The Visser was a yacht in the service of the Dutch West India Company (WIC). It was sunk by an English frigate, according a reference in the Amsterdam City Archives:

"...until in front of the River Gambia and from there to the River Siera Leone, finding there an English frigate with ... guns called the Dover Merchant, [which] sunk the yacht the Visser and from there they went sail to around ...miles beneath Siera Leone, where they..."

Stadsarchief Amsterdam

English conquests on thew WIC in West Africa

Commodore Robert Holmes was sent to West Africa to "attack Dutch possesions and ships" and to "promote the Interests of the Royall Company" and to "kill, take, sink or destroy such as shall oppose you" (See Bath MSS. XCV under references). Holmes went about this task with much zeal. An underlying reason for this action was to provoke a conflict with the Dutch Republic in the run-up to the Second Anglo-Dutch War.

In sight of the Dutch base at Gorée Holmes took the Dutch West Indiaman Gekroonde Bril (on January 6th, 1664) and two other ships, the Visser and the Viskorf, a private ship (on January 31st, 1664), and the next day Gorée was also conquered, and the yacht the Krokodil was taken.

"Robert Holmes, having claimed on the 31st of that month the stronghold of Kabo Verde, on the island of Goerede, and had after that fired at, and forced to surrender, the yacht the Krokodil, and that he had also taken two ships the night before, the Viskorf and the Visser" (see Brandt under references).

Holmes was aided in this action by stirring up the Portuguese, Africans, and even such Dutch merchants as had a grudge against the WIC.

On 28 March, in a tactically cunning action, he took the WIC ship the Gouden Leeuw which had meanwhile been named Walcheren (which was taken into the Royal Navy as a fourth-rate).

On 10 April he captured Anta Castle on the Gold Coast and several other small strongholds and ships. But the greatest coup was the capture of the principal Dutch base in West Africa, Cape Coast Castle near El Mina in Ghana, on May 1st. With these aggressive actions, Holmes was attempting to provoke an open conflict with the Dutch Republic.

De Ruiter to West Africa

The States General (the government of the Netherlands) were trying to avoid open warfare with England. They secretly sent Michiel de Ruiter - who was already in the Mediterranean with a squadron of twelve ships - to restore the status quo and help the WIC.

The Ruiter reconquered everything Holmes had taken, except for Castle Elmina, which meant that the English stayed there until 1664.

• Brandt, Geeraardt (1687)
  Leven en bedryf van den heere Michiel de Ruiter
• Stadsarchief Amsterdam, Notariëel Archief
  ref. no. 5075, inv nr 1330, pp p. 257,(scan 125)
• National Archives, Bath MSS
  ref. no. Bath MSS. XCV, pp ff.3-5