Hollandia

Type

Ship of the Line

Period

17th Century

Nation

Netherlands

Overview: Hollandia was an 82-gun first-rate ship of the line built in 1665 for the Dutch Republic's Amsterdam Admiralty. She is best remembered as a flagship used by two of the Dutch Republic's most celebrated admirals, Michiel de Ruyter and Cornelis Tromp, during the Anglo-Dutch Wars, and later served for many more years as a fast attack ship after De Zeven Provinciën took over as fleet flagship. Specifications: As built she measured roughly 165 Amsterdam feet in length with a beam of about 41¾ feet and a hold depth of around 15¼ feet, corresponding to a hull length of about 46 metres and beam of about 12 metres. She carried a mixed battery reported as 10×24-pounders, 18×18-pounders, 28×12-pounders and a number of 6-pounders, giving a recorded broadside weight of roughly 522 Dutch pounds (about 258 kg); complement ranged from about 375 to 440 men. Service History: Hollandia served through the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1665-1667), operating alongside sister flagships such as De Zeven Provinciën, and took part in the Four Days' Battle, the Raid on Chatham/Medway area, the attack on Harwich, the First and Second Battles of Schooneveld, and the Battle of Kijkduin/Texel in subsequent conflicts. She was Cornelis Tromp's flagship at the St James's Day Battle, and after being superseded as flagship by De Zeven Provinciën she continued in active service for rapid strike missions before eventually being sold to be broken up in 1694. Notable Facts: The ship's return to home waters after a campaign was captured in a marine painting by Dutch master Ludolf Backhuysen, "Terugkomst van de Hollandia in het Landsdiep bij Huisduinen," now held by Het Scheepvaartmuseum in Amsterdam. She should not be confused with two other, unrelated Dutch vessels sharing similar names: the smaller warship "Klein Hollandia" (built 1656, sunk 1672 off Eastbourne and rediscovered in 2019), and a later VOC ship "Hollandia" (built 1742) wrecked off the Isles of Scilly in 1743.