Spiegel

Posted by Aaron R. Shields on Tuesday 25th of October 2022 21:58

The Spiegel was the flagship of Admiral DeRuyter's fleet in the Mediterranean in 1664/65. This fleet had been on escort duty and was involved in heavy diplomacy with the Barbary states to negotiate the end of depredations on Dutch shipping. DeRuyter was given freedom of decision to attack any city he wished if peaceful negotiations could not be achieved. To this end he was about to bombard Algiers when he received sealed orders. Although war had not been declared with England yet, his orders were to proceed with the utmost secrecy to Cape Verde and then the Gold Coast in order to pursue the renegade Englishman Sir Robert Holmes and retake the Dutch African forts, factories and trading posts seized by Holmes and the Company of Royal Adventurers (CRA).

DeRuyter's fleet lead by the Spiegel successfully did this finding only 13 Englishmen left behind to hold Fort Witsen when it surrendered. DeRuyter received instructions to blow up the fort anyway because it was too expensive to maintain. He retook Fort Amsterdam on 8 February 1665 and captured 58 English prisoners of war. He left 400 soldiers behind at the various other Dutch installations. Just as he had captured the last fort a warship arrived with more sealed instructions and informing DeRuyter that an official state of war now existed between the Dutch Republic and the Kingdom of England.

Dutch intelligence verified that Prince Rupert's fleet which was supposed to make a foray into the Caribbean against Dutch possessions was to stay in Europe to counter the new Dutch Confederate battle fleet. A new relief force was already on its way to the Mediterranean to blockade Algiers. DeRuyter's orders were to take his fleet across the Atlantic into the Caribbean to continue after Holmes and harass, destroy and capture English shipping and possessions.

On 30 April 1665, DeRuyter in the Spiegel bombarded Bridgetown Barbados and Saint Anne's Fort. The Spiegel destroyed the only English warship guarding the harbor. In addition to the 14 capital ships in DeRuyter's fleet, 12 smaller warships (Dutch Advice Yachts/Fregats - English would classify as sloops of war) seized or destroyed 30 English merchantmen in the harbor. The fort put up such a hot contest causing DeRuyters fleet over 90 minutes of exchanged fire to take significant damage and over a dozen casualties. Unknown to DeRuyter the fort had only six guns remaining in action by the end of the bombardment and were about to surrender when DeRuyter sailed away to continue his punitive foray up the Leeward islands against the English.

After stopping at French Montserrat to make repairs and bury the dead DeRuyter. DeRuyter's smaller warships seized 9 additional middling English merchantmen. Off Nevis one very large English merchant vessel was taken with a very rich cargo. DeRuyter brought armed and crewed five of the prizes and added them to his fleet and sold off the remaining prizes at (French) Saint Christophers and Dutch Saint Eustatius for over 120,000 guilders which was enough to more than pay for the entire expedition.

DeRuyter's orders were then to take the Spiegel and the fleet north to Terranueve and attack the English Newfoundland fisheries. They seized a large cache of fish and a couple dozen English merchantmen and fishing cats. DeRuyter gave the fishermen three of the cats fully provisioned and released them to return home.

The Spiegel returned home to the Netherlands on 09 August 1665 to a heroes welcome - where DeRuyter learned that Admiral Obdam had been killed at the Battle of Lowestoft in June. DeRuyter was then made supreme Admiral of the Dutch Confederate fleet.

Seems like so often the chapters in the careers of many ships assigned to far off places are forgotten or neglected. Just trying to fill in some blanks for anyone interested.

Aaron R. Shields
Lieutenant Colonel,
Field Artillery (FA57)
US Army (Retired)

Posted by Jules van Beek on Sunday 14th of March 2021 15:55

Spiegel is often mentioned as a three-decker. Does anyone know why Spiegel is thought to be a three-decker? Any help is much appreciated.