Ships agreed to be fitted out by the Portuguese crown
According to a letter of admiral Artus Gysels dated 17 November 1641 the agreed amount of 20 ships to be fitted out by the Portuguese crown was still not available. So he suggested to hire some of the ships lying in the port of Lisbon of British and other nationality. He mentioned the number of 10 or 12 Dutch hired ships.
The crown however didn’t share Gysels’ opinion dealing with the 20 ships. The ambassador hired in the Netherlands 12 ships and there were another 26 ships fitted out and who departed with the French squadron. So the amount of 20 ships to be fitted out corresponding the agreement between the Dutch States General and the Portuguese crown was almost doubled! That’s not the whole truth, the Portuguese crown was allowed to hire or buy 20 ships in the Netherlands and had to fit out at least another 10 galleons. Gysels give more information about the Portuguese ships who joined the French squadron. Yes, there were nine galleons, ships to be considered of great strength, and with 960 sailors and 2250 soldiers, but the other ‘ships’ couldn’t be called ships according Gysels. Among the 26 ships (total 3776 men) were 13 caravels (8 with 20-30 men and 5 with around 12) and 4 pataljos (pataches} with each 85 men. And the hired ships by the ambassador had in fact been of hardly any use. According to Gysels the Portuguese navy commanded by Dom Tristan de Mendoca had 13 ships available to strengthen the Dutch fleet to search for the Spanish Silver fleet, sadly enough without giving more details.
Trooptransports
On 20 August arrived at Downs 16 or 17 ships from Texel accompanied by the Graaf Maurits and Tijger, the latter two ships part of the fleet commanded by Artus Gysels. The warships hired by the ambassador were now on the river Maas with orders to go straight on to Portugal; so those 16-17 ships must have transports. A statement for notary Jacob van Duyfhuysen jr dated 24 July 1641 by Artus Gysels, Joost van Co(u)lster and captain Louwijs de Leemes de Forie (signed as Luis Selemos de Faria) confirms the paying by Van Coulster for transporting the soldiers to the waiting ships off Texel and on the river Maze [Rotterdam]. The fluyts were over loaded with soldiers and horses. The latter agrees with the statement made by Van Coulster and Gysels that the Admiral Gysels commanding the 20 war ships fitted out by the Dutch States General however took on board more soldiers as obliged as was requested by Van Coulster. The latter even expanded the royal fleet with two of his own ships. Among the fluyts was the Cooninck Davits with a company horsemen commanded by ritmeester (captain) De Pijper.
Former mayor of Rotterdam Joost van Coulster complained to the Dutch States General August 1642 still be waiting for his money to be paid by the Portuguese crown. He showed a request written by Tristao de Mendoza Furtado for hiring vessels and buying victuals for the soldiers transported from Nijmegen, Tiel, Zaltbommel and other cities to the ships partly bought, partly hired by the same Van Coulster for the Portuese crown. I wonder if this are the 20 ships which the Portuguese crown was to allowed to buy or hire in the Netherlands or, more probably, that we here are dealing with the above mentioned transports.
A report of 12 March 1644! mentioned that in the meantime Van Coulster was paid two months hire for his ship ‘t Wapen van Portugal and 3 months for his ship St. Antonie [St. Anthony], but still waiting for 27.000 guilders hire and around 10.000 guilders for victuals. In notary archives in Rotterdam are some statements of Dutch sailors kept. In July was a ship called Tytis or Tytus mentioned and that the St. Antonie was commanded by Aryen [Adriaen] Joosten Coulster. In the same month were the Het Fortuin, captain Servaes Coulster, and the Faem, master Stoffel Jacobsz mentioned; about the latter I’am sure if she was also to be used for the Portuguese crown. Finally Guillaume Rosee chartered the Gekroonde Haringh, master Cornelis Jochemsz van Vlissingen, to transport 25 men and a horsemen with horse to Portugal for 1600 guilders.
Costs of fitting out the 20 Dutch warships
To get an impression of the monthly costs of hiring the Dutch aid fleet commanded by admiral Artus Gysels.
Admiralty of the Maze: Rode Leeuw ƒ 6500, Gouden Leeuw ƒ 4100, Engel ƒ 4500 and Tijger ƒ 3700, total ƒ 18800.
Admiralty of Amsterdam: Prins ƒ 6650, St . Andries ƒ 6650, Swaan ƒ 5625, Pellicaan ƒ 5625, St . Jacob ƒ 4800, Prins van Portugal ƒ 4450, Engel Gabriel ƒ4500 and Neptunus ƒ3150, total ƒ41450.
Admiralty of Zeeland: Roos ƒ 6450, Haas ƒ3900, Abrahams Offerande ƒ 3900 and Vlissingen ƒ3900, total ƒ 18150.
Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier: Drie Helden Davids ƒ 5600, St . Marten ƒ 5495, fluyt Hoop ƒ 4330 and Graaf Maurits ƒ 3700, total ƒ 19125.
Costs of hiring the 20 ships was in total 97.525 guilders a month!, excluded the taxed value of ƒ 8000 each month (the insurance to be paid?)
Spanish naval strength
Gysels managed to obtain Thursday 8 August more information about the Spanish naval strength. One of his captains met the two merchant ships St. Jans Evangelist and St. George off Hamburg on their way back from St. Lucas. Both merchant ships saw 20 Spanish ships lying off St. Maria and their captains went on board the admiral of Castile with 48 guns and 500 men and said that the Spanish vice-admiral was armed with 36 guns and the other ships with 22-24 guns. In Cadiz were another 16 ships prepared to depart. The Dunkirker squadron included the Gulde Hooft 36 guns, the Sal[a]mander 34 guns, the St. Jan Baptist 30 guns and the Propheet Elias 34 guns. Despite what the Spanish admiral claimed was the Silver fleet still underway.
