Maarten Tromp was supreme commander of the Dutch fleet during the later part of the
Eighty Years' War and throughout the
First Anglo-Dutch War. He is widely considered the best Dutch naval commander during most of this time. Tromp's former superior, Admiral
Piet Pieterszoon Hein, once told a friend that Tromp as a seaman and a commander possessed a sound character that distinguished him from all the captains he had ever known. Tromp joined the Dutch navy as a
lieutenant in July 1622, entering service with the
Admiralty of the Maze based in
Rotterdam, serving aboard the
Bruynvisch.
Eighty Years' War During the
Eighty Years' War (1568–1648), Tromp was appointed as full captain in 1629 at the initiative of
stadtholder Frederick Henry himself, where Tromp demonstrated that he was very successful in fighting the
Dunkirkers as a squadron commander, functioning as a
commandeur on the
Vliegende Groene Draeck. Despite receiving four honorary golden chains, he was not promoted further. The
Vliegende Groene Draeck foundered and new heavy vessels were reserved for the flag officers while Tromp was relegated to the old
Prins Hendrik. After Tromp's first wife died in 1634, with whom he had three sons left for Tromp to support, he subsequently left the naval service that year in disappointment. He became a
deacon and married Alijth Jacobsdochter Arckenboudt, the daughter of Brill's wealthy
schepen and tax collector, on 12 September 1634. In 1637 Tromp re-enlisted in the Dutch navy and was promoted from captain to
Lieutenant-Admiral of Holland and West Frisia, under the Stadtholder,
Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange. This occurred following the resignation of Lieutenant-Admiral Philips van Dorp, and the dismissal of Vice-Admiral Jasper Liefhebber, and other flag officers due to incompetence, neglecting the Dutch navy which had fallen into a deplorable state, with several captains resigning their commissions and seeking service with the army. With the resignation of van Dorp on 27 October the States of Holland once again asked Tromp to accept the command of the Dutch navy. Tromp accepted but under the conditions that afforded him greater authority than was allowed for the navy’s previous commanders, remembering how badly the fleet had been neglected by them under van Dorp. Tromp insisted on a greater number of ships, which were to be well outfitted with supplies, and well manned. The States gave Tromp their solemn promise that they would grant all his requests. The terms of Tromp’s official appointment from the Stadtholder further strengthened his position.
Witte de With, a year younger, very brave but brutal and ill-tempered, was appointed as his vice-admiral. Both were born in Den Briel and served as flag captains under Piet Hein. Although formally ranking under the
Admiral-General Frederick Henry of Orange, he was the
de facto supreme commander of the Dutch fleet, as the
stadtholders never fought at sea. Tromp was mostly occupied with blockading the privateer port of
Dunkirk. Tromp out-maneuvered Oquendo's fleet which was bound for Flanders but was forced to retreat to England at
the Downs, behind the sandbanks of the
Kentish coast, where they remained trapped, while a prolonged debate preceding the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms continued in London. Tromp was already familiar with the channel from his cruising during 1637 and 1638, and sailed to
Calais Roads, blocking the southwestern entrance of
Dunkirk, where he resupplied his fleet from Calais with the support of
Cardinal Richelieu. Now with a reinforced fleet Tromp, in spite of the objection of
Charles I, who was on good terms with the Spain,. attacked on 21 October, during the
Battle of the Downs, destroying a large proportion of Oquendo's armada. During the
Fight in the Channel, a preliminary action to the Downs, Tromp was the first fleet commander known for the deliberate use of
line of battle tactics, For his landmark victory Tromp was rewarded by the States-General and knighted by Louis XIII of France, a close Dutch ally in the war against Spain. Shortly thereafter his second wife died. Tromp married again in 1640, to Cornelia van Berckhout. In 1643 the deputy of parliament in Holland made a loud protest in the General Assembly against the Prince of Orange for his orders to Tromp to allow two of the frigates bought by English royalists in Dunkirk, to be released for their use and command. During his career, his main rival was Vice-Admiral
Witte de With, who also served the
Admiralty of Rotterdam (de Maze) from 1637. De With temporarily replaced him as supreme commander for the
Battle of Kentish Knock. Tromp's crew would not permit De With, who had a reputation of severity when disciplining a crew, to raise his flag on their ship, and insisted that he use the
Prins Willem as his flagship. Tromp's successor was Lieutenant-Admiral
Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam. Tromp commanded the Dutch squadron that escorted
Queen Henrietta Maria in 1643 when she returned from
The Hague to
King Charles I. Opposed to her returning to England the Parliamentarian squadron under
William Batten threatened to attack the Queen's convoy when it landed at
Bridlington but was thwarted by Tromp to withdraw. Prior to the war,
Oliver Cromwell and the
Rump Parliament had
issued an ordinance prohibiting foreign trade and requiring all foreign fleets in the North Sea or the Channel to lower their flag in salute and as a sign of compliance. A Dutch embassy was in London trying to negotiate a lifting of the
Navigation Acts, but without much success. On 19 May 1652, Tromp was cruising in the English Channel with a fleet of forty ships between
Nieuport and the mouth of the
Meuse River, with general orders to protect Holland's commerce, while keeping watch over the English navy, which was searching and seizing Dutch merchant ships prior. English Admiral
Robert Blake had recently seized seven richly laden Dutch merchant ships, off the coast of
Fairlight. Blake was now lying in
Dover Roads with fifteen ships, while eight others were anchored in Bourne in the Downs. which prompted
James to fire a third shot, hitting Tromp's ship and wounding some crew members. This was followed with Tromp returning fire with a warning broadside from his flagship
Brederode.
James in turn fired a broadside and a five-hour battle ensued. The fighting continued until nightfall, where both sides withdrew, the battle having no distinct victor. Shortly after the battle a board of commissioners, which included Cromwell, after questioning witnesses, had concluded that Tromp had deliberately provoked hostilities. Subsequently the Dutch Republic withdrew its three ambassadors from Westminster, and on 8 July 1652 England declared war against the Dutch. with Vice-admiral
Witte de With taking his place. On 8 October 1652, with Tromp's command still in suspension, De With underestimating Blake, with 60 ships, attempted an attack at the
Battle of the Kentish Knock, but ended with Blake sending the defeated De With back to Holland. Although De With was the more adept tactician, he was no match against Blake's force that included the heavy English ships
Resolution and
Sovereign, the two largest warships in the world at the time. The significance of De With's defeat was received over-optimistically by the Council of State, leading them to assume that Blake now had control over the English Channel. The Council subsequently dispersed their fleets to protect English interests in the
Baltic Sea and
North Sea, while another fleet was sent to reinforce the English squadron in the Mediterranean. This left Blake with about forty ships that were in anchor in the Downs, and a situation that was compounded by a lack of funds to pay for badly needed repairs and for the crews. Subsequent to De With's defeat, Tromp was reinstated as commander, on 8 May, which proved to be a big boost for Dutch naval morale, which was the highest it had been since he was dismissed months before in July. The
Battle of Dungeness occurred on 30 November 1652, and proved to be the most important Dutch victory during the war, with Tromp's fleet winning for the Dutch the temporary control of the English Channel. A great convoy of 300 merchant ships was ready to leave the Netherlands headed for the
Bay of Biscay, accompanied by a large fleet of 73 warships and a small number of
fireships which were sent in escort to protect it. Tromp was in command, with
Jan Evertsen and De Ruyter as his subordinate commanders. Admiral Blake had seriously underestimated Dutch strength, possibly due to poor visibility, as his fleet was outnumbered, two-to-one. Blake sailed parallel to the Dutch fleet along the English coast towards
Dungeness, with the coastline beginning to bend to the south. As the fleets were approaching Dungeness Point Blake's fleet became pinned against the shore bringing the two fleets close together. Tromp subsequently hoisted the red battle-flag and advanced on Blake’s new flagship, the
Triumph. According to contemporary English sources, after his victory at Dungeness, Tromp attached a broom to his mast as a symbol that he had swept the English from the sea. The naval
Battle of the Gabbard, took place on 2–3 June 1653, (12–13 June 1653
Gregorian calendar) off the coast of
Suffolk, England near the Gabbard shoal. Tromp, aboard his flagship
Brederode with de With aboard
Vrijheid, was in command of 98 ships and six fireships, divided in five squadrons, while Generals at Sea
George Monck and
Richard Deane were in command of 100 ships and five fireships, divided into three squadrons. Tromp's fleet was organized mostly for boarding actions and were largely crewed with soldiers for that purpose, while the English employed the use of superior firepower. Blake joined the English fleet on 3 June. Though his fleet was very low on ammunition Tromp decided for a direct attack, but at the time the winds became almost still, leaving the Dutch fleet vulnerable in the face of superior English fire. Subsequently the Dutch lost seventeen ships captured or sunk, while the English lost none. Deane was killed during the action. It was one of the worst defeats ever suffered by the Dutch navy, leaving the English in control of the English Channel. His acting flag captain,
Egbert Bartholomeusz Kortenaer, on the
Brederode kept up fleet morale by not lowering Tromp's standard, pretending Tromp was still alive. At this point Evertsen assumed command, and with this the Dutch admirals returned to their ships and resumed battle with "unabated vigour". The loss of Tromp was a severe blow to the Dutch navy. The battle proved to be a tactical victory for the English, but a strategic victory for the Dutch in that they had the blockade removed. ==Legacy==