Abraham Crijnssen Abraham Crijnssen ( ? , Vlissingen - 1 February 1669 , Paramaribo ) was a Dutch naval commander , notable for capturing Surinam from the British in 1667 during the Second Anglo - Dutch War . The minesweeper HNLMS " Abraham Crijnssen " and the frigate HNLMS " Abraham Crijnssen " have been named after him . Life . 1632 - 1665 . Crijnssen was probably born in Vlissingen . His date of birth is unknown . In 1632 he commanded the " Samson " and the " Vlissingen " , two ships belonging to a fleet of 12 privateers owned by the brothers Lampsins . Crijnssen inflicted much damage on the Dunkirk Privateers , and distinguished himself in 1639 during the Battle of the Downs . In 1665 , he was commander at the Admiralty of Zeeland . First he served as first captain under Adriaan Banckert , but in the autumn he was appointed captain of the " Prins te Paard " . He fought at the Four Days ' Battle and the St . James ' s Day Battle as commander of the frigate " Zeelandia " . Suriname . In December 1666 , Crijnssen received the command over a squadron , composed of the frigates " Zeelandia " , " West - Cappelle " and " Zeeridder " , and 4 smaller ships , including the " Prins te Paard " . He was sent to the West Indies and the east coast of North America in an expedition against the English . Crijnssen left Veere on December 30 with 700 men aboard , including more than 200 soldiers . On February 25 , 1667 he reached the Suriname River where the English fort " Willoughby " was situated . After a short bombardment the English surrendered the fort and on March 6 they gave up the entire colony . Crijnssen renamed the fort " Fort Zeelandia " and left a garrison behind . The " West - Capelle " captured the English frigate " York " , and sailed back to Zeeland in October 1667 with 1000 pounds of elephant teeth from the " York " . Tobago , Sint - Eustatius , Martinique . On April 17 Crijnssen had already left to liberated the Dutch colonies of Berbice , Essequibo and Pomeroon , but at arrival the learned that the English had already been expelled . He then sailed to Tobago and found the fort destroyed . After rebuilding it and leaving a garrison , he sailed on May 4 to Sint Eustatius , which he reconquered . He then headed for Martinique where he joined forces with a French fleet to face a strong English force near the island of Nevis . He was forced to abort the battle , because of poor collaboration between Dutch and French . Virginia . After this battle , Crijnssen sailed to Virginia , where he surprised in the mouth of the James River an English commercial fleet , ready to cross the ocean with a cargo of tobacco . He captured the English ecort warship , spread his men over 11 merchant ships , and burned the rest . He then sailed back to Vlissingen with his prizes , where he arrived on August 25 . Crijnssen received a hero ' s welcome and received a golden chain . Suriname recaptured . In February 1668 , Crijnssen was sent back to Suriname with 3 ships . Despite the fact that the Treaty of Breda ( 1667 ) had given Suriname to the Dutch , the English had retaken Fort Zeelandia in October 1667 . Crijnssen arrived in Suriname on April 20 , and by April 28 the whole of Suriname was firmly back in Dutch hands . It was to remain a Dutch possession until 1975 .