Two ships from the Royal Netherlands Navy were in port the other day, docked at Pier 18. The port call was presumably a friendly visit, but that has not always been the case. The Dutch invaded Puerto Rico in 1625 and almost took the island. The Netherlands, like other European naval powers, have a long history in the Caribbean.

The Dutch Navy dates from the Eighty Years’ War (1568 – 1648), also known as the Dutch War of Independence. The seventeen Dutch provinces revolted against the political and religious rule of Philip II of Spain, who was the sovereign over the Habsburg Netherlands. The Dutch forces, led by William the Silent, eventually defeated the Spanish. In 1581, they formed the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, the existence of which was codified in the Peace of Westphalia, in 1648.

The Dutch invested in their navy and soon became a world power, challenging especially the English, but also the French and Spanish navies for trade and overseas possessions. It was during this period that pejorative terms – Dutch courage (fueled by alcohol), Dutch cap (contraceptive diaphragm), Dutch wife (prostitute), Dutch concert (uproar from a drunken crowd) – entered the English language. Some phrases are still current – Dutch date, Dutch treat, Dutch uncle, for example.

The Dutch, like other European naval powers, recognized the strategic importance of Puerto Rico. The Enchanted Isle is the first island sailing ships from Europe, traveling on the trade winds, encounter with both ample fresh water and an excellent harbor. The Spanish had recognized this early on and had begun to fortify the harbor area by constructing El Morro, the iconic fortress at the harbor entrance. In fact, San Juan is one of only seven cities in the New World the Spanish considered important enough to fortify.

The Dutch arrived off San Juan on September 24, 1625, with an armada of 17 ships and 2,000 men. The Dutch took advantage of favorable winds and forced their way into the harbor. The Spanish cannons at El Morro were in poor repair, and the cannoneers ill-prepared. The Dutch commander, know to history as Captain Boudewijn Hendricksz or Boudoyno Henrico or Balduino Enrico, demanded a surrender from Juan de Haros, the Spanish Governor. He refused, and the Dutch invaded at La Puntilla, the site of the current US Coast Guard station in San Juan Bay.  de Haros recognized the threat and ordered San Juan evacuated. He commanded Captain Juan de Amezquita with 300 men to defend the island from El Morro. He also ordered former governor Juan de Vargas to lead the island’s militia against the Dutch.

El Morro from the vantage point of a Dutch attacker. The Dutch had to attack uphill, across an open field, all the time under fire from cannon and muskets. I edited the image to remove modern features. See the image below.

The Dutch took possession of San Juan on September 25, 1625, and established their headquarters in Fortaleza, the governor’s mansion. Their attacks on El Morro were unsuccessful, and they also suffered attacks from the militia. After a siege of about a month, the Dutch were driven from the island by a series of counterattacks. They fled after setting fire to the city and looting the cathedral, The Spanish victory is depicted in a  painting by Eugenio Caxes, the royal artist for Philip III. The painting was completed shortly after the battle and is currently on display at the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

Spanish soldiers and Puerto Rican militia drive Dutch invaders back to the sea. Governor Juan de Haro and Captain Juan de Amezqitas are in the foreground. Reproduction of painting by Eugenio Caxes, royal painter for Philip III. The reproduction is on signage on the way into El Morro. The sign is quite faded; I enhanced the colors in Photoshop.

The Spanish learned that San Juan could be defended from an attack, and that the island’s militia could be trusted in the defense of Spanish interests. The Dutch, however, did capture a Spanish fleet on its way to the Iberian peninsula. That, and the near defeat in San Juan, caused the Spanish to rethink the defense of their empire. Money was allocated to make San Juan a more readily defensible walled city. Construction began in 1630 and, with various fits and starts, was completed in 1780.

El Morro as it looks today. The small obelisk at the far left was placed in 1925, 300 years after the battle.

The Netherlands governs six islands in the Lesser Antilles. Three – Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten are countries in the Netherlands, with the Netherlands being the fourth and largest constituent country in the Kingdom. The other three – Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba – are special municipalities of the Netherlands alone. As shown on the map below, three of these islands are in the Leeward Islands, and three in the Leeward Antilles. The Windward and Leeward designation comes from the days of sail; the reasons for these designations merits its own post.

Map of the Caribbean Sea. Saba and Sint Eustatius are shown but not identified; they are small islands near St. Martin.

The Dutch thus have good reason for a naval presence in the Caribbean. The warship that visited is P840, the HNLMS Holland, one of a class of four offshore patrol vessels constructed for the Royal Netherlands Navy. They fulfill patrol and intervention tasks against smugglers and other lightly armed adversaries. They carry one helicopter, flown from the rear deck. The main armament is an Otto Melara Super Rapid gun which can fire 76 mm rounds at 120 rounds per minute at a range of about 10 miles.

The HLNMS Holland, a Dutch navy patrol vessel.

The second ship is the HNLMS Pelikaan (A804), a logistics support ship permanently based at Curacao. She is used primarily for humanitarian relief efforts. I wonder if she is here from Haiti. The Pelikaan was the first ship there after the 2010 earthquake.

The HMLNS Pelikaan, a Dutch naval logistics ship.

I’m glad the Dutch came in peace this time. The main gun on the Holland could have done a real number on our balcony furniture.

Notes and sources. See Wikipedia articles on the Royal Netherlands Navy, the Dutch invasion of Puerto Rico, Eugenio Caxes, and the Netherlands in the Caribbean for more information.

I downloaded the map of the Caribbean, created by Kmusser, from Wikimedia Commons. It is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported  agreement,