The first time Van Brakel appears in the documents is in 1666, when he was appointed by the Admiralty of the Maze as acting captain—with the rank of lieutenant—of a fireship, the Rotterdam, that participated in the Four Days Battle.

Fireships were often manned by the most desperate elements in society; the humility of his origins might explain the fact they were never mentioned.

Because of the courage shown, Van Brakel was promoted to captain of a regular ship on 22 September 1666, a rare accomplishment for a fireship commander.

Four years later, as a temporary vice admiral—from October 1688 until January 1689—he was part of the fleet that brought William III to England in the invasion that led to the Glorious Revolution.

From 1688 onwards, Van Brakel served on the amalgamated Anglo-Dutch fleet until he was killed in the battle of Beachy Head in 1690.