Dutch ship Brederode Brederode was a ship of the line of the navy of the United Provinces of the Netherlands , and the flagship of the Dutch fleet in the First Anglo - Dutch War . Throughout her career , she carried from 53 - 59 guns . She was named after Johan Wolfert van Brederode , the brother - in - law of stadtholder Frederick Henry , Prince of Orange . Ship history . Launched at Rotterdam in 1644 , and a design of shipwright Jan Salomonszoon van den Tempel , she was the flagship of Vice - Admiral Witte Corneliszoon de With from May 1645 until 1647 when she was assigned to Lieutenant - Admiral Maarten Tromp . The same year however , she again became De With ' s flagship for his expedition to Dutch Brazil , only returning in 1650 . Only in 1651 would Tromp sail for the first time with his flag on the " Brederode " , during an attack against royalist privateers operating from the Scilly Islands . In the First Anglo - Dutch War " Brederode " was present under Tromp ' s command at the Battle of Goodwin Sands on 29 May 1652 . After Tromp ' s failure to bring the English to battle off the Shetland Islands in July , Tromp was relieved and Michiel de Ruyter took over command . When De Ruyter was subordinated to De With in September , " Brederode ' s " crew refused to let the latter come on board to take command , so he had to content himself with the " Prins Willem " . Under De Ruyter , " Brederode " fought at the Battle of the Kentish Knock on 8 October 1652 . With Tromp back in command , " Brederode " fought at the Battle of Dungeness on 10 December 1652 where she came close to being captured , but was instrumental in that victory over the English . She fought again on 18 February 1653 at the Battle of Portland and on 12 June 1653 at the Battle of the Gabbard , where she fought an exhausting but inconclusive duel with William Penn ' s flagship " James " . On that day , the first day of the battle , Tromp ' s men boarded the English ship but were beaten back ; boarded in turn by the English , Tromp was only able to dislodge the boarders by blowing up " Brederode ' s " deck . On 13 June the English were joined by a squadron under Admiral Robert Blake and the Dutch were scattered in defeat . " Brederode " fought in the last major engagement of the war , the Battle of Scheveningen on 26 July 1653 , when Tromp was killed . The acting flag captain ( later Admiral ) Egbert Bartholomeusz Kortenaer kept Tromp ' s standard raised after his death to keep up morale . In the Northern Wars the United Provinces sent an expeditionary force to support Denmark in the war against Charles X of Sweden . In the Battle of the Sound on 8 November 1658 the Dutch fleet , commanded by Lieutenant - Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam , defeated a Swedish fleet and relieved the siege of Copenhagen . Van Wassenaer ' s flagship was " Eendracht " ; De With commanded the van in " Brederode " ; attacking the enemy without proper knowledge of the shoals he grounded his ship ( after damaging " Leoparden " so much that this enemy vessel subsequently was lost by fire ) and was surrounded ; after many hours of fighting , " Brederode " was boarded by " Wismar " and De With mortally wounded . The partially burnt wreck was deemed unsalvagable . The " Brederode " was , in Maas feet , about . long by about . wide by approximately . deep . The English dimensions were very close to those figures . The published dimensions are in Maas feet of 308 mm , divided into . Everyone had assumed that the published dimensions were in Amsterdam feet of 283 mm , divided into . The " Brederode " was armed with 54 guns , which in 1652 included : 4 36 - pdrs . , 12 24 - pdrs . , and 8 18 - pdrs . on the lower deck , 20 12 - pdrs . on the upper deck , and 10 - 12 6 - pdrs . on the forecastle , quarterdeck , and poop deck .