AEMILIA 1636

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AEMILIA 1636

Post by shipstamps » Fri Nov 07, 2008 4:36 pm


The AEMILIA was built in 1636 at Rotterdam, for the Admiralty of the Maze, as a frigate, with two decks. She was the first Dutch warship with two decks, built with large provision and powder rooms, to keep her for a long time at sea. She was special built for convoy or blockade duty in the English Channel and North Sea. She was the flagship of Lt. Admiral Philips van Dorp, but when he was dismissed in 1637, Lt. Admiral Maerten Harpertz Tromp [Netherlands 4254 (1943/44) 12 - c] got the AEMILIA as his flagship. The Capt. of the AEMILIA for a long time was, Barend Barendsz Cramers. In 1637, the Dutch merchant fleet consisted of 1,750 vessels, and around 600 fishing vessel, a total which could never be protected sufficiently. The Dutch navy was small, and the money needed to build new ships was not available. As well, there was trouble between the five Admiralties of the Seven Provinces (the name at that time for the Netherlands) which delayed new buildings. Because of political trouble or war the Dutch government chartered many merchant ships, and quickly refitted the vessels as warships. When Tromp got the AEMILIA as his flagship, the Seven Provinces were still in war with Spain (80 year war). The south part of the Netherlands (now Belgium) was still in the hands of the Spanish King. In that time, Spain was also in war with France, and to send relief troops from Spain to his possessions in the North, the sea-roads had to be used. Dunkirk, at that time belonged to Flanders, and was the main landing port for the troops. It also was a large pirate base.

The main task for Tromp was to protect the Dutch shipping lanes, and blockade the port of Dunkirk. In Nov. 1637, he expected the Spanish fleet. With relief troops and money to pay the wages of the soldiers, he sailed out on board the AEMILIA with his squadron of 12 warships. Taking position off the Lizard in the English Channel, due to bad weather, he drifted to a position between Portland and the Casquets on Dec. 9. On Dec. 23, he received a report that the Spanish fleet, with 38 ships, 5,000 soldiers, and a large cargo of silver, had sneaked along his squadron on the dark night of Dec. 11/12, and safely arrived at Dunkirk. Tromp, afraid of privateers from Dunkirk, and strengthened with the newly arrived ships, harassed the Dutch merchant and fishing fleets, staying out in the English Channel until March 1638 before returning to Hellevoetsluis. In May, he was at sea again with the AEMILIA, and with his squadron, blockaded Dunkirk until October. When in early 1639 the Government of the Seven Provinces received reports that a large fleet of Spanish/ Portuguese, with troops and money for the garrisons in Flanders, would sail out. Tromp on board the AEMILIA sailed out with 12 warships in the middle of Jan., and his squadron took position in the waters off Dunkirk. A strong fleet under command of Miguel de Orna tried to break out of the port. But after a battle of four hours, it was driven back, with the loss of two ships. Orna's flagship was grounded, and to keep it out of the hands of the Dutch, he burned it. Tromp's squadron also received a battering, and had to sail to Hellevoetsluis for repairs. When the Dutch fleet was under repair, the Dunkirk ships got orders to sail out, and on March 12, 18 ships with 2,000 soldiers left Dunkirk bound for Spain.
After repairs were completed at the end of April, Tromp sailed out with his squadron of 20 ships, and too up position between Portland and the Casquets. On Sept. 6, the Spanish/Portuguese Armada set sail from La Conina, with a fleet of 70 ships, of which 45 were warships and 30 transport vessels. They were under command of General (not Admiral) Don Antonio d'Oquendo on board the SANTIAGO, a galleon of 1,600 tons, 60 guns and a crew of about 1,000 men. The largest ship in the fleet was the Portuguese galleon SANTA TEREZA [Mozambique #445 (1963) 4e5O] under command of Don Lope de Hoces Y Cordoba. The fleet total armament was over 1,700 guns and 20,000 men. On Sept. 15, at 07.00 a.m. the Spanish- Portuguese fleet was sighted by Tromp's squadron. At the time, Tromp only had 13 ships with 399 guns and 1,425 men. He ordered Capt. Tjaert de Groot with his ship, the FRIESLANT, to sail at once to the two other Dutch squadrons at sea with orders to join his squadron. The next morning Lt. Admiral Witte de Wit, [Netherlands 9257 (1943/44) 20c], who blockaded Dunkirk with five ships joined Tromp's squadron. That morning, the battle began, which was heavy. At last, d'Oquendo withdrew from the battle. Tromp lost one vessel, the GROOTE CHRISTOFFEL, under command of Capt. Frederik Pietersz with 28 guns and 90 men. The vessel was blown up by her own powder with all crew lost except one. That night Tromp kept in contact with the enemy, and the next morning, due to fog and no wind, not much action took place. Both fleets drifted slowly with the tides.
But as the wind increased, by nightfall, the battle had started again. Tromp with his fleet tried to block the passage for the Spanish/ Portuguese fleet to Dunkirk, and by morning, the most welcome reinforcement arrived. Lt. Admiral Banckarts, who protected the Dutch fishing fleets on the North Sea, joined with 12 ships. Tromp's fleet was now 30 ships with a total of 846 guns and 3,260 men. On Sept. 18, d'Oquendo, with his fleet passed Dover, realized that trying to escape to Dunkirk was impossible. The large Spanish/Portuguese fleet got a heavy battering from the Dutch fleet, and the only escape for d'Oquendo was the neutral English coast. England was at that time, not in war with Spain, and d'Oquendo expected help from the English fleet. He sailed to Duins (the Downs) and the fleet dropped anchor inside the English waters. Tromp, who stayed outside, put up a blockade and waited for the ships to come out. Day after day the Dutch fleet received reinforcement from the nearby Dutch coast. The Spanish/Portuguese fleet at anchor did not make many preparations to sail out from the Downs, and Tromp became impatient. He was also afraid that the English squadron, under command of Vice-Admiral Penington, who was watching both fleets, would send reinforcements of other ships of the English navy. Once Tromp's fleet increased to 96 ships and 11 fireships, he didn't want to wait longer. He hoped the English squadron would stay out of the battle, but to be sure, he ordered Witte de With with 30 ships, to take a position between him and the English fleet. And if the English fleet attacked, de With had orders to attack and destroy the English squadron. But the English squadron stayed out of the battle. On Oct. 21, at 08.30, Tromp fired the first shot from the AEMILIA. The Spanish/Portuguese fleet cut the anchor cables, and around 20 vessels, in panic, grounded on the English coast. The crews jumped overboard to save their lives. Then fog drifted in, and for a half hour, both fleets couldn't see each other. But when the fog lifted, Tromp sent in his fire-ships. One of the grounded vessels was the flagship of Admiral Castro, the "SAN ANTONIO", which caught fire and sank. After an hour-long battle, one third of the Spanish/Portuguese fleet had been set on fire, destroyed or grounded. The flagship SANTIAGO and the "SANTA TERESA", with some vessels from Dunkirk, sailed off, chased by the Dutch fleet. The "SANTA TERESA" attracted much Dutch fire from all sides. When her bowsprit got entangled in the stem gallery of a Dutch vessel under command of Captain Musch, the vessel lost speed and the Dutch fire-ships got a change to attack. Capt. Musch's vessel caught fire and sank slowly, but most of the crew was saved. The "SANTA TERESA" then caught fire, and most of the crew was burnt or jumped overboard and drowned. At least 600 crew of that ship were lost. Around 07.00 p.m. a great flash, like lighting, was seen from the coast. According to an old English record, it was the Portuguese admiral's powder on the burning ship, blowing up. The SANTIAGO escaped, severely damaged, but arrived at Dunkirk. Only by constantly pumping the vessel, was she able to be kept afloat. Afterwards 1,700 gunholes were counted in her hull. Only nine vessels reached Dunkirk, the remainder of the Spanish/Portuguese were destroyed or grounded on the English coast and 14 vessels were taken by the Dutch as a prize. Of the grounded vessels, nine were later saved by the Spanish; one was the "SAN ANTONIO". The Dutch fleet lost only one ship (Musch's) and 100 men. The Spanish/ Portuguese fleet lost 7,000 men, and 1,800 were taken prisoner by the Dutch. Tromp, on board of the AEMILIA, arrived a few days later in the Seven Provinces, welcomed as a hero. In July 1640, still onboard the AEMILIA, he set sail from Rammenkes near Flushing with 24 ships, bound for Hitland (Shetland Island), to wait for the return fleet of the Dutch East Indies, At that time, the returning fleet sailed around the north of England to get less trouble from the pirates from Dunkirk. All the expected vessels were found, and with this convoy, Tromp sailed back to the Seven Provinces. Then the AEMILIA and Tromp left with a convoy bound for Pernambuco (Recife, which was a Dutch possession at that time.) They sailed via the Strait of Dover and English Channel to the North Atlantic. Near the Lizard Tromp attacked two Barbary pirate ships, of which one was taken, the slaves freed, the crew killed, and the pirate burnt. After the convoy safely passed the English Channel, Tromp returned home. During his homeward voyage, he visited the Dutch herring fishing fleet, and destroyed a pirate vessel from Dunkirk which was in the vicinity. On Oct. 13, 1640, the AEMILIA sailed out again with Tromp in command, to meet the homebound fleet of 15 Dutch merchant vessels from Brazil, loaded with sugar. During a fight with a Dunkirk pirate with 30 guns and 130 crew, the AEMILIA lost eight men with nine more wounded. The pirate vessel ST. -JUAN EVANGELIST, was taken as a prize. The convoy arrived Jan. 15, 1641, safely at Hellevoetsluis. On April 29, 1641, the AEMILIA, under Tromp's command, sailed with Prince Willem [later King William of England [Netherlands #732 (1988) 75c] to England. The Prince was going to see his future bride, Princess Mary. But near Hook of Holland, the weather got so bad, the AEMILIA lost her main mast, The Prince was transferred to the flagship of Witte de With, and the AEMILIA sailed home for repair. After repair, on June 6, AEMILIA sailed home with Prince Willem and Princess Mary, after their marriage. After the return of the vessel, the AEMILIA was inspected, and found to be in poor condition. Large pieces of her hull were rotten, and a lot of hull planking had to be renewed. After repairs, the AEMILIA sailed on Dec. 19, bound for the English Channel. During that winter, the weather was very bad, and the Dutch merchant fleet lost at least 40 ships. After a miserable winter at sea, the AEMILIA, with Tromp, arrived on Feb. 17, 1642 at Hellevoetsluis. Then Tromp got orders to sail to the Downs and escort the English Queen with her ships to the Seven Provinces. After arrival back home, the AEMILIA again needed repair. On June 7, she sailed out to the Strait of Dover for blockade duty off Dunkirk. During this voyage, Tromp changed ship and the AEMILIA was send home for repairs. In the middle of August, the repairs were finished, and the AEMILIA left again for blockade duty off Dunkirk. But a lot of pirate vessels made their escapes during the dark nights from Dunkirk, and when Tromp received reports that most of the pirate vessels had left the port, only Banckart with some ships were left behind to guard the port. The AEMILIA, along with six other ships, was send to South England, to clear the coast of Dunkirk pirates. Tromp left with the NIEUWE EENDRACHT and seven other ships to the North.
He was back on the AEMILIA on Oct. 25. On Nov. 11, her foremast burst, and the rudder was damaged, and he entered Tor Bay, England for repairs. On Nov. 20, her bow was damaged, and on Dec. 28, the mainmast burst during bad weather. On April 10, 1644 the AEMILIA with Tromp on board, sailed from the River Maas, again for blockade duty off Dunkirk. The vessel was in a bad condition, and after her return, she again needed repairs. Once completed, the AEMILIA. sailed out again, under command of Witte de With. She returned Jan. 10, 1645, and once again, Tromp boarded her, and sailed back to the River Maas on March 7. During the summer campaign against Fort Mardyck (near Dunkirk) the AEMILIA with Tromp at the helm and with his squadron, cut off the supplies to the fort from the seaside, and French troops attacked the fort from the landside. On July 10, the fort fell. The fort Lincken and the small town of Bourbourg, all near Dunkirk, were also taken. But an attack on Dunkirk was postponed. Tromp, with his fleet, now three months continuously at sea, asked the Staten Generaal (Dutch Government) permission to sail to England with part of his fleet for underwater cleaning. Permission was granted and with the AEMILIA and other ships, he sailed to Falmouth. Blanckert was left behind in command of the vessel still on duty off the road of Dunkirk. Tromp was back off Dunkirk in November. A month later, Fort Mardyck, again fell into the hands of the Spanish troops. The French troops in the burnt out fort neglected the warnings from the Dutch fleet that the Spanish troops were advancing. When the AEMILIA returned to the Seven Provinces is unknown, but on March 23, 1645, in a report from Tromp it was stated that AEMILIA was in a bad shape, and needed urgent repair. He wrote that the ceiling in the holds, the longitudinal structure placed on the frames on which the beams rested, were completely rotten. The AEMILIA was on patrol duty the first part of that year, with Tromp on board. On August 18, he was again off Dunkirk, and with the French troops on the land-side, an attack on Dunkirk followed. On Oct. 11, the town surrounded to the French troops. The pirate base that for so long had given the Dutch trouble was gone. On Dec. 8, Tromp arrived with the AEMILIA in the Seven Provinces. He wrote in a report that the ship was very dirty, leaking, and without any provisions. What the AEMILIA did afterwards is obscure, but on May 6, 1647 Tromp advised to sell the vessel, suggesting she needed urgent repairs. Afterwards, according to one source, she was sold to the French and used in piracy. But another source, states that parts of the main mast was used for pillars under the church-organ of the Groote Kerk in Rotterdam, and later used and placed alongside the tomb of the grave of Lt. Admiral Witte de With. So it looks as if she was scraped

Antigua 1996 75c sg 2286, scott 1970D and $1.20 sg 2289, scott 1971a.
Barbuda 1997 75c sg 1878 and $1.20 sg 1881

Sources: Tromp en de Armada van 1639, Tromp en de Duinkerkers, both books written by Dr. M.G. de Boer.
Maerten Harpertzoon Tromp by Dr. Johanna K. Oudedijk. De Strijd in het Engelsche Kanaal by Dom Francisco Manuel de Melo. Onze schepen in de Gouden Eeuw by G.C.E.Crone. Geschiedenis van Nederland ter Zee by J.C.Mollema.

Anatol
Posts: 1038
Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:13 pm

Re: AEMILIA 1636

Post by Anatol » Wed Mar 23, 2016 12:44 pm

Aemilia 1639. The design stamp is made after painting of Cornelis de Vries«Aemilia 1639г».
Republique Thad 2011;350f;SG?
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