Abraham Van Der Hulst

Abraham van der Hulst (

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, 11 April 1619 – 12 June 1666) was a Dutch admiral in the 17th century. Van der Hulst was appointed extraordinary captain in 1650. He served as captain of ''Groningen'' in the

First Anglo-Dutch War The First Anglo-Dutch War, or simply the First Dutch War, ( nl, Eerste Engelse (zee-)oorlog, "First English (Sea) War"; 1652–1654) was a conflict fought entirely at sea between the navies of the Commonwealth of England and the United Provinces ...

, being promoted to full captain in 1653, becoming flag captain of Vice-Admiral

Witte de With Witte Corneliszoon de With (28 March 1599 – 8 November 1658) was a Dutch naval officer. He is noted for planning and participating in a number of naval battles during the Eighty Years War and the First Anglo-Dutch war. Early life and c ...

on ''Vrijheid'', fighting in the

Battle of the Gabbard The naval Battle of the Gabbard, also known as the Battle of Gabbard Bank, the Battle of the North Foreland or the Second Battle of Nieuwpoort took place on 2–3 June 1653 (12–13 June 1653 Gregorian calendar). during the First Anglo-Dutch War ...

and the

Battle of Scheveningen The Battle of Scheveningen (also known as the Battle of Ter Heijde) was the final naval battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War. It took place on 31 July 1653 (10 August on the Gregorian calendar), between the fleets of the Commonwealth of England ...

. In 1654 he had convoy duty in the Mediterranean. In 1656, in the Dutch-Portuguese War, he took two merchantmen during the blockade of Portugal. In 1658 he was flag captain of Vice-Admiral

Michiel de Ruyter Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter (; 24 March 1607 – 29 April 1676) was a Dutch admiral. Widely celebrated and regarded as one of the most skilled admirals in history, De Ruyter is arguably most famous for his achievements with the Dutch ...

on ''Hilversum'' while again blockading Portugal. In 1661 he served in De Ruyter's fleet in the Mediterranean. When the

Second Anglo-Dutch War The Second Anglo-Dutch War or the Second Dutch War (4 March 1665 – 31 July 1667; nl, Tweede Engelse Oorlog "Second English War") was a conflict between England and the Dutch Republic partly for control over the seas and trade routes, whe ...

threatened he was on 29 January appointed temporary Rear-Admiral with the Admiralty of Amsterdam. In the

Battle of Lowestoft The Battle of Lowestoft took place on during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. A fleet of more than a hundred ships of the United Provinces commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer, Lord Obdam attacked an English fleet of equal size comm ...

in 1665 he was second in command in the squadron of Lieutenant-Admiral

Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam Jacob, Banner Lord of Wassenaer, Lord Obdam, Hensbroek, Spanbroek, Opmeer, Zuidwijk and Kernhem (1610 – 13 June 1665) was a Dutch nobleman who became lieutenant admiral, and supreme commander of the navy of the Dutch Republic. The name ''Obda ...

, taking over command of this unit when the latter was killed because his flagship exploded. The battle was a heavy defeat for the Dutch and those captains fighting bitterly to cover the retreat of the fleet were seen as heroes, among them Van der Hulst who was promoted on 25 July to Vice-Admiral. In the

Four Days' Battle The Four Days' Battle, also known as the Four Days' Fight in some English sources and as Vierdaagse Zeeslag in Dutch, was a naval battle of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. Fought from 1 June to 4 June 1666 in the Julian or Old Style calendar that w ...

he was second in command in the squadron of Lieutenant-Admiral

Cornelis Tromp Cornelis Maartenszoon Tromp, ''Count of Sølvesborg'' (3 September 1629 – 29 May 1691) was a Dutch naval officer who served as lieutenant-admiral general in the Dutch Navy, and briefly as a general admiral in the Royal Danish Navy. Tromp ...

. On the second day due to a communication mistake Tromp failed to follow the turn of the main body of the Dutch fleet into the back of the English fleet. As a result, his squadron became isolated and attacked by a superior English force. Before De Ruyter could break the English line and save Tromp's force, several ships had taken a horrible pounding, among them ''Spiegel'', Van der Hulst's flagship. He himself was mortally wounded by a musket ball in the breast. ''Spiegel'' was abandoned but later salvaged. Van der Hulst was buried in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam; a marble grave memorial was later erected, a work of

Artus de With Artus or Arthus is a Breton surname or name which means "bear" (cf. arth), and may refer to: * Amédée Artus (1815–1892), French conductor and composer of operettas * Alexandre Artus (1821–1911), French conductor and composer of classical music ...

. His name was later given to a in 1993, . 1619 births 1666 deaths 17th-century Dutch military personnel Admirals of the navy of the Dutch Republic Dutch military personnel killed in action Military personnel from Amsterdam Burials at the Oude Kerk, Amsterdam {{Netherlands-mil-bio-stub