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Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp (c. 23 April 1598 – 10 August 1653) was an officer and later admiral in the Dutch navy. His first name is also spelled as Maerten, and sometimes anglicized as Martin. In some histories, he is referred to as "van Tromp" or "von Tromp", however, the name "Tromp" is believed to have come from the Olifantstromp, a ship his father had captained.
Maarten Tromp in 1632[]
Thanks to information from Grantville's histories, Maarten Tromp was made lieutenant-admiral in 1633, years earlier than in the OTL. It is known that Richelieu provided some of this information, but his motives for doing so are unclear.
Tromp's first action in his new position was to lead the fleet that sailed to meet the Spanish fleet under Antonio de Oquendo. They met near Dunkirk, but the meeting was actually a trap. England and France, who were ostensibly allies of the Dutch, had joined Spain in a secret alliance. Oquendo's ships deliberately aimed to hit the sails and rigging of the Dutch ships, while the English and French ships that accompanied Tromp attacked his ships from the rear once they were engaged with the Spanish. A handful of Dutch ships, including Tromp's, were able to escape, and Tromp led them to the South American port of Recife, which was then held by the Dutch West India Company.
Realizing that Recife had become untenable, be eventually persuaded the colonists to abandon it and evacuate to St. Eustatia. This evacuation was completed by September of 1634.
Notes[]
- ↑ Ch. 19 of 1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies implies that Tromp's first wife was alive as of the Battle of Dunkirk in 1633. Whether or not she is still alive in 1635 is not known, and may be TBD.