Sunday, August 05, 2007

Wondering about the opening shots in the war

While thinking more about recording the opening shots of the First Anglo-Dutch War (the Dutch call the war the Eerste Engelse Oorlog), I realized that we should first look at incident off the Start, where Anthony Young's small squadron stopped Jacob Huyrluyt, Joris van der Zaan, and their seven Straatsvaarders that they were convoying. Joris van der Zaan's report to Lieutenant-Admiral Tromp is what so incensed Tromp that he was angry and not ready to take any of what he felt was abuse by the English. Robert Blake, the English admiral, was nominally a friend of Tromp's, but he had some responsibility for this incident, as well. After all, the had what was almost certainly, a 32pdr demi-cannon fired at the Dutch flagship's hull. At close range, this shot was so powerful, that the shot went completely through both sides of the Brederode's hull.

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