Good Ship DORDRECHT of the Maze



Port-side Dordrecht - Admiralty of the Maze

This is my finished model of the good ship Dordrecht, a stalwart naval fighting platform of the United Provinces (Dutch) republican fleet during the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the mid-seventeenth century. She is from the superb range of 1/1200 scale vessels designed and produced by Rod Langton of Langton Miniatures fame (where else) and included his optional brass etched sails.

My rendition is for the Dordrecht during the second Anglo-Dutch Wars and is taken from the lists provided in Fox's Four Days Battle of 1666 but for the life I me I cannot recall from which battles returns the statistics refer. In any event, imagine my Dordrecht carrying 46 guns, 161 sailors and 25 soldiers and captained by the fighting seaman of Maze, Philips van Almonde.



You gessed it - starboard-side Dordrecht

Philips van Almonde was born in Den Briel on 29 December 1644 of a wealthy burgher family but went to sea as cadet to his uncle, Capt Jacob Cleidijck aboard the Dordrecht. Making Lieutenant in 1664 at 21 years and assumed command of the ship after his uncle was severely wounded at Lowestoft in'65 - to be confirmed by the Admiralty (Maze - now Rotterdam). We are told he went on to distinguish himself in the Four Days Battle. In later life and after the period my model is set, he went on to captain the Harderwijk (equivalent 4th rate of the Amsterdam Admiralty) and ended his service as a Lieutenant Admiral.

As usual, I mounted this model on cut glass and touched up around the edges of the model with gloss white enamel for the foamy wake of the vessel. Actually, when I Super Glue the model onto the glass, it gets a frost effect so the wake helps smear that into what I find a pleasing effect. I did want my Dordrecht to sport it's Admiralty flag but could not for the life of me get a reference for one on-line. Having started small with my collection - in both numbers and vessel size, the Dordrecht represents my most powerful ship to date for the Dutch.