however, came into action under the command of Dutch supreme commander Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp during the Thirty Years War to blockade the German Ems and Jade River
s to prevent privateers working for the Habsburgs to leave port. During this blockade the Frisians even captured the freebooter
Du Mortier. In 1639 the Admiralty equipped three ships and four yachts for the Republic. A few were sent out on scouting duties in the actions that would lead up to the Battle of the Downs
, including a roeifregat (galley) from the Frisian Admiralty, the Rotterdam, under command of Captain Joris Pieters van den Broeck
. After it brought back its report, Admiral Tromp decided to give battle on 16 September, with a Dutch fleet of 29 ships against 67 Spanish ships. One of the largest ships in Tromp's fleet was a 70 man frigate with 22 guns under the command of the Frisian captain Tjaard de Groot. In the later Battle of the Downs Broeck defeated a 140 man, 18 gun Spanish galleon
.
Van den Broeck found frequent fame in later years. In May 1641 he defeated an 80 man, 12 gun ship from Dunkirk, and in 1642 defeated a 140 man, 20 gun frigate with a ship of only 67 men and 10 guns.
es that were to control the Wadden Sea
, not considering it necessary to build facilities that could handle greater numbers of ships. When an actual need for large warships arose later on — normally two larger ships were operational — they simply used the ports of other provinces. For instance, from 1620 until 1636 the Admiralty's large warships were equipped at Amsterdam. In 1636, these ships were even briefly stationed in Rotterdam, far away from Friesland. Already in 1631 a vote in the Frisian college had come up to move the Frisian Admiralty to the port of Harlingen
, the main reasons being:
Harlingen was Friesland's only major sea port and offered obvious benefits as a naval port, if only to secure Friesland's main trade route. Dokkum, in contrast, was land-locked and could be reached only by light ships. Still it took ten years for a commission to investigate the possibilities for a move; it presented its report in 1642. An objection against a move had always been that the connection between the port of Harlingen and the North Sea
, the Vlie
estuary, lay in the area under control of the Admiralty of Amsterdam
. The waters to be patrolled by the Frisian Admiralty were just these between the islands of Ameland
and Schiermonnikoog
and the coast, and the Eems estuary east of Groningen. Dokkum was ideally situated to serve as a base for light ships for this purpose, the river Dokkumer Ee giving direct access to this area. However, during the 17th century the Dokkumer Ee began to silt up very seriously; the commission feared that in future the river bed could only be kept deep enough at prohibitive costs, concluding that a relocation was inevitable.
A year later, on 18 August 1643, regulations were drafted to organize the move. On 1 March 1644, the definitive decision to move was taken, and over the course of 1645 the relocation took place. The magistrates of Harlingen promised to see to it that the Admiralty would get good accommodation in "their" city, expenses to be met by the city. The Admiralty had, however, expected to be provided with more buildings--meeting rooms, warehouses, space for prisoners, and housing for servants. The Admiralty got a building on the south side of the south harbour. There was a request also for a building on the north harbour. A last admonition was necessary in 1653 before a few warehouses around the Westkerk became Admiralty property too.
in July 1652, the fleet of the Republic was in state of serious neglect. In 1651 it had been decided to expand the active fleet of 40 ships by activating 36 older warships. One year later it was decided to acquire a further 150 armed merchantmen as a reserve. The Frisian Admiralty did not, however, manage to comply with this first order of 1651, though it punctually met the second command (from 1652) for delivery of 17 ships. For the first time in its history the Admiralty had a considerable number of larger warships operational: up to eight were supplied to the national fleet. Each ship was between 120 and 125 feet long and between 27 and 28 feet wide. The ships were manned by 85 sailors and 25 soldiers and armed with between 28 and 30 guns.
At the Battle of Plymouth
in 1652, the Frisian Admiralty ships Westergo, Albertina, Schaapherder, Sara, Hector van Troye, and Gelderlandt were present, under command of Commodore Michiel de Ruyter
, as well as the Frisian captain Douwe Aukes on board the Dutch East India Company
warship De Vogelstruys, which had been added to the national fleet on the outbreak of war, with a crew of 200 heads and 40 guns. Aukes and his vessel, separated from the rest of the fleet, were surrounded by four British ships but when his crew was about to surrender Aukes threatened to blow her up himself if they refused to fight. The crew was so afraid that in the subsequent fight two British ships were sunk while the others were put to flight.
The other Admiralty colleges were not always pleased with the behavior of the crew of the ships of the Frisian Admiralty--for example, during this war, one of the Frisian ships sailed home without permission, and after the Battle of Portland
the shipmasters Sekema Becks and Allert Jansz were punished for not taking part.
Mainly because of money problems, it was chronically difficult for the Admiralty to sufficiently supply its vessels during the war, as was demonstrated in December 1652. Frisian captains Schelte Tjerks Wiglema and Adriaan Brunsveldt had not yet received the funds to feed the crew when Tromp required them to join his fleet. Hastily, Wiglema travelled to The Hague
to ask for the necessary money, but this was denied. Ultimately the Dokkumer captain paid for the provisions himself, "from his love for, and to the greater glory of, the Fatherland." Wiglema himself wouldn't eat much of the food, being killed a few weeks after. Understandably, through the lack of money many ships, most of them being older converted merchantmen, were in poor condition. When the Westergo sank in 1653, her hull hadn't been cleaned for eight months.
Near the end of the war, in 1653, the States-General decided, on instigation of the Grand Pensionary
of the States of Holland
Johan de Witt
, to keep a large standing navy during peacetime. This "New Navy" consisted of a professional core of 64 capital ships. Five of these were to be Frisian ships.
Sweden
tried to conquer Denmark
in an attempt to gain control of the Baltic Sea
, the Swedes threatened to inflict great damage on Dutch trade. The Dutch Republic thus began to fear for her trade on the Baltic Sea
and sent a fleet led by Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam
to help the Danes in what became known as the Dutch-Swedish War. The Swedes were defeated in 1658 in the Battle of the Sound
. Five Frisian ships took part in this battle, including the Albertina under Captain Auke Stellingwerf
and the troop transport Judith under master Tjerk Hiddes de Vries
. Stellingwerf, acting on behalf of the Admiralty, wintered in Denmark from 1658 to 1659 as did Tjerk Hiddes de Vries, defending Copenhagen against the Swedish attack.
In 1661 the States-General, to compensate losses, ordered the Frisian Admiralty to build three ships (out of eighteen across all the Admiralties), and five more in 1664, but none were ever delivered. The States-General became irritated and stated that they were "displeased in the highest possible extent". In response, that same year two Frisian warships were built, the Sevenwolden and the Princes Albertina. The threat of war with England rapidly increasing, the Admiralty began to adopt a more active attitude towards ship construction. Ships like the Oostergo (with 225 men and 56 guns) and d'Elff Steden with 175 men and 46 guns were then still seen as sufficiently heavy. However, in the autumn of 1664 the States-General became convinced it had at last become unavoidable to match the English fleet in strength and firepower; in December 1664 they ordered the construction of 24 new and much heavier vessels along with a number of lighter ships, the Frisian share being a fleet of nine vessels with a total crew of 1930 sailors and 416 cannon. In January 1665, a second order of 24 heavy vessels was placed, the Frisian Admiralty having to build three of them and also two yachts, two galiot
s, two fireships, and an ammunition supply vessel. Now that war was imminent and the Orangist province of Friesland--contrary to the predictions of the English ambassador George Downing--fully participated in the confederal war effort, lack of money was no longer an obstacle, and the Admiralty immediately began construction on these ships.
When the Second Anglo-Dutch War
finally broke out, the Frisian fleet sailed. In the course of February 1665 the Frisian squadron gathered at the Texel
. The crews were mostly recruited among seamen of the merchant navy forbidden to sail their merchant ships until the navy vessels were fully manned. The crew of the Westergo included a Polish sailor, who discovered a way of setting an enemy sail on fire with burning arrows. On 1 May, all the captains were gathered by Lieutenant-Admiral Stellingwerf and given their orders. The next day, however, a contrary wind meant they could not sail out. In the last few days, marriages were hurriedly concluded, for the fleet was to sail on 24 May. The ships Zevenwolden, Groeningen, Prinses Albertine, d'Elf Steden, Westergo, Omlandia, Frisia, De Postillon van Smirna, Hollandia, and Oostergo finally sailed, with a combined crew of 2279 sailors and 700 cannon. The great fleet finally arrived in the North Sea
, sinking several British merchantmen. In June, however, the combined Dutch fleet engaged the English in the Battle of Lowestoft
and suffered a heavy defeat, Stellingwerf being among the admirals killed. He was succeeded as Lieutenant-Admiral of the Frisian fleet by Tjerk Hiddes.
In 1666, while Lieutenant-Admiral Michiel de Ruyter was supreme commander of the rebuilt and expanded Dutch fleet, Frisian ships were present at the Four Days Battle
near Dunkirk. In this battle the British lost ten ships and 2,800 men, compared with the four ships and two thousand man lost by the Dutch. Tjerk Hiddes distinguished himself by his bravery. This was to be the zenith of Frisian naval power, for not six weeks later the Dutch fleet was defeated in the St James's Day Battle with the thirteen Frisian ships being badly mauled. Tjerk Hiddes was mortally wounded, Rudolf Coenders killed.
Still, the next year, 1667, the Frisian Admiralty again equipped eleven larger vessels. It rendered only a modest contribution to the decisive Raid on the Medway
— its fleet was initially too late — but such ships as the Groningen (between 276 and 300 crew members and 70 guns), the flagship of the new Frisian operational commander Vice-Admiral Enno Doedes Star
, were used to cover the national fleet.
the Frisian fleet was already markedly diminished in power. As the province was under threat by the army of Bernhard von Galen
it couldn't spend much funds on naval activities. As a result, after the initial Battle of Solebay
, in which nine Frisian ships were present, the entire Dutch fleet was rather small, despite having to fight the combined Anglo-French force. The Admiralty of Friesland nevertheless provided the following ships and captains for the 1673 Battle of Texel
, the last great sea battle of this war:
Ships of the line:
d'Elf Steden 50 (Witzo Johannes Beima)
Prins Hendrik Casimir 70 (Rear-Admiral Hendrik Bruynsvelt)
Groningen 70 (Vice-Admiral Enno Doedes Star
)
Oostergo 58 (Jan Janszoon Vijselaer)
Frigate:
Windhond 30 (Jan Pieterszoon Vinckelbos)
Scouting vessels:
Hoop 6 (Cornelis Reindertszoon Eenarm)
Liefde (Jochem Jansen
)
"Brander":
Welkomst (IJsbrand Albertszoon)
and Louis XIV of France, the Frisians were unable to keep up with developments. In 1685 the entire Frisian fleet consisted of two frigates, and even these were in a poor condition. Between 1672 and 1712 Friesland had just seven naval vessels built. Due to the wars with France, in 1712 the Republic was financially exhausted. Even the rich province of Holland decided to temporarily discontinue warship construction; for much poorer Friesland this situation would basically last well into the second half of the 18th century. As a result, soon after 1715 Friesland was unable to equip even a single larger vessel. To end this situation, between 1728 and 1730 the English shipwright Thomas Davis
in Harlingen built the Prins Friso of 52 cannon, to provide the Admiralty with a flagship. This was the only major warship constructed in Friesland between 1700 and 1758. In 1740 the frigate Termeer was purchased from the Admiralty of Amsterdam
and renamed the Friesland. In the second half of the 18th century a minor Dutch naval renaissance took place with modern warships being built in an attempt to counter growing British naval dominance. Friesland also embarked on a small construction programme. In 1758 Charles Bentham
built the Prins Willem (36 cannon), in 1760 wharf master Willem Lodewijk van Genth built the Princesse Maria Louisa (54 cannon), and in 1769 the d'Eendracht (24 cannon) was built. After 1778 production accelerated and fourteen vessels were under construction between that year and 1789, though two of these would remain unfinished.
The Harlingen
The Harlingen period encompassed both the apex and the lowest point of Frisian sea power. At the height of the Admiralty, Harlingen had four wharfs. Dozens of warships were launched. This period produced naval heroes such as Tjerk Hiddes de Vries
and Auke Stellingwerf
, both fatally wounded during naval service--under Dutch conventions, being killed in battle was the mark of a real naval hero. Under the command of Tjerk Hiddes de Vries, during the Second Anglo-Dutch War
, the Frisian Admiralty's fleet was at its largest, with no less than forty vessels, large and small.
The Frisian Admiralty in this time also profited from the sale of seized goods and ships. For example, during the Four Days Battle
on June 13, 1665, the Nagelboom, a VOC
ship taken the previous year by the English during the Battle of Lowestoft
, was recaptured by the Frisians. As it was their prize it was also their legal possession, no longer that of the VOC. In an advertisement in the Haerlemse Courant a year later the same ship came up for sale:
In the 18th century activities were minimal; the short revival later that century was dealt a serious blow when during the night of 12 to February 13, 1771 the townspeople couldn't prevent a fire laying waste to the building of the Frisian Admiralty in Harlingen. Not only did the vergaderhuis (council hall) and two associated warehouses burn down, but also the entire archive. After this fiasco the Admiralty moved to the Havenplein.
The time in Harlingen saw other mishaps as well. In 1781, during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War
, the Frisian Admiralty in Harlingen began building the two largest ships of the line in its history, the 74 gun Vriesland and Stadt en Lande (named after the provinces of Friesland and Groningen respectively), but construction was halted when it was realized, after new soundings, that they were too large to leave port, having too deep a draught to pass the Buitenhaven, the silted exit channel. After several years' indecision as to what to do with them, they were sold for scrap in 1792.
At the end of the eighteenth century the Frisian Admiralty hit hard times, with Friesland suffering major financial problems. In 1795, during the Batavian Republic
, the different Admiralties of Netherlands were merged into a central committee to fulfil the wishes of the Patriots
, in the context of transforming the Dutch confederation into a unitary state
. The Admiralty's shipyard, where warships were nearing completion and launch, moved into private hands. The last ship launched by the Admiralty was in 1789, the 20 gun Syreene. Few opposed this merger, since the best days of this and the other Admiralties were well behind them. The Dutch Navy's dominant role was over forever.
, Friese, Westfriese, Amsterdam
and the Rotterdamse
. In a few cases, it participated in international coalitions. In some sea battles the Frisian Admiralty opted out; sometimes because it was too late to join in, and sometimes because it did not have sufficient funds to raise a fleet, as in most battles of the Third Anglo-Dutch War
(since Friesland and Groningen were already under attack from the bishop of Münster, Bernhard von Galen
).
A few ships of the former Frisian Admiralty fought in the Battle of Camperdown
in 1797, under the flag of the Batavian Republic
.
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
- Admiraliteit van Friesland or Friese Admiraliteit; West Frisian
West Frisian language
West Frisian is a language spoken mostly in the province of Friesland in the north of the Netherlands. West Frisian is the name by which this language is usually known outside the Netherlands, to distinguish it from the closely related Frisian languages of Saterland Frisian and North Frisian,...
- Fryske Admiraliteit) was one of the five admiralties of the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
. Set up on 6 March 1596, it was dissolved in 1795 during the reforms by the Batavian Republic
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
.
Destruction of the Admiralty archives
Few sources on the Frisian Admiralty survive. The entire archive on the Admiralty was destroyed in the large fire of 12 and 13 February 1771 in HarlingenHarlingen, Netherlands
Harlingen is a municipality and a city in the northern Netherlands, in the province of Friesland at the Wadden Sea. Harlingen is an old town with a long history of fishing and shipping....
, and many maps and documents relating to the history of Friesland were also lost. What little archive material remained was held in the Department of Navy
Royal Netherlands Navy
The Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
at The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, until that too was destroyed by fire on 8 January 1844. Little is known on the great men of the Admiralty, due to a lack of surviving archival material. One example of such loss is described by historian Beucker Andreae, who studied the life of Admiral Auke Stellingwerf
Auke Stellingwerf
Auke Andriesz Stellingwerf was a Dutch admiral who served the Frisian admiralty and died while commanding a squadron in the battle of Lowestoft....
. About his search on the latter's baptismal records in what might have been the man's birthplace, Workum, he wrote:
A box had been kept, however, by the church guardians, holding old books and manuscripts, among which, according to an elderly inhabitant of the town, the baptismal records should have been present. But that box had some years ago been given to the deaconDeaconDeacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
s for safe-keeping, and there — since there was no lock on the lid — the female supervisor of the old people's home had cut up the books she discovered in the box for domestic use, as sewing patterns! And so it came about that, although the box is still there, the papers can no longer be found in them.
History
Foundation
The Dutch RevoltDutch Revolt
The Dutch Revolt or the Revolt of the Netherlands This article adopts 1568 as the starting date of the war, as this was the year of the first battles between armies. However, since there is a long period of Protestant vs...
(1568-1648) brought about the need for an improved organisation for the protection of trade, i.e., the sea routes of the new Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
. Difficulties quickly arose between the different provinces with different views on the design of such organisation. Originally there were three different Admiralties: that of Zealand
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
, that of the Southern Quarter of the province of Holland, and that of the Northern Quarter of Holland, with Friesland to be controlled by the latter. In 1587, the Northern Quarter Admiralty established its headquarters at Amsterdam. Quickly a dispute arose between Friesland and this Amsterdam Admiralty over earnings from convoys, over import and export rights, over the financial administration, and because Amsterdam was simply too far away. Consequently, on 6 March 1596, the States of Friesland decided on the "Foundation of a Chamber or Council of Admiralty for this Territory." On 5 May 1597, Hoitze Aisma, Feijcke Tetmans, Sicke van Dijckstra, and Frans Jansz were entrusted with creating the Frisian Admiralty board.
Organisational Structure
On 14 June 1597 the States-General of the NetherlandsStates-General of the Netherlands
The States-General of the Netherlands is the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The parliament meets in at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The archaic Dutch word "staten" originally related to the feudal classes in which medieval...
, the highest confederal executive power of the Republic, approved a proposal in which the foundation of a Generaliteitscollege was decided upon; this replaced an earlier navy board, the Collegie Superintendent, of which Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange was sovereign Prince of Orange from 1618, on the death of his eldest half brother, Philip William, Prince of Orange,...
(Admiral-General since 1588) had been the head, but which had been dissolved in 1593 as a result of disputes between the provinces. The Generaliteitscollege was to be a loose cooperation, itself a mere formality without actual power, between five autonomous Admiralties (the Zealand, the Frisian, the West Frisian, the Amsterdam and the Rotterdam) to be represented in it. Each admiralty also had its own hierarchy. The Frisian Admiralty was led by a college responsible for the appointment of civil servants as bailiffs and clerks. Furthermore, the States-General appointed for each admiralty a receiver-general, a secretary, and a public prosecutor. Friesland's Admiralty was partly funded by the capital of another province, the city of Groningen (capital of the province of the same name
Groningen (province)
Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...
), and so people from Groningen could also be admitted to the Admiralty's positions (e.g. Admiral Rudolf Coenders), in return for its providing ships. The Frisian Admiralty was thus founded within a confederal context on 15 August 1597.
The Dokkum Era
The Frisian Admiralty was initially housed in the old raadhuis (town hall) on the corner of Hoogstraat on the Lange Oosterstraat in the city of DokkumDokkum
Dokkum is a Dutch fortified town in the municipality of Dongeradeel in the province of Friesland. It has 13,145 inhabitants . The fortifications of Dokkum are well preserved and are known as the bolwerken . - History :...
. This building had been bought in 1589 by captain Tjaerd Tjebbes for the sum of 900 gold guilder
Guilder
Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch gulden — from Old Dutch for 'golden'. The guilder originated as a gold coin but has been a common name for a silver or base metal coin for some centuries...
s.
The Admiralty also took up residence in the Blauhuis, an impressive building with a striking slender tower. The city administration initially paid the rent, but from 1610 this was taken over by the Admiralty.
In 1618 the institution moved to another building, which thereby acquired the name Het Admiraliteitshuis ("The Admiralty House"); it is the location of the present city museum of the same name at Dokkum. Contrary to what might be expected from its name, this museum is not devoted to the maritime past of the city.
The period between the foundation and the Battle of the Downs
Battle of the Downs
The naval Battle of the Downs took place on 31 October 1639 , during the Eighty Years' War, and was a decisive defeat of the Spanish, commanded by Admiral Antonio de Oquendo, by the United Provinces, commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp.- Background :The entry of France in the Thirty...
is little known due to the destruction of the Admiralty archives. It appears from a fleet list that at the Battle of Gibraltar
Battle of Gibraltar
The naval Battle of Gibraltar took place on 25 April 1607 during the Eighty Years' War when a Dutch fleet surprised and engaged a Spanish fleet anchored at the Bay of Gibraltar. During the four hours of action, most of the Spanish fleet was destroyed....
Captain Teunis Woltersz was present in command of De Friesche Pinas, though her number of crew and of guns are both unknown.
That employment with the Admiralty at Dokkum brought rich earnings is demonstrated by this excerpt from the minutes of an assembly of the States General, in which a captain asks around for payment of reward money promised to him because of courage he has shown:
- Kapt.Thoenis Woltersz. asks by request payment of f. 50, = that have been assigned him on 17 December 1609 for courage shown in the battle of Gibraltar, furthermore [he asks] for an instruction to be given to the Adm. at Dokkum that he be readmitted into their service and that until that time he might receive wages. The States decide that the Adm is to pay Woltersz the f. 50, and to take him in service on the first vacancy [of full captain] to become available. For now he will receive an extra-ordinary wage of f. 12, if it appears that he does real service [as an extra-ordinary captain].
Battle of the Downs
Jade River
The Jade is a 22 km long river in Lower Saxony, northwestern Germany. Its source is near Oldenburg, and it flows into the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, near Varel.- Literature :* Klaus Dede: An der Jade...
s to prevent privateers working for the Habsburgs to leave port. During this blockade the Frisians even captured the freebooter
Freebooter
Freebooter may refer to:* Marine freebooters, or pirates.* Filibuster , a group of individuals who engage in unauthorized warfare against foreign countries.* Rapparee, the Irish usage.* Meadowbrook Freebooters, American polo team...
Du Mortier. In 1639 the Admiralty equipped three ships and four yachts for the Republic. A few were sent out on scouting duties in the actions that would lead up to the Battle of the Downs
Battle of the Downs
The naval Battle of the Downs took place on 31 October 1639 , during the Eighty Years' War, and was a decisive defeat of the Spanish, commanded by Admiral Antonio de Oquendo, by the United Provinces, commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp.- Background :The entry of France in the Thirty...
, including a roeifregat (galley) from the Frisian Admiralty, the Rotterdam, under command of Captain Joris Pieters van den Broeck
Joris Pieters van den Broeck
Joris Pieters van den Broeck was a Frisian sailor in the service of the Admiralty of Friesland.-Service:In the days before the Battle of the Downs, Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp had chosen a position off the coast near Dunkirk...
. After it brought back its report, Admiral Tromp decided to give battle on 16 September, with a Dutch fleet of 29 ships against 67 Spanish ships. One of the largest ships in Tromp's fleet was a 70 man frigate with 22 guns under the command of the Frisian captain Tjaard de Groot. In the later Battle of the Downs Broeck defeated a 140 man, 18 gun Spanish galleon
Galleon
A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with the demi-culverin type of cannon.-Etymology:...
.
Van den Broeck found frequent fame in later years. In May 1641 he defeated an 80 man, 12 gun ship from Dunkirk, and in 1642 defeated a 140 man, 20 gun frigate with a ship of only 67 men and 10 guns.
Move
The Frisian Admiralty at first only built the harbour facilities in Dokkum it thought necessary to equip about nine ketchKetch
A ketch is a sailing craft with two masts: a main mast, and a shorter mizzen mast abaft of the main mast, but forward of the rudder post. Both masts are rigged mainly fore-and-aft. From one to three jibs may be carried forward of the main mast when going to windward...
es that were to control the Wadden Sea
Wadden Sea
The Wadden Sea is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern continental Europe and the range of Frisian Islands, forming a shallow body of water with tidal flats and wetlands. It is rich in biological diversity...
, not considering it necessary to build facilities that could handle greater numbers of ships. When an actual need for large warships arose later on — normally two larger ships were operational — they simply used the ports of other provinces. For instance, from 1620 until 1636 the Admiralty's large warships were equipped at Amsterdam. In 1636, these ships were even briefly stationed in Rotterdam, far away from Friesland. Already in 1631 a vote in the Frisian college had come up to move the Frisian Admiralty to the port of Harlingen
Harlingen, Netherlands
Harlingen is a municipality and a city in the northern Netherlands, in the province of Friesland at the Wadden Sea. Harlingen is an old town with a long history of fishing and shipping....
, the main reasons being:
- The conveniant location of the city of Harlingen and other commodities serving the equipment for sea and the defence against sudden enemy attacks.
Harlingen was Friesland's only major sea port and offered obvious benefits as a naval port, if only to secure Friesland's main trade route. Dokkum, in contrast, was land-locked and could be reached only by light ships. Still it took ten years for a commission to investigate the possibilities for a move; it presented its report in 1642. An objection against a move had always been that the connection between the port of Harlingen and the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, the Vlie
Vlie
The Vlie or Vliestroom is the seaway between the Dutch islands of Vlieland, to its southwest, and Terschelling, to its northeast. The Vlie was the estuary of the river IJssel in medieval times...
estuary, lay in the area under control of the Admiralty of Amsterdam
Admiralty of Amsterdam
The Admiralty of Amsterdam was the largest of the five Dutch admiralties at the time of the Dutch Republic. The administration of the various Admiralties was strongly influenced by provincial interests...
. The waters to be patrolled by the Frisian Admiralty were just these between the islands of Ameland
Ameland
Ameland is a municipality and one of the West Frisian Islands off the north coast of the Netherlands. It consists mostly of sand dunes. It is the third major island of the West Frisians. It neighbours islands Terschelling to the West and Schiermonnikoog to the East...
and Schiermonnikoog
Schiermonnikoog
Schiermonnikoog is an island, a municipality, and a national park in the northern Netherlands. Schiermonnikoog is one of the West Frisian Islands, and is part of the province of Friesland....
and the coast, and the Eems estuary east of Groningen. Dokkum was ideally situated to serve as a base for light ships for this purpose, the river Dokkumer Ee giving direct access to this area. However, during the 17th century the Dokkumer Ee began to silt up very seriously; the commission feared that in future the river bed could only be kept deep enough at prohibitive costs, concluding that a relocation was inevitable.
A year later, on 18 August 1643, regulations were drafted to organize the move. On 1 March 1644, the definitive decision to move was taken, and over the course of 1645 the relocation took place. The magistrates of Harlingen promised to see to it that the Admiralty would get good accommodation in "their" city, expenses to be met by the city. The Admiralty had, however, expected to be provided with more buildings--meeting rooms, warehouses, space for prisoners, and housing for servants. The Admiralty got a building on the south side of the south harbour. There was a request also for a building on the north harbour. A last admonition was necessary in 1653 before a few warehouses around the Westkerk became Admiralty property too.
First Anglo-Dutch War
At the start of the First Anglo-Dutch WarFirst Anglo-Dutch War
The First Anglo–Dutch War was the first of the four Anglo–Dutch Wars. It was fought entirely at sea between the navies of the Commonwealth of England and the United Provinces of the Netherlands. Caused by disputes over trade, the war began with English attacks on Dutch merchant shipping, but...
in July 1652, the fleet of the Republic was in state of serious neglect. In 1651 it had been decided to expand the active fleet of 40 ships by activating 36 older warships. One year later it was decided to acquire a further 150 armed merchantmen as a reserve. The Frisian Admiralty did not, however, manage to comply with this first order of 1651, though it punctually met the second command (from 1652) for delivery of 17 ships. For the first time in its history the Admiralty had a considerable number of larger warships operational: up to eight were supplied to the national fleet. Each ship was between 120 and 125 feet long and between 27 and 28 feet wide. The ships were manned by 85 sailors and 25 soldiers and armed with between 28 and 30 guns.
At the Battle of Plymouth
Battle of Plymouth
The Battle of Plymouth was a naval battle in the First Anglo-Dutch War. It took place on 26 August 1652 and was a short battle, but had the unexpected outcome of a Dutch victory over England. General-at-Sea George Ayscue of the Commonwealth of England attacked an outward bound convoy of the Dutch...
in 1652, the Frisian Admiralty ships Westergo, Albertina, Schaapherder, Sara, Hector van Troye, and Gelderlandt were present, under command of Commodore Michiel de Ruyter
Michiel de Ruyter
Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter is the most famous and one of the most skilled admirals in Dutch history. De Ruyter is most famous for his role in the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the 17th century. He fought the English and French and scored several major victories against them, the best known probably...
, as well as the Frisian captain Douwe Aukes on board the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
warship De Vogelstruys, which had been added to the national fleet on the outbreak of war, with a crew of 200 heads and 40 guns. Aukes and his vessel, separated from the rest of the fleet, were surrounded by four British ships but when his crew was about to surrender Aukes threatened to blow her up himself if they refused to fight. The crew was so afraid that in the subsequent fight two British ships were sunk while the others were put to flight.
The other Admiralty colleges were not always pleased with the behavior of the crew of the ships of the Frisian Admiralty--for example, during this war, one of the Frisian ships sailed home without permission, and after the Battle of Portland
Battle of Portland
The naval Battle of Portland, or Three Days' Battle took place during 28 February-2 March 1653 , during the First Anglo-Dutch War, when the fleet of the Commonwealth of England under General at Sea Robert Blake was attacked by a fleet of the Dutch Republic under Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp...
the shipmasters Sekema Becks and Allert Jansz were punished for not taking part.
Mainly because of money problems, it was chronically difficult for the Admiralty to sufficiently supply its vessels during the war, as was demonstrated in December 1652. Frisian captains Schelte Tjerks Wiglema and Adriaan Brunsveldt had not yet received the funds to feed the crew when Tromp required them to join his fleet. Hastily, Wiglema travelled to The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
to ask for the necessary money, but this was denied. Ultimately the Dokkumer captain paid for the provisions himself, "from his love for, and to the greater glory of, the Fatherland." Wiglema himself wouldn't eat much of the food, being killed a few weeks after. Understandably, through the lack of money many ships, most of them being older converted merchantmen, were in poor condition. When the Westergo sank in 1653, her hull hadn't been cleaned for eight months.
Near the end of the war, in 1653, the States-General decided, on instigation of the Grand Pensionary
Grand Pensionary
The Grand Pensionary was the most important Dutch official during the time of the United Provinces. In theory he was only a civil servant of the Estates of the dominant province among the Seven United Provinces: the county of Holland...
of the States of Holland
States of Holland
The States of Holland and West Frisia were the representation of the two Estates to the court of the Count of Holland...
Johan de Witt
Johan de Witt
Johan de Witt, heer van Zuid- en Noord-Linschoten, Snelrewaard, Hekendorp and IJsselveere was a key figure in Dutch politics in the mid 17th century, when its flourishing sea trade in a period of globalization made the United Provinces a leading European power during the Dutch Golden Age...
, to keep a large standing navy during peacetime. This "New Navy" consisted of a professional core of 64 capital ships. Five of these were to be Frisian ships.
War in the Baltic
When in the Northern WarsNorthern Wars
Northern Wars is a term used for a series of wars fought in northern and northeastern Europe in the 16th and 17th century. An internationally agreed nomenclature for these wars has not yet been devised...
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
tried to conquer Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in an attempt to gain control of the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, the Swedes threatened to inflict great damage on Dutch trade. The Dutch Republic thus began to fear for her trade on the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
and sent a fleet led by Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam
Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam
Jacob, Banner Lord of Wassenaer, Lord Obdam, Hensbroek, Spanbroek, Opmeer, Zuidwijk and Kernhem was a Dutch Lieutenant-Admiral, and supreme commander of the confederate Dutch navy. The name Obdam was then also spelled as Opdam...
to help the Danes in what became known as the Dutch-Swedish War. The Swedes were defeated in 1658 in the Battle of the Sound
Battle of the Sound
The naval Battle of the Sound took place on 8 November 1658 during the Second Northern War, near the Sound or Oresund, just north of the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Sweden had defeated Denmark and an army under Charles X of Sweden had Copenhagen itself under siege...
. Five Frisian ships took part in this battle, including the Albertina under Captain Auke Stellingwerf
Auke Stellingwerf
Auke Andriesz Stellingwerf was a Dutch admiral who served the Frisian admiralty and died while commanding a squadron in the battle of Lowestoft....
and the troop transport Judith under master Tjerk Hiddes de Vries
Tjerk Hiddes de Vries
Tjerk Hiddes de Vries was a naval hero and Dutch admiral from the seventeenth century. The French, who could not pronounce his name, called him Kiërkides...
. Stellingwerf, acting on behalf of the Admiralty, wintered in Denmark from 1658 to 1659 as did Tjerk Hiddes de Vries, defending Copenhagen against the Swedish attack.
Second Anglo-Dutch War
Galiot
Galiots were types of ships from the Age of Sail.In the Mediterranean, galiots were a type of small galley, with one or two masts and about twenty oars, using both sails and oars for propulsion...
s, two fireships, and an ammunition supply vessel. Now that war was imminent and the Orangist province of Friesland--contrary to the predictions of the English ambassador George Downing--fully participated in the confederal war effort, lack of money was no longer an obstacle, and the Admiralty immediately began construction on these ships.
When the Second Anglo-Dutch War
Second Anglo-Dutch War
The Second Anglo–Dutch War was part of a series of four Anglo–Dutch Wars fought between the English and the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries for control over the seas and trade routes....
finally broke out, the Frisian fleet sailed. In the course of February 1665 the Frisian squadron gathered at the Texel
Texel
Texel is a municipality and an island in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the biggest and most populated of the Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea, and also the westernmost of this archipelago, which extends to Denmark...
. The crews were mostly recruited among seamen of the merchant navy forbidden to sail their merchant ships until the navy vessels were fully manned. The crew of the Westergo included a Polish sailor, who discovered a way of setting an enemy sail on fire with burning arrows. On 1 May, all the captains were gathered by Lieutenant-Admiral Stellingwerf and given their orders. The next day, however, a contrary wind meant they could not sail out. In the last few days, marriages were hurriedly concluded, for the fleet was to sail on 24 May. The ships Zevenwolden, Groeningen, Prinses Albertine, d'Elf Steden, Westergo, Omlandia, Frisia, De Postillon van Smirna, Hollandia, and Oostergo finally sailed, with a combined crew of 2279 sailors and 700 cannon. The great fleet finally arrived in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, sinking several British merchantmen. In June, however, the combined Dutch fleet engaged the English in the Battle of Lowestoft
Battle of Lowestoft
The naval Battle of Lowestoft took place on 13 June 1665 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War.A fleet of more than a hundred ships of the United Provinces commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam attacked an English fleet of equal size commanded by James Stuart, Duke of York forty...
and suffered a heavy defeat, Stellingwerf being among the admirals killed. He was succeeded as Lieutenant-Admiral of the Frisian fleet by Tjerk Hiddes.
In 1666, while Lieutenant-Admiral Michiel de Ruyter was supreme commander of the rebuilt and expanded Dutch fleet, Frisian ships were present at the Four Days Battle
Four Days Battle
The Four Days Battle was a naval battle of the Second Anglo–Dutch War. Fought from 1 June to 4 June 1666 in the Julian or Old Style calendar then used in England off the Flemish and English coast, it remains one of the longest naval engagements in history.In June 1665 the English had soundly...
near Dunkirk. In this battle the British lost ten ships and 2,800 men, compared with the four ships and two thousand man lost by the Dutch. Tjerk Hiddes distinguished himself by his bravery. This was to be the zenith of Frisian naval power, for not six weeks later the Dutch fleet was defeated in the St James's Day Battle with the thirteen Frisian ships being badly mauled. Tjerk Hiddes was mortally wounded, Rudolf Coenders killed.
Still, the next year, 1667, the Frisian Admiralty again equipped eleven larger vessels. It rendered only a modest contribution to the decisive Raid on the Medway
Raid on the Medway
The Raid on the Medway, sometimes called the Battle of the Medway, Raid on Chatham or the Battle of Chatham, was a successful Dutch attack on the largest English naval ships, laid up in the dockyards of their main naval base Chatham, that took place in June 1667 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War...
— its fleet was initially too late — but such ships as the Groningen (between 276 and 300 crew members and 70 guns), the flagship of the new Frisian operational commander Vice-Admiral Enno Doedes Star
Enno Doedes Star
Enno Doedes Star was a Dutch naval commander....
, were used to cover the national fleet.
Third Anglo-Dutch War
In the Third Anglo-Dutch WarThird Anglo-Dutch War
The Third Anglo–Dutch War or Third Dutch War was a military conflict between England and the Dutch Republic lasting from 1672 to 1674. It was part of the larger Franco-Dutch War...
the Frisian fleet was already markedly diminished in power. As the province was under threat by the army of Bernhard von Galen
Bernhard von Galen
Christoph Bernhard Freiherr von Galen was prince-bishop of Münster. He was born into a noble Westphalian family....
it couldn't spend much funds on naval activities. As a result, after the initial Battle of Solebay
Battle of Solebay
The naval Battle of Solebay took place on 28 May Old Style, 7 June New Style 1672 and was the first naval battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War.-The battle:...
, in which nine Frisian ships were present, the entire Dutch fleet was rather small, despite having to fight the combined Anglo-French force. The Admiralty of Friesland nevertheless provided the following ships and captains for the 1673 Battle of Texel
Battle of Texel
The naval Battle of Texel or Battle of Kijkduin took place on 21 August 1673 between the Dutch and the combined English and French fleets and was the last major battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War, which was itself part of the Franco-Dutch War , during which Louis XIV of France invaded the...
, the last great sea battle of this war:
Ships of the line:
d'Elf Steden 50 (Witzo Johannes Beima)
Prins Hendrik Casimir 70 (Rear-Admiral Hendrik Bruynsvelt)
Groningen 70 (Vice-Admiral Enno Doedes Star
Enno Doedes Star
Enno Doedes Star was a Dutch naval commander....
)
Oostergo 58 (Jan Janszoon Vijselaer)
Frigate:
Windhond 30 (Jan Pieterszoon Vinckelbos)
Scouting vessels:
Hoop 6 (Cornelis Reindertszoon Eenarm)
Liefde (Jochem Jansen
Jochem Jansen
Jochem Jansen is a Dutch professional footballer who currently plays for De Graafschap.-External links:...
)
"Brander":
Welkomst (IJsbrand Albertszoon)
Decline
In the years after 1673, the Frisian fleet never recovered. Although the national Dutch fleet continued to grow in strength during the wars between William III of OrangeWilliam III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
and Louis XIV of France, the Frisians were unable to keep up with developments. In 1685 the entire Frisian fleet consisted of two frigates, and even these were in a poor condition. Between 1672 and 1712 Friesland had just seven naval vessels built. Due to the wars with France, in 1712 the Republic was financially exhausted. Even the rich province of Holland decided to temporarily discontinue warship construction; for much poorer Friesland this situation would basically last well into the second half of the 18th century. As a result, soon after 1715 Friesland was unable to equip even a single larger vessel. To end this situation, between 1728 and 1730 the English shipwright Thomas Davis
Thomas Davis (shipwright)
-Amsterdam Admiralty:In 1727 the Amsterdam Admiralty, the largest of the six Dutch Chambers that made up the Dutch East India Company, brought in Davis, Charles Bentham and John May to work for them in improving ship design and avoiding the wreck after wreck they had recently been...
in Harlingen built the Prins Friso of 52 cannon, to provide the Admiralty with a flagship. This was the only major warship constructed in Friesland between 1700 and 1758. In 1740 the frigate Termeer was purchased from the Admiralty of Amsterdam
Admiralty of Amsterdam
The Admiralty of Amsterdam was the largest of the five Dutch admiralties at the time of the Dutch Republic. The administration of the various Admiralties was strongly influenced by provincial interests...
and renamed the Friesland. In the second half of the 18th century a minor Dutch naval renaissance took place with modern warships being built in an attempt to counter growing British naval dominance. Friesland also embarked on a small construction programme. In 1758 Charles Bentham
Charles Bentham
Charles Bentham was an English shipwright. In 1727 the Amsterdam Admiralty, brought in Bentham and two other English shipwrights to work for them in improving ship design and avoiding the wreck after wreck they had recently been suffering...
built the Prins Willem (36 cannon), in 1760 wharf master Willem Lodewijk van Genth built the Princesse Maria Louisa (54 cannon), and in 1769 the d'Eendracht (24 cannon) was built. After 1778 production accelerated and fourteen vessels were under construction between that year and 1789, though two of these would remain unfinished.
The HarlingenHarlingen, NetherlandsHarlingen is a municipality and a city in the northern Netherlands, in the province of Friesland at the Wadden Sea. Harlingen is an old town with a long history of fishing and shipping....
Era
The Harlingen period encompassed both the apex and the lowest point of Frisian sea power. At the height of the Admiralty, Harlingen had four wharfs. Dozens of warships were launched. This period produced naval heroes such as Tjerk Hiddes de VriesTjerk Hiddes de Vries
Tjerk Hiddes de Vries was a naval hero and Dutch admiral from the seventeenth century. The French, who could not pronounce his name, called him Kiërkides...
and Auke Stellingwerf
Auke Stellingwerf
Auke Andriesz Stellingwerf was a Dutch admiral who served the Frisian admiralty and died while commanding a squadron in the battle of Lowestoft....
, both fatally wounded during naval service--under Dutch conventions, being killed in battle was the mark of a real naval hero. Under the command of Tjerk Hiddes de Vries, during the Second Anglo-Dutch War
Second Anglo-Dutch War
The Second Anglo–Dutch War was part of a series of four Anglo–Dutch Wars fought between the English and the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries for control over the seas and trade routes....
, the Frisian Admiralty's fleet was at its largest, with no less than forty vessels, large and small.
The Frisian Admiralty in this time also profited from the sale of seized goods and ships. For example, during the Four Days Battle
Four Days Battle
The Four Days Battle was a naval battle of the Second Anglo–Dutch War. Fought from 1 June to 4 June 1666 in the Julian or Old Style calendar then used in England off the Flemish and English coast, it remains one of the longest naval engagements in history.In June 1665 the English had soundly...
on June 13, 1665, the Nagelboom, a VOC
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
ship taken the previous year by the English during the Battle of Lowestoft
Battle of Lowestoft
The naval Battle of Lowestoft took place on 13 June 1665 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War.A fleet of more than a hundred ships of the United Provinces commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam attacked an English fleet of equal size commanded by James Stuart, Duke of York forty...
, was recaptured by the Frisians. As it was their prize it was also their legal possession, no longer that of the VOC. In an advertisement in the Haerlemse Courant a year later the same ship came up for sale:
The council members of the Frisian Admiralty present to be publicly sold to the highest bidder a capital and distinguished Warship named the Nagelboom, captured by Vice-Admiral Coenders in the latest Battle against the English, complete with Shrouds, Rigging, Sails, Anchors and Ropework, and also a large quantity of Cannon and all further accessories, more broadly specified in the Inventory kept by our Sales Master, that any whom it pleases may there see and inspect. Who has interest may come, on the next 31 July Old Style, in the College of their Noble Mightinesses within Harlingen, at ten o'clock before Noon, and buy according to the Conditions and Articles that can be read in advance by any Bystander from the prescribed Day.
In the 18th century activities were minimal; the short revival later that century was dealt a serious blow when during the night of 12 to February 13, 1771 the townspeople couldn't prevent a fire laying waste to the building of the Frisian Admiralty in Harlingen. Not only did the vergaderhuis (council hall) and two associated warehouses burn down, but also the entire archive. After this fiasco the Admiralty moved to the Havenplein.
The time in Harlingen saw other mishaps as well. In 1781, during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War
Fourth Anglo-Dutch War
The Fourth Anglo–Dutch War was a conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Dutch Republic. The war, tangentially related to the American Revolutionary War, broke out over British and Dutch disagreements on the legality and conduct of Dutch trade with Britain's enemies in that...
, the Frisian Admiralty in Harlingen began building the two largest ships of the line in its history, the 74 gun Vriesland and Stadt en Lande (named after the provinces of Friesland and Groningen respectively), but construction was halted when it was realized, after new soundings, that they were too large to leave port, having too deep a draught to pass the Buitenhaven, the silted exit channel. After several years' indecision as to what to do with them, they were sold for scrap in 1792.
The end
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
, the different Admiralties of Netherlands were merged into a central committee to fulfil the wishes of the Patriots
Patriots (faction)
The Patriots were a political faction in the Dutch Republic in the second half of the 18th century. They were led by Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol, gaining power from November 1782....
, in the context of transforming the Dutch confederation into a unitary state
Unitary state
A unitary state is a state governed as one single unit in which the central government is supreme and any administrative divisions exercise only powers that their central government chooses to delegate...
. The Admiralty's shipyard, where warships were nearing completion and launch, moved into private hands. The last ship launched by the Admiralty was in 1789, the 20 gun Syreene. Few opposed this merger, since the best days of this and the other Admiralties were well behind them. The Dutch Navy's dominant role was over forever.
Sea battles in which it participated
Between 1596 and 1792 the Admiralty of Friesland participated in several sea battles, usually as part of a confederate fleet from the five different Dutch Admiralties, the ZeeuwseAdmiralty of Zeeland
The Admiralty of Zeeland was one of the five admiralties of the navy of the Dutch Republic, made up of Zeeland. One of its famous admirals was Joost Banckert. This and the other admiralties were disestablished in 1795....
, Friese, Westfriese, Amsterdam
Admiralty of Amsterdam
The Admiralty of Amsterdam was the largest of the five Dutch admiralties at the time of the Dutch Republic. The administration of the various Admiralties was strongly influenced by provincial interests...
and the Rotterdamse
Admiralty of Rotterdam
The Admiralty of Rotterdam, also called the Admiralty of de Maze, was one of the five Admiralties in the Dutch Republic.-History:It was set up in 1574 during the Dutch Revolt, when William I of Orange's supporters decided to pool their naval resources at Rotterdam...
. In a few cases, it participated in international coalitions. In some sea battles the Frisian Admiralty opted out; sometimes because it was too late to join in, and sometimes because it did not have sufficient funds to raise a fleet, as in most battles of the Third Anglo-Dutch War
Third Anglo-Dutch War
The Third Anglo–Dutch War or Third Dutch War was a military conflict between England and the Dutch Republic lasting from 1672 to 1674. It was part of the larger Franco-Dutch War...
(since Friesland and Groningen were already under attack from the bishop of Münster, Bernhard von Galen
Bernhard von Galen
Christoph Bernhard Freiherr von Galen was prince-bishop of Münster. He was born into a noble Westphalian family....
).
- Battle of GibraltarBattle of GibraltarThe naval Battle of Gibraltar took place on 25 April 1607 during the Eighty Years' War when a Dutch fleet surprised and engaged a Spanish fleet anchored at the Bay of Gibraltar. During the four hours of action, most of the Spanish fleet was destroyed....
1607 - Battle of the DownsBattle of the DownsThe naval Battle of the Downs took place on 31 October 1639 , during the Eighty Years' War, and was a decisive defeat of the Spanish, commanded by Admiral Antonio de Oquendo, by the United Provinces, commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp.- Background :The entry of France in the Thirty...
1639 - Battle of Goodwin SandsBattle of Goodwin SandsThe naval Battle of Goodwin Sands , fought on 29 May 1652 , was the first engagement of the First Anglo-Dutch War between the navies of the Commonwealth of England and the United Provinces of the Netherlands.- Background :The English Parliament had passed the first of the Navigation...
1652 - Battle of PlymouthBattle of PlymouthThe Battle of Plymouth was a naval battle in the First Anglo-Dutch War. It took place on 26 August 1652 and was a short battle, but had the unexpected outcome of a Dutch victory over England. General-at-Sea George Ayscue of the Commonwealth of England attacked an outward bound convoy of the Dutch...
1652 - Battle of the Kentish KnockBattle of the Kentish KnockThe Battle of the Kentish Knock was a naval battle between the fleets of the Dutch Republic and England, fought on 8 October 1652 New Style, during the First Anglo-Dutch War near the shoal called the Kentish Knock in the North Sea about thirty kilometres east of the mouth of the river Thames...
1652 - Battle of DungenessBattle of DungenessThe naval Battle of Dungeness took place on 10 December 1652 during the First Anglo-Dutch War near the cape of Dungeness in Kent.- Background :...
1652 - Battle of PortlandBattle of PortlandThe naval Battle of Portland, or Three Days' Battle took place during 28 February-2 March 1653 , during the First Anglo-Dutch War, when the fleet of the Commonwealth of England under General at Sea Robert Blake was attacked by a fleet of the Dutch Republic under Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp...
1653 - Battle of the GabbardBattle of the GabbardThe naval Battle of the Gabbard, also known as the Battle of Gabbard Bank, the Battle of the North Foreland or the second Battle of Nieuwpoort took place on 2–3 June 1653 according to the Old Style of Julian calendar then used in England during the First Anglo-Dutch War near the Gabbard...
1653 - Battle of ScheveningenBattle of ScheveningenThe Battle of Scheveningen was the final naval battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War...
1653 - Battle of the SoundBattle of the SoundThe naval Battle of the Sound took place on 8 November 1658 during the Second Northern War, near the Sound or Oresund, just north of the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Sweden had defeated Denmark and an army under Charles X of Sweden had Copenhagen itself under siege...
1658
- Battle of PortlandBattle of PortlandThe naval Battle of Portland, or Three Days' Battle took place during 28 February-2 March 1653 , during the First Anglo-Dutch War, when the fleet of the Commonwealth of England under General at Sea Robert Blake was attacked by a fleet of the Dutch Republic under Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp...
1663 - Battle of LowestoftBattle of LowestoftThe naval Battle of Lowestoft took place on 13 June 1665 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War.A fleet of more than a hundred ships of the United Provinces commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam attacked an English fleet of equal size commanded by James Stuart, Duke of York forty...
1665 - Four Days BattleFour Days BattleThe Four Days Battle was a naval battle of the Second Anglo–Dutch War. Fought from 1 June to 4 June 1666 in the Julian or Old Style calendar then used in England off the Flemish and English coast, it remains one of the longest naval engagements in history.In June 1665 the English had soundly...
1666 - St. James's Day BattleSt. James's Day BattleThe naval St James' Day Battle , the Battle of the North Foreland and the Battle of Orfordness) took place on 25 July 1666 — St James' day in the Julian calendar then in use in England , during the Second Anglo-Dutch War and was fought between fleets of England, commanded jointly by...
1666 - Raid on the MedwayRaid on the MedwayThe Raid on the Medway, sometimes called the Battle of the Medway, Raid on Chatham or the Battle of Chatham, was a successful Dutch attack on the largest English naval ships, laid up in the dockyards of their main naval base Chatham, that took place in June 1667 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War...
1667 - Battle of SolebayBattle of SolebayThe naval Battle of Solebay took place on 28 May Old Style, 7 June New Style 1672 and was the first naval battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War.-The battle:...
1672 - Second battle of Schooneveld 1673
- Battle of TexelBattle of TexelThe naval Battle of Texel or Battle of Kijkduin took place on 21 August 1673 between the Dutch and the combined English and French fleets and was the last major battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War, which was itself part of the Franco-Dutch War , during which Louis XIV of France invaded the...
1673 - Battle of Beachy HeadBattle of Beachy Head (1690)The Battle of Beachy Head was a naval engagement fought on 10 July 1690 during the Nine Years' War. The battle was the greatest French tactical naval victory over their English and Dutch opponents during the war...
1690 - Battle of Dogger BankBattle of Dogger Bank (1781)The naval Battle of the Dogger Bank took place on 5 August 1781 during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, part of the American War of Independence, in the North Sea...
1781
A few ships of the former Frisian Admiralty fought in the Battle of Camperdown
Battle of Camperdown
The Battle of Camperdown was a major naval action fought on 11 October 1797 between a Royal Navy fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Dutch Navy fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter...
in 1797, under the flag of the Batavian Republic
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
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Famous Vlootvoogden ("Fleet Guardians") and other notable officers of the Frisian Admiralty
Due to the small initial size of the fleet of the Frisian Admiralty, in its first period no flag officers were appointed, though Van den Broeck functioned as an acting rear-admiral in 1652. This situation lasted until the Second Anglo-Dutch war, when, in 1665, a full hierarchy of three admirals was created. After 1691, however, no vice-admiral was appointed and after 1723 again no flag officers were present at all.- Aukes, DouweDouwe AukesDouwe Aukes was a Frisian sea captain of the Dutch East India Company or VOC. The Douwe Aukes class minelayer and its name-ship the HNLMS Douwe Aukes were named after him.-Life:He was the son of another VOC captain, also called Douwe Aukes...
: - Aylva, Baron Hans Willem van: luitenant-admiraal (Lieutenant-Admiral) (1667-1691)
- Broeck, Joris Pieter van denJoris Pieters van den BroeckJoris Pieters van den Broeck was a Frisian sailor in the service of the Admiralty of Friesland.-Service:In the days before the Battle of the Downs, Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp had chosen a position off the coast near Dunkirk...
: - Bronckhorst, Frederik Willem van: luitenant-admiraal (1692-1722)
- Brunsveldt, Adriaan:
- Bruynsvelt, Hendrik: schout-bij-nacht (Rear-Admiral) 1665-1675
- Coenders, Rudolf: viceadmiraal (Vice-Admiral) (1665-1666)
- Deketh, Jacobus:
- Groot, Tjaard de:
- Middaghten, Christoffel: schout-bij-nacht (1705-1723)
- Star, Enno DoedesEnno Doedes StarEnno Doedes Star was a Dutch naval commander....
: schout-bij-nacht 1666; viceadmiraal (1666-1691) - Stellingwerf, Andriesz Pieter: equipagemeester
- Stellingwerf, AukeAuke StellingwerfAuke Andriesz Stellingwerf was a Dutch admiral who served the Frisian admiralty and died while commanding a squadron in the battle of Lowestoft....
: luitenant-admiraal (1665) - Stellingwerf, Frederik:
- Tjebbes, Tjaerd:
- Vries, Tjerk Hiddes deTjerk Hiddes de VriesTjerk Hiddes de Vries was a naval hero and Dutch admiral from the seventeenth century. The French, who could not pronounce his name, called him Kiërkides...
: luitenant-admiraal (1665-1666) - Vries, Hidde Sjoerds deHidde Sjoerds de VriesHidde Sjoerds de Vries , was a Dutch commander, like his uncle Tjerk Hiddes de Vries. During the Battle of Texel 1694, his ship was captured by the French and he died of wounds. -References:...
: schout-bij-nacht (1692-1694) - Wiglema, Schelte Tjerks:
Sources, notes and literature
- Engels, M.H.H. Admiraliteit in Friesland--Dokkum 1599 (Leeuwarden 1999)
- Hoogeveen, H. Tsjerk Hiddes--Hwat in dekfeintsje wurde kin (Bolsward 1967)
- Roodhuyzen, T. De Admiraliteit van Friesland (Franeker 2003)
- Smits, E. De Friesche Admiraliteit boven water, deel I (Dokkum 1996)
- Smits, E. De Friesche Admiraliteit boven water, deel II (Dokkum 1996)
- Terpstra, Piter Tweeduizend jaar geschiedenis van Friesland (Leeuwarden 1979)