The Blauwe Leeuw ('Blue Lion') was the rear admiral ship of the WIC fleet commanded by general Boudewijn Hendriksz, the mayor of the city of Edam in Holland.

The fleet was instructed to reinforce the newly conquered (in 1624) stronghold Bahia de Todos os Sanctos (All Sainbts Bay) in Brazil. Yet the fleet arrived too late, on May 24th 1625. Bahia was retaken and heavily fortified by the Spanish and Portuguese.

The fleet remained indecisive in Brazil for a while. To make matters worse, an epidemic broke out and around 700 men died.

General Hendricksz decided to leave Brazil. He split up the fleet. Twelve ships under admiral Veron set course to Africa, their goal was to conquer Elmina. Hendricksz set course for the Caribbean with 18 ships. His objective was San Juan on the island Puerto Rico. Four ships stayed to try and capture Portuguese or Spanish ships.

Storm

The fleet was at St. Vincent on the 30th of August to take in provisions. After this, they sailed on 10 September for Puerto Rico. The same night the fleet was caught into a violent storm. Most ships were badly damaged. Three ships, the Gele Zon, the Gouden Zon and the Vlissingen were lost in the tempest. The Blauwe Leeuw lost its main mast in the storm.

Yard: Amsterdam

Chamber: WIC chamber of Amsterdam

Royal Collection/Wikimedia Commons

Part of a pamhlet depicting the naval engagements at Havana and the Bay of Matanzas in 1628, engraving published by Hessel Gerritsz, ca. 1628. While this is another fleet, the ships are similar to the fleet of Hendriksz.

It is not clear what happened to the ship but it does not appear to have returned to Europe.

• Laet, J. de (1644).
  Historie ofte iaerlijck verhael van de verrichtinghen der geoctroyeerde West-Indische Compagnie..., part II.
  pp 34.
  Leiden.