The Admiralty of Rotterdam was founded in 1574 during the Dutch Revolt, when William I of Orange's supporters decided to pool their naval resources at Rotterdam. After a number of reorganisations seeking to foster cooperation between the admiralties, the structure of the five admiralties was determined and defined in a 1597 decision of the States-General of the Netherlands. The admiralty had branches for equipping warships, protecting overseas trade and traffic on the sea and rivers, collecting taxes, and jurisdiction over loot and prize-setting. This situation remained in place until the admiralties were dissolved in 1795. This, the oldest of the admiralties, was based in the Prinsenhof, the former St Agnes convent at. An artilleriehuis was built in the convent brewery, and an admiralty prison was built elsewhere in the complex. In 1644 the Prinsenhof was demolished to make way for the construction of Nieuwemarkt, with the admiralty moving to the north-west corner of Haringvliet. The artilleriehuis was, however, spared due to its noncentral position on the Prinsenhof site by the end of the Huibrug, but was demolished and rebuilt in 1759, probably using stone from the demolished late 16th century frontage of the admiralty building. One of these stones shows the admiralty's arms, with the crossed anchors and an abbreviation of its motto Pugno Pro Patria. The admiralty's new 1644 building, the Admiraliteitshof, was an imposing classical building with a facade showing the coat of arms, and a square plan centred on a courtyard. It was demolished in 1884. From the end of the 16th century the admiralty also owned the 's-Landswerf shipyard at the northeastern corner of the Nieuwe Haven. It was demolished and rebuilt on the same site in 1660, then extended in 1662 with a second arsenal accessed by a very wide entrance opposite the east gate. In the second half of the 17th century, the Nieuwe Haven was extended to the Buizengat harbour and in consequence the 's-Landswerf was moved to the south bank of the Buizengat in or after 1689. In 1701, a part of the complex at the Groenendaal end was destroyed by fire. The rebuilding of the affected wing was commemorated with a foundation stone laid by Diderik Hogendorp. In the 18th century the second arsenal closed and was modernised by the architect Jan Giudici. G. D. Wijckerheld Bisdom laid its first stone on 8 May 1783. Resulting from all these extensions, a large rectangular building gradually took shape. In 1823, the second arsenal was refurbished for the marines. In 1846, the marine corps was disbanded, and in 1868 it returned. After the dissolution of the admiralties in 1795, the complex was known as the Naval Shipyard'. It closed in 1849, the last building becoming a state-run bonded warehouse in 1855. The admiralty also had a ropewalk' with associated buildings at the Lagendijk just outside the Oostpoort. It was used from 1697 to 1847 and was 265 metres long by 10 metres wide.
Fleet-guardians (''vlootvoogden'')
Well-known fleet-guardians of the Rotterdam Admiralty include:
Almonde, Philps van: luitenant-commandeur ; schout-bij-nacht
In the 1673 Battle of Texel, the last big battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War, the Admiralty of Rotterdam provided the following ships and captains: Ships of the line: De Zeven Provinciën 80 Delft 62 Ridderschap 64 Voorzichtigheid 84 Gelderland 63 Vrijheid 80 Eendracht 72 Maagd van Dordrecht 68 Dordrecht 44 Zeelandia 42 Schieland 58 Wassenaer 59 Frigates: Schiedam 20 Utrecht 34 Rotterdam 30 Harderwijk 24 Adviesjachten: Hoop 6 Rotterdam 6 Branders: Sint Pieter Jisper Kerk 4 Blackmoor 4 Maria 4 Eenhoorn Louise 4
