1 The Dutch Navy in 1700; Effective and Potential strength

• Content
• 1 The Dutch Navy in 1700; Effective and Potential strength
• 2 The Dutch navy in 1688
• 2.1 The Dutch Navy fighting in alliance with England
• 2.2 The 1689 orders of the Dutch Navy
• 3 The Dutch Fleet in the Battle of Beachy Head
• 4 The Dutch Fleet at Barfleur / La Hogue
• 5 Decline of the Dutch fleet in the 1690's?
• 6 The Dutch fleet in the War of the Spanish Succession
• 6.1 Dutch ships actually serving during the War of the Spanish Succession
• 6.2 The Admiralty of Zeeland
• 7 Potential strength during and after the War of the Spanish Succession
• 8 Notes

• 
• Alleged painting of the Briele
• Painted by Ludolf Bakhuysen in 1689

In 1700 the United Provinces still dominated international trade. The Dutch navy was there to protect this trade, and in 1674 the Dutch had proven to effectively have the strongest navy. This concept of 'effective strength' is very important. In 1674 the enemy had a greater potential strength, but was not able to equip all its ships and was beaten.

The effective strength sees to the number of ships that were actually equipped, the potential strength sees to the number of serviceable (after repairs) ships a nation had. Nominal strength would include those ships that were on the list, but not reparable. In 1688 the Dutch navy would again have the largest effective strength for some time, but by 1700 its effective strength made it the second or third navy.

The 90 gun three-decker King William to the right is the perfect illustration of the concept of effective and potential strength. During the War of the Spanish Succession the Admiralty of Zeeland kept the ship in a servicable state. During the naval campaigns of the war it preferred to equip smaller ships, but a real necessity would have led to the King William sailing.

2 The Dutch navy in 1688

The Invasion of England in 1688 was the last time the United Provinces manifested themselves as a great power at sea. The invasion was possible because the Dutch navy had a greater effective strength than its enemy. If James II had been a more popular or smarter monarch, he could have equipped a far larger number of the ships he had. It's very doubtful that in such case the Dutch would have dared their invasion with a fleet that was so small and consisted of such light ships.

2.1 The Dutch Navy fighting in alliance with England

In 1689 a new era started for the Dutch, fighting as junior partners in a lasting alliance with England. The Dutch still had about 70 ships of the Line, and they actually increased the power of their navy. However, England outbuilt them and by 1700 they were definitly the junior partners in the alliance.

2.2 The 1689 orders of the Dutch Navy

The Dutch Fleet at the end of 1689 and its orders sorted on no. of guns/size
Ship	Captain	Guns	Orders	Men
West Vrieslant (N)	VA Callenburgh	80	Back to the UP	450
Voorzichtigheid (M)	RA Brakel	74	Back to the UP	400
Vrijheid (M)	Rees	72	To Med.	400
Gelderland (A)	VA Almonde	72	To Med.	400
Walcheren (M)	LA Evertsen	70	Back to the UP, sunk Vlissingen	400
Hollandia (A)	Toll	70	To Med.	360
Eendracht (M)	Snelle	70	To Med. sunk in storm Jan. 1690	357
Noort Holland (N)	RA Dick	70	To Med.	300
Amsterdam (A)	Graaf van Nassau	64	To Med.	315
Haerlem (A)	Manard	64	To Med.	325
Callandsoog (M)	Van Zeyl	64	Back to the UP	325
Gekroonde Burg (M)	VA van der Putten	62	Back to the UP	350
Zierikzee (Z)	RA Evertzen	62	To Med.	328
Veere (M)	Mosselman	60	Back to the UP	300
Ridderschap (M)	De Liefde	60	To Med.	300
Prov. Utrecht (A)	Decker	56	Cruise in Channel	315
Gaasterland (A)	Taelman	52	To Med.	210
Vrede (A)	Van Laren	52	To Med.	210
Elswout (A)	Van Nieuburg	52	Cruise in Channel	210
Wapen van Hoorn (N)	Muys	52	To Med.	200
Tyger (N)	Berckhout	52	Cruise in Channel	200
Alida (N)	Kalf	52	Cruise in Channel	200
Honselaarsdijk (M)	Convent	50	Cruise in Channel	200
Cortiene (Z)	De Boer	50	Cruise in Channel	200
Schattershoef (A)	Van der Goes	46	Cruise in Channel	210
Europa (F)	Hidde de Vries	48	Back to the UP	170
Vlaardingen (N)	Pael	46	To Med.	170
De Winthont (F)	Jentema	34	To Med.	150
De Brack (F)	Dirck de Vries	36	To Med.	150
Damiaten (A)	Van Gijsen	36	Cruise in Channel	140
Phoenix (M)	Cap. Brakel	26	Cruise in Channel	110
Freg. Kroonvogel (M)	Com. Regat	14	Back to the UP	50
Frigat (N)	Com. Gros	14	Back to the UP	42
Bur. Vesuvius (A)	Com. du Pon	-	To Med.	?
Bur. Maegt v. Enkhu.(N)	Com. Muysevanger	6	To Med.	22
Bur. Zes Gebroeders (A)	Com. de Jonge	6	Cruise in Channel	22
Bur. Etna (M)	Com. Antonisse	6	Back to the UP	22

Amsterdam ships of the Dutch Fleet as of 1689 into 1690
Ship	captain in 1687	captain in 1688	captain later	end 89	During Beachy Head	men	Built
Pr Maria(92)		Gilles Schey'90			At Beachy Head		L. 1683
Pr Willem(92)							L. 1687
Keurvorst v Brandenburg(92)							L. 1689
Keurvorstin v Brandenburg(92)							L. 1689
Keurvorst v Saksen(92)							L. 1689
Gelderland(72)			VA Almonde	To Med.	Med	400	L. 1683
Hollandia(70)			Toll	To Med.	Med and At Beachy Head	360	L. 1683
Reygersbergen(74)			Van Zeyl April '901y	?	Beachy Head, to vZyl April 1690*	400
Wapen van Utrecht(66)		Schey'88			Sinks at Beachy Head, captain Decker	300
Amsterdam (64)			Graaf van Nassau	To Med.	Med	315	L. 1688
Haerlem (64)			Manard	To Med.	Med	325	L. 1688
Zeeland(64)		Dussen '88					L. 1683
Zeeland(64)					Docked 19/7 OHC		L. 1690
Leyden(64)		Bastiaanse'88			Docked 19/7 OHC		L. 1687
Friesland(62)		Graef van Nassau'88			?		were there 2 Frieslands?
Friesland(64)					Sinks At Beachy Head		L. 1690
Prov. Utrecht (62)		Decker		Cruise in Channel	Docked 19/7 OHC	295
Gideon(60)		Hardenbroeck in'88		?	Docked 19/7 OHC	210
Akerboom(60)		Jan Bouwens in '88				210
Gaasterland (52)			Taelman	To Med.	Med then maint? Docked	210	L. 1688
Stad en Lande(52)	Van Laer 30/4/87	Pieter Laren '88			At Beachy Head		L. 1683
Vrede (52)		Decker in '88	Van Laren '90	To Med.	Med.	210
Elswout (52)		Van Zyl '88	Van Nieuburg '90	Cruise in Channel	Med and At Beachy Head	210
Beemster(52)		Tol '88			Docked 19/7 OHC	200	L. 1686
Castricum(50)		Van Basse '88	Cuyper apr'901z		At Beachy Head, to Cuyper apr1690*		L. 1686
Agatha(50)		Joan Kuyper in '88	Van der Zaen		At Beachy Head
Schattershoef (46)		A. Manard in '88	Van der Goes	Cruise in Channel	Med then maint?	210
Maria Elisabeth(46)		W. van der Zaen '88				170	L. 1685
Nimwegen(46)		G. Hooft '88	Benthem late '90			190
Catharina(46)		Swaen in Med. 88 back jun 89	Van Gendere May'90		captured oct 90		L. 1685
Harderwijk(46)		C. van der Zaan '88				175
Wapen vd Schermer(44)							L. 1690
Noort Holland(44)		van der Gijse '88	Swaen1w		At Beachy Head
Juffr. Anna(38)		Dirk Schey '88				130	L. 1689
Raadhuis Edam(36)		A. Taelman '88					L. 1688
Grijpskerk(40)							L. 1689
Sneek (36)		Ph van der Goes '88					L. 1687
Damiaten (36)		Hogenhoeck '88	Van Gijsen	Cruise in Channel		140
Zwolle(36)							L. 1688
Landskroon(36)							L. 1688
Oudkarspel(36)		A. Stilte '88				130
Asperen(36)		Nieuburg '88				130
Wulpenburg(32)		A. Noorthey '88				130
Hasewint(32)		P. van der Dussen '88				130
Jager(26)							L. 1689
Vliegende Mercurius(12)			Comm. Lamoureux 1 april '901a				L. 1689
Bur. Vesuvius (-)		Com. du Pon		To Med.		?
Bur. Zes Gebroeders (7)		Com. de Jonge		Cruise in Channel		22
AC 6 april 1690

Let's have a look at the orders Admiral William III gave his fleet on 6 November 1689^1b. The orders to go to the Mediterranean were not executed, but are there for reference. What is interesting is that in these orders 30 ships of more than 30 guns are mentioned, but only about 10 can be tracked back to the 1688 list. This means that the potential strength of the Dutch navy was at least the 39 ships of the line in the invasion fleet plus 20 others mentioned in the 1689 orders, making 59 ships. Supposing that another 10 were sailing around or being repaired somewhere, we come to a total of about 70 ships of the line for the Dutch at the end of 1689.

3 The Dutch Fleet in the Battle of Beachy Head

The role of the Dutch fleet in this 1690 battle is described in the battle of Beachy Head. One has to remember that only a part of the Dutch fleet was in this battle, and therefore the fact that the Dutch division was smaller does not say that much.

4 The Dutch Fleet at Barfleur / La Hogue

The Battle of Barfleur / La Hogue in 1692 saw about 27 Dutch to about 56 English ships of the line. Particulars about this are in the battle of Barfleur.

5 Decline of the Dutch fleet in the 1690's?

Dutch Navy ships actually serving in 1696
Ship	Captain	Guns	Men	Remarks
The Battle fleet
Vrijheid (A)	LA van Almonde	96	550	Med. 1705
Zeven provinciën (M)	VA van Callenburgh	90	525	Med. 1702; 1705
Zeelandia (Z)	VA Gel. Evertsen	90	550
Kon. Willem (Z)	RA N.A. den Boer	90	530
West Vriesland (N)	RA Muys	90	500
Prinses Maria (A)	Graaf van Nassau	92	500
Unie (A)	Van der Dussen	94	500	Med. 1705
Beschermer (N)	De Boer	90	475	Med. 1705
Eerste Edele (Z)	Mosselman	74	400
Ridderschap (M)	RA Ph. van der Goes	72	400
Dordrecht (M)	E. de Liefde	72	375	Med. 1702
Holland (M)	A. Pieterson	72	375	Med. 1702
Maze (M)	J. van der Goes	72	375
Deventer (A)	A. van Toll	72	400	Med. 1705
Katwijk (A)	Van Laeren	72	400	Med. 1702; 1704
Slot Muyden (A)	Ph. Schryver	72	400	Med. 1702; 1705
Elswout (A)	Draex	72	375	Med. 1705
Gouda (A)	A. Manart	72	400	Med. 1702
Holland (A)	Hogenhoeck	72	375	Med. 1705
Walcheren (Z)	La Palma	72	400	Med. 1705
Maagd v. Enkhuizen (N)	J. de Jongh	72	375
Noorderkwartier (N)	Bolck	72	375	Built 1690 sold ca 1720
Munnikendam (N)	Reijnhals	72	375
Alkmaar (N)	Roos	72	375	Med. 1702; 1705
Veluwe (M)	Van Convent	66	340	Med. 1702
Zeeland (M)	Van Regteren	64	325
Leijden (A)	Graaf v. Bentheim	64	325
Haarlem (A)	J. Bar. van Wassenaar	64	325
Amsterdam (A)	Van der Gysen	64	325
Banier (A)	Lynslager	64	325
Dieren (A)	Beeckman	64	325
Dom v. Utrecht (A)	Jolle Jollesz	64	325
Zierikzee (Z)	Boom	64	325	Med. 1705
Frisia (F)	Stoffel Middagten	64	310
Prins Friso (F)	Bar. J. van Ghendt	64	310
Wassenaer (M)	Corn. van Brakel	60	325
Delft (M)	Zas v.d. Bossche	50	210
Vrede (A)	Swaan	50	210
Medemblik (N)	Poeleway	50	210
Sneek (A)	Leyden a Leeuwen	44	165
Valkenier (N)	Van Veen	40	160
Schoonoord (A)	Teenhgs	30	110
Zeist (Z)	Coorde	30	130

It's often supposed that though the Dutch built a reasonable number of good ships in the 1690's the strength of the fleet decreased in the 1690's. For this we have tables of Dutch ships actually serving in 1696, taken from appendix XIX of the 'Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen'². It was aggregated by the author from lists provided by Almonde, Van Zijl and archives of the admiralties. The list does make clear that an appraisal of Dutch navy is not only about the main battle fleet, but also about counting all the ships that were engaged in other duties.

Dutch Navy ships actually serving in 1696
Ship	Captain	Guns	Men	Remarks
The North Sea fleet
Het Loo (A)	Van Zyll	64	325
Wapen van Utrecht (N)	Grauw	64	325
Arnhem (N)	Cromhout	64	325
Aemilia (F)	Beyma	58	275	Med. 1705
Goes (Z)	Wiltschut	54	250
Vlissingen (Z)	Tresel	54	250	Med. 1705
De Zon (A)	Van Genderen	52	230
Nijmegen (A)	J. Erasmus	50	210	Med. 1704
Damiaten (A)	Sommelsdyck	50	210
Prov. Utrecht (M)	Wass. Starrenburgh	48	210
Noord Holland (A)	Roncke	46	180
Drakensteyn (A)	Regoot	44	165
Cortgene (Z)	Courte	44	208
Mercurius (Z)	Danckers	40	220
Groenwijf	Sincke Binckes	36	140
Kruidberg	Comm. Toll de Jonge	30	110

Dutch Navy ships actually serving in 1696
Ship	Captain	Guns	Men	Remarks
Escort ships
Ripperda (A)	De Veer	50	210
Muiderburg (A)	Van de Perre	50	210
Schiedam (M)	Van der Pot	50	210
Wapen v.d. Schermer (A)	C. Hogenhoeck	44	200
Edam (A)	Comm. Hubert	44	165
Gorcum (M)	Comm. Heemskerk	40	160
Raadhuis v Haarlem (A)	Comm. Bucking	38	150
Graaf van Solms (A)	Comm. Manart de Jonge	38	150
Soestdijk (A)	Kapt.lt. v.d. Bergh	38	150
Beschutter (A)	Comm. Vlies	38	150
Rozendaal (M)	Comm. Forman	38	200
Landskroon (A)	L. Lieuwkens	36	135
Anna (A)	Roemer Vlacq	36	130
Schoterbroek (A)	Comm. van Royen	34	110
Weldam (A)	Comm. Is. Sweers	34	110
Wulpenburg (A)	Comm. Gouwenaar	34	110
Wolf (A)	Comm. Bremburg	34	110
Briel (M)	Van Cooperen	34	110
Heusden (M)	Comm. Is. Hanedoes	34	110
Rotterdam (M)	Comm. van Wyligh	34	110
Oud Naarden (A)	Comm. W. Schot	30	120
De Brak (A)	Zhum	30	110

This is followed by a table of those ships in actual service. This gives a number of ships of the line of 81 if one counts the ships with 30-38 guns. For getting the potential strength some have to be added for those ships that did not see service in 1696.

When one also takes into account the modernization of the fleet towards bigger ships with heavier guns, one can only conclude that during the 1690's the Dutch navy significantly increased in strength.

Summary of 1696
Number	guns	men
8	90-96	500-550
16	72-74	375-400
15	60-66	310-340
12	50-58	210-275
10	40-48	160-210
20	30-38	110-150
13	20-26	75-136
8	8-18	40-120
9	burners	22

6 The Dutch fleet in the War of the Spanish Succession

6.1 Dutch ships actually serving during the War of the Spanish Succession

During the War of the Spanish Succession the Dutch still had a good navy, but its effective strength would drop far below that of the English. Based on countings I would put the effective strengh of the Dutch navy during the War of the Spanish Succession at about 50 mainly small ships of the line. Of these 10-15 of the largest would each year sail with the English in the Mediterranean, about 10 would be in the North Sea of before Dunkirk and perhaps two dozen others were on various convoy duties. The real significance of this is however not in the numbers, but in the fact that the Dutch opted to oppose the Guerre de Course and left the direct struggle for control of the seas to the English.

The matters of how strong the Dutch navy was and whether it was crippled by the War of the Spanish Succession could be answered by checking which of the above ships were serving in 1702 or later, what happened to them and which new ships were built. I've tried to do so here, but the list is rather incomplete.

Dutch Navy ships during the War of the Spanish Succession
Ship	Captain	Guns	Direct source3	Other sources4
Zeven Provincien (M)	VA Van der Goes 02	92	Vigo 1702; Lisbon 1705	wrecked 1706
Vrijheid (A)	Almonde 05	96	Hol. 1702; Lisbon 05; Barcelona 1705	L. 1695, bu 1723
Unie (A)	RA Wassenaar 02, 05	94	Vigo 1702; Malaga 1704; Lisbon 1705	L. 1692 bu 1721
Beschermer (N)	Van der Goes 05	90	Lisbon 1705; Med. 1707
Prins Willem (A)	van Gent	92	Med. 1707	L. 1688 bu 1718
Amsterdam (A)		96		L. 1712, bu 1737
Kv. v. Brandenburg (A)		92		L. 1688 bu 1715
Kvi. v. Brandenburg (A)		92		L. 1688 bu 1715
Katwijk (A)	Beekman 02	72	Vigo 1702; Malaga 1704	L. 1694, bu 1724
(Slot) Muyden	Schryver 02; Jollesen	72	Vigo 1702; Lisbon 1705	L. 1692, bu 1732
Reigersbergen (A)	Lijnslager 02, Schrijver 05	72	Vigo 1702, Lisbon 1705	L. 1693, bu 1721
Dordrecht (M)	Van der Pott 02	72	Vigo 1702, Malaga 1704
Holland (M)	Convent/Callenburg 02	72	Vigo 1702, Barcelona 1705
Alkmaar (N?)	Pieterson 02, Goes 05	72	Vigo 1702; Lisbon 1705
Monnikendam (N)		72	1703 drifted; Med. 1707	Built 1691 s. 1720
Nijmegen (A)	H. Lijnslager 04+	72	Malaga 1704	L. 1694, bu 1722
Eerste Edele (Z)	RA Boom 08	74	1703 equip., 1708 Dunkirk
Walcheren (Z)	Nossen 05	70	1704 equip., Lisbon 1705, 1708 to Dunkirk
Deventer (A)	De Veer 05	72	Barcelona 1705; Med. 1707	L. 1694, bu 1720
Utrecht		72	Med. 1707
Ridderschap (M)	Van Convent	72	Med. 1707
P. Utrecht (A)		72	1712 at Mahon	L. 1703, bu 1725
Zeelandia (A)		72	1712 at Mahon; for sale 1716	L. 1710, s. 1717
Rotterdam (M)	Starrenburg 05	74	Lisbon 1705, 1711 Portsm.; 1712 at Mahon
Gelderland (A)	Kopere 05	72	1705 Lisbon, 1715 Danzig	L. 1711, s. 1717
Noorderkwartier (N)		72		Built 1690 s. 1720
Elswout (A)	Sommelsdijk 05	72	1705 Lisbon	L. 1691, bu 1721
Hollandia (A)		72	Livorno 1710; for sale 1716	L. 1702, bu 1725
Zeven Steden	Nieustadt 05	72	Lisbon 1705
Veluwe (M)	Wassenaar Sta. 02	64	Vigo 1702; Gibr. 1704
Gouda (A)	Sommelsdijk 02	64	Vigo 1702	bu 1720
Albemarle (N)	Bolck	64	1702 Zeeland; 1703 Portugal; S. after Malaga 1704
Zierikzee (Z)	Tressel 05	ca 60	equip 1702; Lisbon 1705
Wassenaar (M)		64	Med. 1707
Veere		60	Med. 1707
Banier (A)		64	Malaga 1704, Med. 1707	L. 1691, bu 1718
Loo (A)		64	Med. 1707	L. 1693, bu 1716
Aemilia (A)	Beeckman 04; 05, Dussen 05	64	Gibr. 1704; Gibr. 1705; Med. 1707?	L. 1699, bu 1727
Pr. Amilia (?)	Leeuwen 05	52	Lisbon 1705	L. 1699, bu 1727
Frisia (F)	Middagten	64	Gibr. 1704; Malaga 1704
Leeuw (A)	Veth 08	64	Malaga 1704; Med. 1707; 1708 Dunkirk; 1712 at Mahon	L. 1700, bu 1714
W. van Utrecht (N?)	Bolk	64?	Gibr. 1704; Malaga 1704; Med. 1707; Livorno 1710	Sunk Feb 1710
Daelem (A)	Nieuwenhuis 11	64	1711 Lisbon; 1712 at Mahon	L. 1708, s. 1717
Loosdrecht (A)		64	1712 at Mahon	L. 1710, bu 1739
Arnhem (N)	Roos 11	64	1711 Lisbon; 1712 at Mahon
Raadhuis v. Edam (A)		64		L. 1700, bu 1727
Prin Friso (A)		64	1710 Livorno	L. 1708, s. 1717
Boetzelaer (A)		64		L. 1711, bu 1739
Vlissingen (Z)	Okkerse 05; Coorde 05	54	1703 equip.; Malaga 1704; 1705 Gibraltar
Veere (Z)		54	1703 equip.; 1705 Lisbon; 1706 Lisbon
Muiderberg (A)	Roemer Vlak	52		Burned in battle of Laroque 1703
Overijssel (A)	Pieterson, Boudaan 05	52	03; 1705 Lisbon, 1708 Dunkirk	L. 1696, bu 1728
Nieuwenhuis (A)	Teengs 05; Ofzen 11	52	Texel 1705; 1711 Lisbon	L. 1700, bu 1731
Kaysersweert (A)	J. van den Bosch	52	Edinburgh 1705, 1708 Dunkirk	L. 1700?, bu 1728
Schieland (M?)		50	Med. 1707
Zon (A)	Comm. van Kerchem	52	Dunkirk 1708	L. 1694, bu 1723
Batavier (A)	Francken	52	Dunkirk 1708	L. 1699, bu 1724
Schattershoef (A)		50		L. 1672, bu 1713
Ripperda (A)		52		L. 1691, bu 1719
Damiaten (A)		52	Malaga 1704	L. 1693, bu 1713
Morgenster (A)		52		L. 1694, bu 1719
Hof van Rhenen (A)		52		L. 1700, bu 1729
Curaçao (A)		52		L. 1704, bu 1729
Oosterwijk (A)		52	1704 North sea	L. 1704, bu 1734
Den Brakel (A)		52		L. 1709, bu 1735
Duinrel (A)		52		L. 1712, bu 1736
Ter Meer (A)		52		L. 1713, bu 1741
Schiedam	Boreel 05	52	Gibr. 1705	L. 1713, bu 1741
Wapen van Hoorn (N)	Nieustadt	52	Lost Oostende 1702
Zeeland (M)		46?	1711 Portsmouth; 1712 at Mahon
Gaasterland	Comm. Thys de Wit	46		1703 Capt. in battle of La Roque
Grijpskerk (A)		40		L. 1689, bu 1713
Drakestein (A)		44		L. 1692, bu 1717
Kampen (A)		44		L. 1699, bu 1726
Raadh. Haarlem (A)		44		L. 1699, bu 1724
Diepenheim (A)		44	1708 Dunkirk	L. 1700, bu 1724
Vredenhof (A)		44	1711 Lisbon	L. 1709, bu 1730
Edam (A)		44		L. 1711, bu 1739
Schermer		43		1703 Capt. in battle of La Roque
Anna (A)		38		L. 1688, bu 1713
Landscroon (A)		34	Med. 1707	L. 1689, bu 1713
Freg. Beschutter (A)		38	Vigo 1702; Lisbon 1705	L. 1692, bu 1717
Freg. Grijpende wolf (A)		38	Vigo 1702	L. 1692, bu 1719
Freg. Schoterbos (A)		38	Vigo 1702	L. 1693, bu 1717
Freg. Mars (A)		38		L. 1701, bu 1724
Freg. Schoonoord (A)		38		L. 1701, bu 1732
Freg. Kraai (A)		38		L. 1704, bu 1733
Freg. Rozendaal (M)	Kpt. A. Boreel	38		Capt. in battle of La Roque
Freg. Rotterdam (M)	Kpt. Samuel Forman	34		Capt. in battle of La Roque
Nassau (Z)	Maurignault	?	1708 Dunkirk, 1712 at Mahon
Freg Heemskerk		?	Vigo 1702
Freg Gorcum		?	Vigo 1702
Freg. Grave		?	Vigo 1702

6.2 The Admiralty of Zeeland

About the Admiralty of Zeeland some particulars are known. Below is what I believe to be a complete overview of the ships of the Zeeland Admiralty during the War of the Spanish Succession. A detailed study of the Admiralty of Zeeland in the first half of the 18th century is online, Tegen de stroom oproeien by Jelle Reynaert.

Zeeland ships during the War of the Spanish Succession
Ship	Guns	Served in WSS	built	Remarks
Middelburg	?	never	1699	bu 1753, 180ft
Zeelandia	90	?	1684	sold 1715, 170ft
Koning William	90	?	1690	sold 1718, 170ft
Eerste Edele	74	1703; 1708		sold 1728
Walcheren	70	1704; 1705, 1708	1695	sold 1713, 152ft
Zierikzee	ca 60	1702; 1705	1693	sold 1716, 146ft
Vlissingen	54	1703; 1704; 1705		sold 1736
Veere	54	1703; 1705; 1706
Nassau	?	1708; 1712
Goes	54	?	1690	sold 1705 136ft
Cortgene	44	?		sold 1710
Freg. Zeist	30	?		sold 1710 100 ft
Freg. Aurora	28	?		sold 1710 100 ft
Freg. Rozenburg	?	?		sold 1711
Orange Galley	?	?

7 Potential strength during and after the War of the Spanish Succession

One then has to try to work this over to get a view of how many ships could potentially be put to sea. During the War of the Spanish Succession most of the above ships did see some action, some ships were lost and some new ships were built. One could therefore be tempted to think that the potential strength of the Dutch navy did not dramatically decrease. Providing that few ships were lost the potential strength could only diminish as ships gradually became too old to be servicable. In potential strength the mainstay of the Dutch navy were the ships built during the Nine Years War. These reached the end of their life span after about 25-30 years, and so the potential strength of the Dutch navy was still quite high in 1713.

However, right after the war a rigorous cost-cutting programm set in. In stead of replacing a part of these aging ships they were simply broken up. It was even worse than this because even a lot of the newer ships were broken up or sold. This policy kind of assumed that the United Provinces would not soon be engaged in a major war and therefore did not need a large navy in the short term. The real economic interest of the United Provinces however demanded a navy that could enforce the free trade of its citizens whatever the international circumstances. The much smaller navy after the war was a signal to all other powers that they could easily start to take measures to strengthen their own trade by restricting the Dutch trading.

8 Notes