Viertageschlacht
In the Four Days' Battle he was second in command in the squadron of Lieutenant-Admiral Cornelis Tromp. On the second day due to a communication mistake Tromp failed to follow the turn of the main body of the Dutch fleet into the back of the English fleet. As a result, his squadron became isolated and attacked by a superior English force. Before De Ruyter could break the English line and save Tromp's force, several ships had taken a horrible pounding, among them "Spiegel", Van der Hulst's flagship. He himself was mortally wounded by a musket ball in the breast. "Spiegel" was abandoned but later salvaged.