Cornelis Tromp Sir Cornelis Maartenszoon Tromp , 1st Baronet ( 9 September 1629 – 29 May 1691 ) was a Dutch naval officer . He was the son of Lieutenant Admiral Maarten Tromp . He became Lieutenant Admiral General in the Dutch Navy and briefly Admiral General in the Danish Navy . He fought in the first three Anglo - Dutch Wars and in the Scanian War . Biography . Early life . Cornelis Maartenszoon Tromp was born on 9 September 1629 in Rotterdam , in the county of Holland , the historically dominant province of the Dutch Republic . He was the second son of Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp and Dina Cornelisdochter de Haas . His name Maartenszoon , sometimes abbreviated to Maartensz . , is a patronymic and means " son of Maarten " . He had two full brothers , Harper and Johan . In 1633 , when he was only four years old , his mother died . His father remarried in 1634 and again in 1640 . The two marriages together brought Tromp four half brothers and five half sisters . His father had made career as an officer for the Admiralty of the Maze . After a conflict with Lieutenant - Admiral Philips van Dorp in 1634 Maarren Tromp left the fleet starting to work as a deacon . After Van Dorp was removed from his position in 1637 , his father became Lieutenant Admiral and supreme commander of the Dutch Navy . In 1642 , Cornelis Tromp was sent to Harfleur in France to learn to speak French from a Calvinist preacher . Early navy career . On 1 September 1643 he joined his father on his flagship the " Aemilia " . In September 1645 he was appointed as lieutenant . On 22 August 1649 he was made a full captain . He served in the First Anglo - Dutch War , fighting in the Battle of Leghorn , but wasn ' t given command of the Mediterranean fleet after the death of Johan van Galen , only being promoted to Rear - Admiral with the Admiralty of de Maze on 11 November 1653 after the death of his beloved father Maarten . In 1656 he participated in the relief of Gdańsk ( Danzig ) . In 1658 it was discovered he had used his ships to trade in luxury goods ; as a result he was fined and not allowed to have an active command until 1662 . Just before the Second Anglo - Dutch War he was promoted to Vice - Admiral on 29 January 1665 ; at the Battle of Lowestoft he prevented total catastrophe by taking over fleet command to allow the escape of the larger part of the fleet . Lieutenant Admiral . Gaining thus a sudden popularity he was then on 23 July 1665 temporarily given supreme command of the confederate fleet as Lieutenant Admiral , but had to give up this function ( but not rank ) the next month in favour of Lieutenant - Admiral Michiel de Ruyter ; he fought , having been transferred to the Admiralty of Amsterdam on 6 February 1666 , under the latter in the Four Days Battle and the St . James ' s Day Battle . As this failure off Nieuwpoort in August 1666 was imputed to him by De Ruyter he was dismissed , at the same time being under the suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government , but he returned in April 1673 , after the Orangists seized power , to fight against the French and English navies in the Third Anglo - Dutch War where he participated in the last three fleet actions under Lieutenant - Admiral - General Michiel de Ruyter , distinguishing himself in the double Battle of Schooneveld and the Battle of Texel in August 1673 fighting out an epic duel with his personal enemy Edward Spragge , who drowned . During this war , his flagship was the " Gouden Leeuw , " of 82 cannon . He was closely involved in the murder of Johan de Witt and Cornelis de Witt in 1672 . In 1675 he was created an English baronet and a Dutch erfridder by Charles II of England but he refused an honorary doctorate when visiting Oxford . Danish Navy . On 8 May 1676 he became Admiral - General of the Danish navy and Knight in the Order of the Elephant ; in 1677 Count of Sølvesborg ( then a Danish nobility title ) . He defeated the Swedish navy in the Battle of Öland , his only victory as a fleet commander . Lieutenant Admiral General . On 6 February 1679 he became Lieutenant - Admiral - General of the Republic but never fought in that capacity , having become a liability to the new regime of William III . He died in Amsterdam in 1691 , his mind broken by alcohol abuse and remorse , still officially commander of the Dutch fleet , after having been for a period replaced by Cornelis Evertsen the Youngest . Character . Tromp was a very aggressive squadron commander who personally relished the fight , preferring the direct attack having the weather gage over line - of - battle tactics . As a result he had to change ships often : four times at the Four Days ' Battle , three times at Schooneveld and two times at Texel . He was popular with his crews , despite the danger he put them in , because of his easy - going manners and his supporting the cause of the House of Orange against the States regime of Johan de Witt . However he often treated his fellow officers with contempt , both his equals and superiors . Indeed he is today infamous for his insubordination , although the two examples most often mentioned in this context , not following De Ruyter on the second day of the Four Days ' Battle and chasing the English rear in the St James ' s Day Fight , seem to have been honest mistakes . He was very jealous of De Ruyter but generally treated him with respect , though he considered him too common . Tromp tried to imitate the lifestyle of the nobility , marrying a rich elderly widow , Margaretha van Raephorst , in 1667 . He had no children . At home , without fighting to distract him , Cornelis , or " Kees " as he was normally called , grew quickly bored and indolent . He had the reputation of being a heavy drinker , so much so that many inns at the time were named after him . An example book for inn signs proposed the following inscription : Tromp was a vain man , having an extremely high opinion of himself , which he never hesitated in sharing with others . He felt that , son of a famous father , he had a natural right to the position of naval hero . During his life he posed as a sitter for at least 22 paintings , a record for the 17th century , many by top artists such as Ferdinand Bol . His art possessions were displayed in his estate , that long after his death was called " Trompenburgh " , the manor house built in the form of a warship . As his wider family was among the most fanatical supporters of Orange , he participated in most of their schemes , especially those of his brother - in - law Johan Kievit , a shrewd and unscrupulous intriguer . Tromp however had no great enthusiasm for subtle plotting ; later in life he came to regret many of his actions . He died in great mental anguish , convinced he would go to hell as punishment for his crimes . Legacy . The Dutch Ministry of Defence names Maarten Tromp and Cornelis Tromp as naval hero es . Since 1777 , nine navy ships have been named " Tromp " in honour of them , most recently the frigate HNLMS " Tromp " ( F803 ) .