Born in Den Briel, Tromp sailed the seas from the age of 9, and joined the Dutch navy as a lieutenant in 1621. In 1639, as the Dutch struggle for independence from Spain, as an admiral, Tromp defeated a large Spanish invasion fleet bound for Flanders towards the end of the Eighty Years' War.
Tromp was killed in the First Anglo-Dutch War during the Battle of Scheveningen, after having lost earlier battles with the English that same year.
On of Tromp's sons, Cornelis Tromp later also became a Rear Admiral in the Dutch navy.