Dooitze Eelkes Hinxt
| Dooitze Eelkes Hinxt | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1741 Dokkum |
| Died |
20 October 1797 At sea, near Texel |
| Buried | Huisduinen |
| Allegiance |
 Dutch Republic Batavian Republic Navy
|
| Service/branch |
 Dutch Republic Navy Batavian Republic Navy
|
| Years of service | 1782–1797 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Camperdown |
Dooitze Eelkes Hinxt (c. 1741 – 20 October 1797) was a Dutch navy officer. He was the son of Eelke Tabes Hinxt, a merchant captain from the city of Dokkum. Hinxt died on the ship of war Beschermer, due to the wounds he received during the Battle of Camperdown.
Dooitze Eelkes Hinxt was born in a Roman-Catholic family. His father was a merchant captain, who sailed in Europe, often to the Baltic countries. Dooitze Hinxt probably learned navigation skills aboard the ship of his father. In the years 1764–1780 Hinxt sailed on his own koff, the Aemelia Dorothea.
In 1782, Hinxt joined the Frisian Admiralty. He became Lieutenant and was given command of the cutter Snelheid. This was a small ship, with copper sheathing, 12 guns and a crew of 60 men. The Snelheid was indeed a fast ship, and Hinxt often organized matches for speed with other ships. In the years 1783–1785, Hinxt sailed for the Dutch colony of Essequibo in Latin-America. In the years 1787–1789, he sailed to the Mediterranean Sea, where he visited the Aegean Islands, among other places. On 23 December 1789, Hinxt was promoted to Captain. In the years 1792–1794, he visited Essequibo and the Mediterranean a second time. In September 1794, Hinxt joined a fleet near Flushing to await the French forces from the South. Hinxt was known to be a good navigator, but he wasn't a good military man. Yet in 1794, he collided with the ship of war Walcheren (capt. Marinus J. Haringman). The side of the Snelheid became badly damaged. Captain Haringman (and other officers with him) acted arrogantly towards Hinxt and his small cutter and refused to pay the repair costs. In the end, the issue was solved when Admiral Jan Hendrik van Kinsbergen got involved. Meanwhile, Hinxt was ready for a new ship. In a letter he complained because he was wet all the time, with wet clothes in a wet cabin, and the decks were never dry.
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