| Summary : 1690 wreck of Dutch warship which foundered in the aftermath of the Battle of Beachy Head (1582844) on the 3rd of July, as the combined Anglo-Dutch fleet retreated towards the Thames, leaving behind disabled ships. She was possibly lost off Hastings, or in that vicinity, since the French were active in burning disabled ships on shore in that area on that day. This location is for representative purposes, and is not intended to be definitive. For the other ships lost during that battle, please see: four fireships (1582949, 1582976, 1582979, and 1582981), and the VRIESLAND, which was captured and sunk on the day of the battle (974985). For the ships lost in the aftermath of the battle on the Dutch side, please see: the GEKROONDE BURG, which was lost after nightfall (1438084), followed by the NOORDERQUARTIER, which was beached to transfer her crew onto English ships (1583059); the MAAGD VAN ENKHUIZEN (974986); the ELSWOUT (1167835); the THOLEN (1438083) and the NOORD HOLLAND (1438085). Many ships were dismasted in the action and this area of potential battlefield debris is recorded at 1582969. The English lost the ANNE, which has been located and is designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 (1082120). The COURTEEN took part in the battle, but was wrecked later that year on the English coast (1449034). Constructed of wood in 1665, the WAPEN VAN UTRECHT was a sailing vessel. She had a distinguished service record, being also present at the Four Days' Battle and St. James's Day Battle in the Second Anglo-Dutch War, and at the Battle of Solebay in the Third Anglo-Dutch War. |
More information : Primary Sources:
NB: At this period the Dutch had already adopted the Gregorian [New Style] Calendar, whilst contemporary English sources were to retain the Julian [Old Style] Calendar, resulting in a discrepancy of 10 days between English and Dutch sources.
'Whitehall, July 2. This morning arrived here an Express from my Lord Torrington, with an account, that he engaged the French fleet, consisting of 82 men of war on Monday about 9 in the morning off of Beachy, the Dutch squadron leading the van, and behaving themselves very bravely. The fight lasted till towards evening, when the French bore away, and came afterwards to an anchor, having received very considerable damage. The officers killed are, of the Dutch, Rear-Admiral Jan Dick, Rear-Admiral Bracker and Captain Nordel. . . The Dutch lost likewise a ship commanded by Capt. Goes, who, having his main-mast brought by the board, and neglecting to anchor as the fleet did to stop the tide, fell into the Enemies hands: But the person that brought the express says, the French were forced to burn her after she was taken.' (8)
'Whitehall, July 11. Whereas several Dutch seamen are come on shoar upon the coast of Sussex and Kent, having left the ships that were disabled in the late fight; those are to advertise them...that Her Majesty has given directions that the Commissioners of the Navy . . . do immediately, upon the application of such of them as are not sick or wounded, given them conduct-mony for the carrying them to Chatham.' (9)
The following sources (11) and (12) are translated from the original Dutch by the compiler:
Order of battle dated 5th July [New Style] off the Isle of Wight, enclosed in a letter from Cornelis Evertsen dated 11th July [New Style], the day after the battle, names her as the fireship UTRECHT, Decker, 64 guns. (11)
Letter from Cornelis Evertsen, dated from King's Deep in the Thames, 17th July [New Style]:
'[. . . mentions ships coming ashore at Rye . . . ] after which, the ship the PROV. VAN UTRECHT, commanded by Capt. Decker, was seen to sink at anchor, after her crew had transferred to Schout-by-Nacht Schey' [the PRINCES [MARIA], as listed in (11)].(12)
Evertsen appends a list of the ships wrecked ('geruineert') or missing after the battle:
'Capiteyn Decker, WAPEN VAN UTRECHT, 64, gesoncken' ['sunk']. (12)
Letter from M de Tourville, dated 15th July [New Style], "off Rye".
' . . . deux que M d'Amblimont et d'autres officiers assurent d'avoir été coulés à fond.' (13)
' . . . two which M d'Amblimont and other officers have assured me have been sunk in the deep.' (13) [The other would appear to refer to the VRIESLAND (974985), captured, burnt and left to sink on the day of the battle.]
Secondary Sources:
Prior History:
She was present at the Four Days' Battle and St. James's Day Battle, both in 1666 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War, and at the Battle of Solebay in 1672 during the Third Anglo-Dutch War. (16)
Wreck Event:
After the Battle of Beachy Head 30-JUN-1690, English and Dutch ships were chased by the French. (1)
The battle took place in the Channel near Beachy Head on 10-JUL-1690 [New Style]. After the battle the combined English and Dutch fleets retreated to the Thames, and of the original 22 ships only 14 made it to the mouth of the Thames. During the battle one of the Dutch ships was burnt by the French, whilst six more were scuttled and burnt by their own crews to prevent capture by the enemy. (Another grounded but was finally recovered.) [Translated from the original Dutch website, which has a contemporary print of the event.] (2)
Seven Dutch ships were lost during the engagement and its aftermath. (3)
Seven Dutch ships were set alight, four of which were sunk by Lieutenant-General de Villette-Mursay. (4)
UTRECHT/WAPEN VAN UTRECHT/STAD UTRECHT, sunk after action, 1690. 147 x 38.25 x 14.5 feet. (5)
WAPEN VAN UTRECHT of 64 guns. (6)(7)
The allies lost several ships, amongst which were the WAPEN VAN UTRECHT, MAAGD VAN ENKHUIZEN, THOLEN and ELSWOUT. (7)
Translated from the original French:
'On July 13th [New Style] pursued by the French squadron, the WAPEN VAN UTRECHT, Decker, 64 guns, sank; the MAAGD VAN ENKHUISEN, 72 guns, the ELSWOUT, 50 guns, and a fireship were scuttled on the coast.' (10)
Interpretation of location of loss:
The WAPEN VAN UTRECHT was, according to (10) lost on 3rd/13th July. According to an English source (14), 'Our last advice from the fleet, left them of from Dunagence [sic] on Thursday (3rd/13th July) in the afternoon . . . Two Dutch disabled ships were left att Hastings . . . '
Further in the same source, a letter dated from Dover on the 4th/14th, states: ' . . . going to the fleet at Rye, from which place they write, the 3rd instant, that our fleete came to an anchor neare that place, and the French fleete followed, and came to an anchor two leagues from them, haveing chased two Dutch men of warr on shoare at Hastinges, from which place the women and children were sent, the 3rd instant, with what goods they could carry, feareing the French should land, which they had not at 5 that afternoone, but had sette fire to the two Dutch ships, which were then burning, and that two other Dutch ships were on the sands by the White Rocks, about a mile to the west of Hastings . . . ' This implies that there were four ships ashore in the vicinity of Hastings by the 3rd.
Elsewhere in source (13), M de Tourville states [translated from the original French] ' . . . since my last letter . . . the ships which I detached to burn the ships on shore have succeeded in doing so, and forced them to burn two the day before yesterday and two yesterday.' These refer to ships burnt on the 13th and 14th respectively, and agree in number with the ships on shore in (14). These sources imply that it is possible all four were ashore by the 3rd, with two being burnt that day and two more the following day. M de Tourville was off Fairlight on the 3rd/13th, according to one of his letters, suggesting that his operations were concentrated in the Fairlight/Hastings area for at least one, possibly two days,while the same day the main body of the Anglo-Dutch fleet was as far east as Dungeness, thus leaving behind the disabled ships.
Thus it is likely that, if the WAPEN VAN UTRECHT was disabled, she had also been left behind and her likely area of loss is possibly concentrated in the area in which the French fleet was active around the disabled ships on shore, namely in the Fairlight/Hastings area, and not further east. Thus the named location for her position of loss has been selected as "off Hastings", but this is for representative purposes and is not intended to be definitive. (15)
Built: 1665 (5)(16)
Where Built: Amsterdam (16)
Armament: 60 to 66 guns, armament for 1666 quoted (5); 64 (6)(10)(11); 66 (16)
Commanding Officer: Decker (7)(10)
Owner: Netherlands [United Provinces] Navy [all sources]
Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss
Additional sources cited in source (2) [in Dutch]:
J R Bruijn, Varend verleden. De Nederlandse oorlogsvloot in de 17e en 18e eeuw (Meppel, 1998)
T van Gent, 17 zeventiende eeuwse admiralen en hun zeeslagen (Den Haag, 2000)
J C de Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche zeewezen, deel 3 (3e druk, Zwolle 1869)
J C Mollema, Geschiedenis van Nederland ter zee, deel 3 (Amsterdam, 1941)
J CM Warnsinck, De vloot van den koning-stadhouder 1689-1690 (Amsterdam, 1934)
J C M Warnsinck, Van vlootvoogden en zeeslagen (3e druk, Amsterdam, 1942) |