De Zeven Provinciën (1665)

Type

Ship of the Line

Period

17th Century

Nation

Netherlands

Overview: De Zeven Provinciën ("The Seven Provinces") was an 80-gun Dutch ship of the line built for the Admiralty of de Maze (Rotterdam) and is best known as Admiral Michiel de Ruyter's celebrated flagship. The name honored the seven autonomous provinces of the Dutch Republic, and the ship became one of the most storied warships of the Dutch Golden Age navy. Specifications: Built in 1664-65 by master shipbuilder Salomon Jansz van den Tempel, the ship measured roughly 151-163 ft (46 m) on the gundeck depending on the measurement standard used, with a beam of about 40-43 ft (12 m) and a hold depth around 15-16.5 ft (4.7 m). She displaced approximately 1600 tons, carried a crew of over 420, and was originally armed with 80 guns (later reduced to 76), including 36-pounders and 24-pounders on the lower gundeck, 18- and 12-pounders on the upper deck, and 6-pounders on the quarterdeck, forecastle, and poop. Service History: The ship served as flagship first to Vice Admiral Aert Jansse van Nes and then, from 1666 to 1674, to Michiel de Ruyter, seeing action in the Second Anglo-Dutch War at the Four Days Fight, the St. James's Day Battle, and the Raid on the Medway. In the Third Anglo-Dutch War she fought in the Battle of Solebay, both Battles of Schooneveld, and the Battle of the Texel, and later, re-armed with 76 guns, took part in the Battles of Barfleur and La Hogue in 1692 as part of a combined Anglo-Dutch fleet before being broken up in 1694 after suffering severe damage. Notable Facts: The ship was famously dismasted during the Four Days Fight yet remained a favorite for her sailing qualities, earning a reputation, per contemporary accounts, as "a classic van de Velde 'Ship Portrait' of the 'Zeven Provincien', a celebrated 80-gun flagship of the Dutch United Provinces... had a reputation for being a particularly good sailor." She was extensively documented by marine painters Willem van de Velde the Elder and Younger, and a full-size replica project was begun at the Batavia-werf in Lelystad in 1995, followed by a second attempt in 2008, though the replica effort suffered setbacks including a shipyard fire.