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The Nassau Fleet was a Dutch fleet of eleven ships in the early 17th century (1623–1626) commissioned by Prince Maurice of Nassau and the Dutch State General. Its objectives were to hunt down and capture Spanish silver ships leaving Peru and to establish a colony in either Peru or Chile. The fleet was commanded by Admiral Jacques l'Hermite and Vice-Admiral Gheen Huygen Schapenham.
The voyage[edit]
The fleet left Goedereede in Zeeland on April 29, 1623 right from the start the fleet suffered from problems and had to dock at the Island Wight to make repairs. They rounded Cape Horn in February 1624. Near Cape Horn the Nassau Bay and the Hermite Islands were charted and named after Admiral Hermite and Prince Maurice of Nassau. After a stopover at the Juan Fernandez Island the ships arrived at Callao in May 1624, just days after the Spanish silver ships had left. The port of Callao was blocked and several remaining Spanish ships were captured or burnt. On June 2 Admiral l'Hermite died of dydentery and scurvy after being ill ever since the fleet passed the western coast of Africa to take on supplies. Command was passed on to his Vice-Admiral Schapenham and Rear-Admiral Versteeg. The fleet split into three parts to attack Pisco and Guayaquil, but did not try to pursuit the Spanish ships carrying the silver. Schapenham proved to be a weak commander and wasn't able to achieve the goal of establishing a colony on the west coast of South America. After staying several month along the coast of Peru he withdrew the fleet and continued westwards towards the Dutch East Indies.
The ships[edit]
The fleet was made up of eleven ships, provided by the various chambers of the Dutch East India Company, the main chamber being Amsterdam, providing four ships including the flagship Amsterdam.[1]
| Ship | Tonnage | Crew | Chamber | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam | 800 | 237 | Amsterdam | Flagship, Admiral l'Hermite |
| Delft | 800 | 242 | Amsterdam | Vice-Admiral Schapenham, Master: Witte de With |
| Oranje | 700 | 216 | Zeeland | |
| Hollandia | 600 | 182 | Rotterdam | |
| Eendracht | 600 | 110 | Enkhuizen | |
| Mauritius | 560 | 169 | Rotterdam | |
| Arend | 400 | 144 | Amsterdam | |
| Hoop (Verwachting) | 260 | 80 | Rotterdam | |
| Koning David | 360 | 79 | Hoorn | |
| Griffioen | 320 | 74 | Hoorn | |
| Windhond (Hazewind) | 60 | 20 | Amsterdam |
References[edit]
- ^ Netherlands Institue for History, Dutch East India Company - Dutch Asiatic Ships (DAS), Retrieved May 29, 2009. (in Dutch)