De Witte Oliphant
 The De Witte Oliphant on a drawing by de Willem van Velde the Elder from 1672 (detail)
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The De Witte Oliphant (Dutch, in German: The White Elephant) was a Dutch sailing warship with over 80 guns on two decks. It entered service towards the end of the Second Anglo-Dutch Sea War in 1667 and served as the flagship of Vice Admiral Isaac Sweers . The ship took part in important naval battles of its time before it was scrapped in 1686.
The ship
The ship De Witte Oliphant , named after the rare white elephant , was completed in 1667 by master shipbuilder Jan van Reenen in Amsterdam . In some literature and in picture descriptions it is simply referred to as Witte Oliphant , Oliphant or De Oliphant , but also in the spelling Olifant instead of Oliphant .
The ship was a square sail with three masts ( mizzen mast , main mast and foremast ). Only on the mizzen mast was there a latin sail in the lowest position (undersan sail) . In addition, the blind could be seated at the bowsprit . At the bowsprit there was a Mars , on which a bowsprit mast was installed, on which the upper blind (Bouvenblinde) could be set. During the construction of the ship, care was taken to ensure that it did not have an excessive draft, as otherwise it could not pass safely through the sometimes shallow waters off the Dutch coast and the Dutch ports. In addition to the relatively shallow draft, it was also wider in the waterline. Both together resulted in a calmer position of the hull in the water and a lower degree of heel . This also resulted in an important advantage in combat: While other ships had to close their lowest gun ports due to the heel to prevent water from entering there, the De Witte Oliphant could also use the heavier guns set up in the lowest deck. In addition, a calmer position in the water also increased the probability of being hit.
The De Witte Oliphant was a two-decker and ended in the stern area with a smooth transom . As a central focal point and representative carving was in the upper third of the transom a white elephant . This sculptural work was framed by various allegorical and baroque- style carvings: the richly decorated transom led at the outer lateral ends into the side galleries on which lions and admirals were built. In addition, artfully decorated, partly strongly curved friezes were built into the transom, which were optically supported by a number of figures. Above the upper frieze, there were three large stern lanterns that rounded off the traditional appearance of the stern area of sailing warships. As a figurehead , a lion adorned the Scheg , as is common on many sailing warships of Dutch design .
The hull was planked in the Kraweel construction including the bulwark , which, in contrast to the clinker construction, was characterized by a relatively flat surface.
The De Witte Oliphant was equipped with 82 to 92 cannons , with the heavier calibers positioned on the lower weapon deck. As a rule, the cannons came from our own Dutch manufacture and were integrated on the two weapon decks , the upper deck and in the transom .
history
The Dutch fleet was qualitatively inferior to the English fleet. However, Johan de Witt , the influential board member of Holland - responsible for foreign policy issues, was able to induce the States General to build numerous new buildings in November 1664, including 24 new "capital ships" (Capitale schepen van Oorloge); In March 1665, another 24 new buildings were ordered, in July 1666 another twelve - including the De Witte Oliphant .
On June 7, 1667, the completed ship served as the flagship of Vice Admiral Isaac Sweers in the squadron of Admiral Willem Joseph van Ghent off Texel . The squadron was part of the fleet of Admiral de Ruyter Michiel , the 1665 Admiral lieutenant to commander of the fleet of the States General was appointed.
Raid at the Medway (June 19 to June 24, 1667)
→ see the main article Robbery in the Medway
On June 10, 1667, the De Witte Oliphant was in roadstead in Schooneveld , a sea area near Walcheren in the then province of Zeeland . On June 13, she joined the Dutch fleet and sailed for England . This was followed by a daring foray into the Thames on June 19 , which led across the River Medway to Chatham . The Dutch sank several English warships and destroyed several of the land batteries covering the fairway . The emblematic ship of the line Royal Charles and the frigate Unity were conquered and dragged home as prizes . The De Witte Oliphant returned to Texel after the attack in the Medway.
Naval Battle of Solebay (June 7, 1672)
→ see the main article Naval Battle of Solebay
In the naval battle of Solebay as part of the Third Anglo-Dutch War from 1672 to 1674 , the Dutch fleet under Admiral Lieutenant Michiel de Ruyter , Adriaen Banckert and Willem Joseph van Ghent surprised the Anglo-French fleet anchored off Solebay and was able to win this battle for itself . The De Witte Oliphant suffered severe damage in the battle, but was able to return on June 9, 1672 and anchor in home waters.
Second Naval Battle of Schooneveld (June 14, 1673)
→ see the main article Second Sea Battle of Schooneveld
The De Witte Oliphant was involved in the Second Naval Battle of Schooneveld on June 14, 1673. The Dutch fleet succeeded here in disrupting the Anglo-French squadrons and forcing them to retreat into the Thames estuary.
Sea battle off Texel (August 21, 1673)
→ see the main article Naval Battle of Texel
After the allied French and English wanted to attempt a landing on the Dutch coast with strong troops , they met the Dutch fleet on August 21, 1673 off Texel. The De Witte Oliphant , who led the Blue squadron of Isaac Sweers here, it got into a fight with a squadron of Rear Admiral John Kempthorne , was killed in the course of Admiral Isaac Sweers. Regardless of this event, the British abandoned the attempt to land, which the United Provinces considered a success.
The End
Not much is known about the continued use of the ship beyond 1673. In 1686 it was scrapped.
The De Witte Oliphant in contemporary marine painting
The De Witte Oliphant and her participation in important naval battles has inspired some contemporary artists to capture her in paintings and drawings in the context of other sailing warships of her time. The Dutch artists Willem van de Velde the Elder and Abraham Storck have immortalized them accordingly. The works are now exhibited in museums and are considered to be important portraits of the art of shipbuilding at the time.
Notes / individual evidence
- ↑ the description of the ship shown here refers to contemporary paintings and drawings of the ship
- ↑ At the same time there were several ships that were named White Elephant and were related to the Dutch Navy. The ship described here is often confused with a VOC ship of the same name that was used at the same time and was chartered by the Amsterdam Admiralty . Also known is an Italian merchant ship with 28 cannons called Elefante Bianco , which was chartered by the Dutch and used for the sea battle near Livorno in 1653
- ↑ In the Dutch Navy there were several admiralty lieutenants who commanded their respective parts of the fleet. But transfer officer commander was only one Admiral lieutenant of the States-General to the commander of the fleet of the States General was appointed
- ↑ for example in the drawing "Nederlandse vlag schepen op zee in een matige bries onder gemakkelijk zeilen" (Dutch flagships at sea in a moderate breeze with light sails) from 1672
- ↑ in the painting: De slag bij Kijkduin , August 21, 1673
Literature / sources
- Charles Ralph Boxer: The Anglo-Dutch Wars of the 17th Century , Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London 1974.
- Roger Hainsworth / Christine Churchers: The Anglo-Dutch Naval Wars 1652–1674 , Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp / Stroud / Gloucestershire 1998. ISBN 0-7509-1787-3
- James R. Jones: The Anglo-Dutch Wars of the Seventeenth Century , Longman House, London / New York 1996. ISBN 0-582-05631-4
- Alfred Thayer Mahan: The Influence of Sea Power on History 1660–1812 , Herford 1967.
- Alexander Meurer: History of naval warfare in outline , Leipzig 1942.
- Heinz Neukirchen: Sea power in the mirror of history , Berlin 1982. ISBN 3-8112-0368-1
- Gerard Brandt: Het leven en het bedrijf van den Heere Michiel de Ruyter. Een zeer uitgebreide biography who met medewerking van de Ruyters weduwe en children are screaming. Amsterdam 1687. ISBN 90-6103-401-9
- Prud´homme van Reine, Ronald: Rechterhand van Nederland, biography of Michiel Adriaanszoon de Ruyter , Open Domein nr.32, Amsterdam 1996
- Charles Ralph Boxer: The Anglo-Dutch Wars of the 17th Century , Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London 1974.
- Roger Hainsworth / Christine Churchers: The Anglo-Dutch Naval Wars 1652–1674 , Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp / Stroud / Gloucestershire 1998. ISBN 0-7509-1787-3