The Commonwealth Navy

Wladyslaw IV Vasa took the Polish throne in 1632 and announced creation of a war fleet according to needs of Commonwealth through his signed and sworn Pacta Conventa. He created a Naval Commission with Gerard Denhoff to fulfill the task of building a new fleet. The Sejm did not support the new fleet due to high costs and reluctance to strengthen the king's power which crippled king Wladyslaw's plans. The king chose wealthy members to the Commission, including the merchant and owner of a merchant fleet from Danzig, Georg Hewel, to finance the new war fleet. Ten ships, of which a few carried small caliber cannons, were given to Wladyslaw IV from Hewel and the new 'Polish Fleet' consisted of 10 ex-merchant ships, six smaller ships and one small galley, under the command of rear admiral Aleksander Seton. Due to unfortunate international alliances, a majority of defensive wars and a new armistice with Sweden removed the last of the king's argument for a Polish fleet and Wladyslaw decided to use his ships to organize the first Polish merchant company. Hewel's death stopped those plans and finally the ships were sold.