Theodorus Frederik van Capellen
| Jhr. Th. F. van Capellen | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
6 September 1762 Nijmegen, Dutch Republic |
| Died | 15 April 1824 (aged 61) Brussels |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of the Netherlands
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Netherlands Navy
|
| Years of service | 1781–1818 |
| Rank | Vice-admiral |
| Commands held | Delft, Washington, Melampus (ex-RN) |
| Battles/wars | Vlieter Incident, Bombardment of Algiers |
Vice-admiral Jonkheer Theodorus Frederik van Capellen, GCMWO, KCB (Nijmegen, 6 September 1762 – Brussels, 15 April 1824) was a Dutch naval officer. He was married to Petronella de Lange (1779–1835).Alexandrine Tinné, female explorer and pioneering photographer, was his granddaughter.
Van Capellen entered service in 1781 in the navy of the Dutch Republic. In the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War he distinguished himself in an engagement in 1781 between his ship Den Briel and HMS Crescent, in such a way that he earned early promotion to captain in 1783.
In 1792 and 1793 he commanded a flotilla of gun boats in the defense of the Hollands Diep.
On 31 May 1793 he received command of the ship of the line Delft (a 56-gun fourth rate). As such he freed 75 Dutch slaves in Algiers during the expedition of rear-admiral Pieter Melvill van Carnbee.
After the proclamation of the Batavian Republic in 1795 Van Capellen as an adherent of Stadtholder William V, Prince of Orange resigned his commission. However, after the stadtholder had given permission to former naval officers of the navy of the old Republic to enlist in the navy of the new Republic, he obtained a commission in the Batavian navy. In 1798 he received the command of the new third-rate Washington (74).
As such, he and colleague, Aegidius Van Braam, captain of Leyden, were approached by an Orangist agent in the run-up to the Anglo-Russian Expedition to North Holland of 1799 with a request to bring about the defection of the Batavian squadron at the Texel under rear-admiral Samuel Story, whose flag captain Van Capellen then was. Though it is not known with certainty whether Van Braam and Van Capellen really made preparations to foment a mutiny, they did play a leading role in what has become known as the Vlieter Incident. In any case, Van Capellen was sent to British vice-admiral Mitchell as a parlimentaire on the fateful 30 August 1799, by admiral Story to request a temporary cease-fire. He also played a leading role in the subsequent council of war aboard the Dutch flagship, during which admiral Story was persuaded to surrender his squadron without a fight to the British. Afterward, Van Capellen became a prisoner of war with the other officers and crews of the Batavian squadron until the Peace of Amiens of 1802.
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