The Tholen was a Dutch ship of the line of the Zeeland Admiralty that was involved in several battles in the Second Anglo-Dutch War. In this war, the Tholen was the vice admiral's ship of the Zeeland squad under lieutenant admiral Jan Evertsen (his actual name was Johan but he was usually called Jan to distinguish him from his father). Adriaan Banckert was vice admiral on the Tholen.

On august 4th 1666, during the St. James' Day Battle, the Tholen sank.

Metropolitan Museum

St. James' Day Battle

The St. James' Day Battle (called Tweedaagse Zeeslag or 'two-day battle' in Dutch) did not go well for the Dutch. After the succes of the Four Day's Battle, the Dutch fleet was at sea under the command of Michiel de Ruyter with the goal to merge with the French fleet to fight the English. They would not succeed in this.

Before they got to the French, on August 4th 1666 around nine thirty in the morning they met an English fleet of 89 ships. The vanguard got into trouble and the Dutch ships got into an area without wind, hampering their movement. The admirals Jan Evertsen and Tjerck Hidde de Vries, and vice admiral Coenders, were mortally wounded. Because of these misfortunes the vanguard, the combined squadron from Zeeland and Friesland that the Tholen was part of, retreated.

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

The Tholen under Banckert was surrounded and heavily damaged by gunfire. Vice admiral Banckert had to leave the sinking ship and went on the Ter Veere. With this ship he covered the retreat of the main force to Flushing at the ened of the second day.

Also see the Sneek.

Armament: 60 cannon

• Brandt, Geeraardt.
  Het leven en het bedrijf van den Heere Michiel de Ruyter 9, 509.
• De Jonge, J.C,
  Geschiedenis van Het Nederlandsche Zeewezen, II ,
  pp 124.
• Wikipedia.
  Tweedaagse_Zeeslag.