page_title: Abraham Johannes de Smit van den Broecke
section_title: Commanding the frigate Doggersbank
hierarchical_section_title: Abraham Johannes de Smit van den Broecke / Career in the navy / Commanding the frigate Doggersbank
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Deel van de aquarel van het fregat 'Doggersbank'.English: Part of a watercolor of the frigate "Doggersbank".
context_page_description: Abraham Johannes de Smit van den Broecke was a career officer of the Royal Dutch Navy and a conservative minister for the navy.
context_section_description: In January 1852 There was a rumor that captain de Smit van den Broecke would get the command of the heavy frigate Doggersbank, a ship more fitting for a captain. This appointment indeed took place on 24 February, effective 1 April. On 13 June 1852 the Doggersbank tried to leave Nieuwediep for Vlissingen, but was blown back. A few days later she was towed to Vlissingen. The mission of the Doggersbank was to make a cruise to the Canaries as an exercise trip for 40 midshipmen. On 23 June she left Vlissingen, and on 8 July she was in A Coruña, from whence the Reales Astilleros de Esteiro were visited. On 2 August the Doggersbank arrived back in Nieuwediep from the Canaries. In September the Doggersbank was the flagship of a squadron under RA Bouricius together with the frigate Prins van Oranje, the corvette Sumatra and the Gedeh. The squadron arrived in Gibraltar on 10 October. It left from there in mid October and sailed to Cadiz. From there the two frigates sailed home on 6 November, and arrived back in Nieuwediep on the 18th. 
  Meanwhile de Smit van den Broecke had been appointed in the 1852 commission for Naval affairs. It had been appointed on 14 February 1852 to advise the minister for the navy about 'some naval affairs'. In it were Prince Henry as LA and president, R.A. S.R. van Franck, captain de Smit van den Broecke, captain-lts C.J. Berghuis and B.G. Escher, lieutenants 1st class J.C. Pieterse and H. Camp, Chief-Engineer A.E. Tromp, engineer 2nd class H.G. Jansen, and administrative officer J.E. Kempe. The commission had to answer a lot of questions. The most important question was whether the navy should use screw-propulsion. This question was answered in the affirmative, and led to the construction of the first big Dutch warships with screw propulsion.
  In late January 1853 de Smit van den Broecke took the Doggersbank on a cruise to the Mediterranean. She first left Nieuwediep for Malta, where she arrived on 8 February. On 15 February the Doggersbank left Malta, and on 19 February she reached Smyrna (Turkey). She next sailed to Istanbul, but had to visit Scio after losing sails and anchors. In mid-March she reached Istanbul, from whence she was to return to the Netherlands in mid-April. In fact she returned to Smyrna, and from there reached Alexandria on 27 April. From there she sailed to Malta, and left there on 30 May. On 29 June De Smit van den Broecke arrived back in Den Helder on board the Doggersbank. On 5 August he sailed her to Vlissingen, where she would be cleaned of an infection causing Gas gangrene in very minor wounds. On 6 October 1853 the Doggersbank arrived back in Nieuwediep.
  At the end of 1853 de Smit van den Broecke made a second trip to the Mediterranean on board the Doggersbank. After the Doggersbank had been loaded with a half year's provisions, the planned trip was postponed. On 1 November 1853 de Smit van den Broecke finally sailed her out of Texel for the Mediterranean. On 25 November 1853 she reached Malta. Here she was joined by the Prins van Oranje, and together they left for Messina and Naples on 17 December. On 2 February 1854 both arrived in Genoa. On 25 February she arrived in Malta. On 7 March she left Malta for Smyrna, arriving there on 21 March. On 12 June the Doggersbank stranded near Smyrna. In mid August she arrived back in Malta. On 10 October 1854 the Doggersbank arrived in Vlissingen, from whence she continued to Texel. By 10 December 1854 De Smit van den Broecke was known to have been placed on the Guard ship Rijn in Nieuwediep.
caption: Frigate Doggersbank in the Mediterranean 1853
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