The Keizerin was a flute ship in the service of the Dutch West India Company (WIC). On July 14th ,1640, admiral Cornelis Jol departed from the WIC headquarters in Recife (Brazil) towards Cuba. From Curaçao, two WIC yachts and six commissioned privateers (temporarily contracted privateers) joined the fleet. So the fleet for Cuba consisted of a total of 32 ships. The goal was to intercept the Spanish silver fleet that gathered every year near Havana for the big crossing to Spain.

On September 1st, 1640, the fleet arrived north of Havana. There, the ships were divided in squadrons to cruise between Florida and Cuba to await the Spanish silver fleet.

RCE

On September 12th, a storm broke out that lasted for three days. The fleet was scattered and for ships stranded on the coast of Cuba between Havana and Mariel, according to a document from the WIC archives:

''[...] That they, cruising before Havana, were overrun by a large storm from the north, because of which four ships, the Alckmaer, Bul, Keiserinne and the Cattenbauw were pushed to the coast of Cuba and were lost, so that this, their done expedition, was unlucky." (1)

Nationaal Archief

Aftermath

After the storm, according to Jol's accounting, the fleet had 690 soldiers and 1938 sailors left. Cornelis Jol was no longer able to exact force. The attempt to conquer the Spanish silver fleet had failed. With this, Piet Hein remained the only one to have ever conquered a Spanish silver fleet (that was in the year 1628).

Prisoners

In total, on the beach near Mariel, 261 Dutchmen were taken prisoner. 48 iron and 17 bronze cannons were taken from the ships. Where possible, the sails, ropes and masts were taken from the ships, and the remains were burned.

Admiral Jol proposed a prisoner exchange on September 20th. Governor Don Alvaro declined and the prisoners were sent to Spain. Some survivors of the Keizerin returned to the Netherlands after much wanderings.

Tonnage: 200 last

Crew: 122

Armament: 22 cannon (6 bronze)

• Archivo General de Indias. Audiencia de Santo Domingo. Legajo: 101. No.: 143B. Fecha: 11 de septiembre de 1640. OWIC 1.05.01.01. 68, 1567, fol 123.
• Nationaal Archief, Den Haag, OWIC 1.05.01.01
  ref. no. 55, 43
• OWIC 1.05.01.01. 85, Generale brief (duplicaat) van gouverneur-generaal Johan Maurits van Nassau en raden aan de vergadering van de Heren XIX. 1640 september 13, schepenlijst.