@All, thank you for your warm words of welcome.
My current project is the scratch building of the Prins Willem, a merchant vessel from the Dutch VOC build in 1651. I'm using the book of Herman Ketting as a guideline. Soon I'll start a build log in the applicable forum.
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WOW Andre' you really go for the big boys don't you. Love your De zeven provinciën and I looked up the ship on Wiki and am posting what they said about that boat incase anyone else is interested in the vessels history.
De Zeven Provinciën (
Dutch: "the seven provinces") was a Dutch
ship of the line, originally armed with 80 guns. The name of the ship refers to the seven autonomous provinces that made up the
Dutch Republic in the 17th century. The vessel was built in 1664-65 for the
Admiralty of de Maze in
Rotterdam by the master shipbuilder
Salomon Jansz van den Tempel.
The ship served as Admiral
Michiel de Ruyter's
flagship during the
Second Anglo-Dutch War, taking part in the Dutch victory at the
Four Days Fight and the defeat at the
St. James's Day Battle, and acting as a command post as well as blockading the
River Thames during the
Raid on the Medway. The vessel performed well throughout the war, though it was partially dismasted during the Four Days Fight.
De Ruyter used
De Zeven Provinciën as his flagship during the
Third Anglo-Dutch War of 1672-1673. The ship served in all four major battles against the combined English and French fleet, fighting in the
Battle of Solebay, the first and second
Battle of Schooneveld and, in possibly its greatest moment, the
Battle of the Texel. In 1674 the ship visited the West Indies.
In 1692 the ship, now armed with only 76 guns, fought at the
Battles of Barfleur and La Hogue during the
War of the Grand Alliance. The vessel was severely damaged during the fight and, in 1694,
De Zeven Provinciën had to be broken up.
What a great history of the 7 Provinces, one can not but marvel at it's engagements and it even made it over to our side of the world. I bet the Pirates put on all their canvas when they spotted the 7 over here!