From PeterD Anglo-Dutch Wars Dutch Ships

I had these painted up a week ago and planned to post this soon after my English squadron but you know how it goes....

With COVID19 my university lectures got moved to Zoom lectures which took a lot more time planning than my normal stand in front os white board blather on and do examples lectures.  Maybe it's not such a bad thing long term, but my oldometer may be limiting my ability to learn new tricks.  Lectures are now over but I've got two take home final exams to prep a bunch of term projects to mark.  

I've got the following ships ready for posting.  And we will sail on to the sea of Arcania and the Five (yes FIVE) Admiralties that co-existed in  the Dutch Republic until 1795 (when they lost their fleet to French Hussards).  I expect that our Dutch friends will be watching for my inevitable mistakes as I navigate these shoals.

Leading the squadron is the Speigel from the Admiralty of Amsterdam.  She was built in 1663 carried 70 guns and was DeRuyter's flagship for the squadron that DeRuyter took to West Africa and North America just before the start of the Second Dutch War.  She was in thick of the fighting on the first two days of he Four Days' Battle and got sent home in a badly damaged state after the second day. I've given her a (probably) anachronistic triple-X Amsterdam flag at her mainmast.

Next in line is the Noorderkwartier from the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier (North Quarter) aka the Admiralty of West Friesland based in Hoorn.  She carried 60 guns and was brand new when she served as part of the squadron that DeRuyter took to West Africa and America.   She fought in the Second and Third Wars.  I've given her a West Friesland flag (blue with lions) at her mainmast.

Last we hav two ketches (I think these would be hoeckers in Dutch) Zwolle and Goede Hoop from the Admiralty of the Maas (Rotterdam).  The Goede Hoop was made into a fireship.

The ships are once again Tumbling Die 1/2400 and very nice when assembled.

There was a fair bit of rivalry between the various Admiralties and Dutch fleets tended to have scads of "flag offices" as each Admiralty wanted to make sure that their men got roles.  And of course, the actual squadrons were made up of ships from several Admiralties not serrated into regional fleets.  Quite apart from his tactical brilliance, DeRuyter's other major plus was that he was so well respected that all the factions shut up and listened to him. 

You can see the variety of flags used in the stern view.  I have to touch up some around the edges with finalize black marker.

I've played a little fast and loose on the flags.  The 5 admiralties typically used combinations of the Princes' flag (sideways tricolour) and Triple Princes flag (same thing only  3 times as many stripes) as ensign and jack.  I'm substituting regional flags for each of the five admiralties, some which probably weren't used in the seventeenth century.