Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam

Jacob, Banner Lord of Wassenaer, Lord Obdam, Hensbroek, Spanbroek, Opmeer, Zuidwijk and Kernhem (1610 ? 13 June 1665) was a Dutch Lieutenant-Admiral, and supreme commander of the confederate Dutch navy. The name Obdam was then also spelled as Opdam and the British contemporaneous sources most often refer to him as Admiral Opdam, as he bought only in 1657 the Estate Wassenaar from family and therefore was first known to them as Lord Obdam. Modern Dutch sources sometimes less correctly insert a second "van" between "Wassenaer" and "Obdam" or use the modern spelling "Wassenaar".

Second Anglo-Dutch War

When through the English Restoration Charles II of England became king, he tried to serve his dynastic interests by putting pressure on the States-General to make his son-in-law, the later William III of Orange, stadtholder. Believing the Dutch were weakened by their political divisions British parliament grew ever more enthusiastic to start a war to take over the Dutch colonial empire. At first the Dutch tried to fend off this disaster by bribing Charles, but they soon understood he was too weak a king to resist the pressure from the British elite. In 1664 it became obvious war was unavoidable. In reaction the Dutch began to expand their fleet. Laid up obsolete ships from the previous war were activated and a new ad hoc building programme was started that year, soon followed by an official plan at a price of eight million guilders to build sixty heavier ships (so as to completely replace the core of the fleet) in the years 1665-67. Company warships were brought over from the Indies. Large merchants were hired or bought to be rebuilt.

Related Topics:
English Restoration - Charles II of England - William III of Orange - Dutch colonial empire - 1664

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In March 1665 the British declared the Second Anglo-Dutch War. When ordered by Johan de Witt in May 1665 to prevent a second British blockade of the Dutch coast - after the first had to be broken off for lack of supplies, the British Admiralty even so early in the war having a cash flow problem - Van Wassenaer commanded the largest fleet ever in Dutch history. He was deeply unhappy with it. In fact he refused to sail at all. In a meeting with De Witt he pointed out that this fleet lacked any unity. As the Mediterranean Fleet had been sent to West Africa under De Ruyter, only half of the home fleet now consisted of professional ships; the remainder of disparate vessels either too old or too new and all poorly trained, manned by sailors from all over Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Asia. How was he ever going to execute modern fleet tactics with that lot? De Witt's answer was simple: don't, revert to the old tactics and surprise the British fleet while having the weather gauge. Van Wassenaer shouted that he would never do that. Why not?, De Witt shouted back, Was it true then after all that he was no more than a coward? Van Wassenaer fell silent and after a few moments said he would obey.

Related Topics:
Second Anglo-Dutch War - British Admiralty

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Van Wassenaer took sea and soon intercepted a British convoy from Hamburg capturing nine merchant ships. De Witt sent letters to the fleet, but not to congratulate Van Wassenaer with his success but to ask him for what reason he was tarrying at the Dutch coast. Would he please be so kind as to at last attack the British fleet? Deeply offended the Admiral sailed to the British coast. On 12 June he met the enemy fleet. But despite having the weather gauge he didn't attack, though he had clear written orders to do so. The next day the wind had turned and now he did engage the enemy, in a defensive leeward position, trying to form a line of battle. But as he had predicted, the fleet wasn't ready for sophisticated manoeuvres; it lost all cohesion and was trapped by the British rear. This Battle of Lowestoft turned into the worst naval defeat in Dutch history. The Dutch flagship Eendragt duelled her counterpart HMS Royal Charles and exploded; Van Wassenaer was not among the five survivors. One report stated that just before the explosion he was swept from the deck by a cannonball.

Related Topics:
Hamburg - 12 June - Battle of Lowestoft - HMS Royal Charles

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The defeat caused a national outrage. Trying to explain his commander's behavior captain Tjerk Hiddes de Vries, soon to be promoted to Lieutenant-Admiral of Frisia, wrote about the causes of the defeat: "In the first place God Almighty robbed our supreme commander of his senses — or never gave him any to begin with."

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As any Dutch Admiral killed in action Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam was given a marble grave memorial, in this case of course a cenotaph. It is in The Hague, in the Old Church.

Related Topics:
Cenotaph - The Hague

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