The Alkmaar was a frigate of the Dutch Noorderkwartier Admiralty. It was in service from 1639 until 1653 under captain Capelman.

Battle of the Downs

The ship fought in the Battle of the Downs on October 21st 1639. The Eighty Years' War was still in full swing. At the end of August, a Spanish armada under the command of almirante general De Oquendo left Spain with 67 ships. These were sent to the Netherlands to land troops. With these, the Spanish crown wanted to give a decisive turn to the rebelling Republic.

The Dutch fleet knew the Spaniards were under way. The Spaniards were harassed by a squadron led by admiral Maarten Tromp. De Oquendo wanted to avoid Tromp and sought protection on the roads of the Downs in neutral English waters.

This backfired: on September 19th, the whole of the Spanish fleet was enclosed by Tromp and Banckert. The Spanish Armada was trapped and a month later, on October 21st, the armada was definitively beaten by the Dutch fleet.

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

First Anglo-Dutch War

In 1652, the Alkmaar was still active after a long life of service. The commanding officer of the ship in 1639 was Jan Warnaetsz. Capelman. He was still its commander in 1652, which is quite unique.

In the mean time, war had broken out with England. The Alkmaar was probably taken by the English towards the end of June 1652 while it was engaged in a cruising mission on the North Sea. In any case, a resolution in 1652 reports that:

26 officers as wel as sailors of captain Warnaetsz. were released from English captivity. 1

This makes it clear that the ship had fallen into English hands. The Alkmaar still appears on a fleet list of June 30th, 1652. After this, there are no more references to the ship.

Armament: 28 cannon

The ship was most likely taken by the English but it is not clear what became of it.

• Bender, J.A (2014).
  Dutch Warships in the Age of Sail 1600 - 1714.
  pp 169-170.
• Gerhard de Kok, HTR Hub.
  De Maze, Resolutiën.