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VOC RETOURSCHIP ‘BATAVIA’ 1628
On 28 October 1628, the Dutch East Indiaman ‘Batavia’ sailed on her maiden voyage from the Dutch port of Texel under the command of Francisco Pelsaert, and skipper Ariaen Jacobsz, with a fleet of eight ships. One hundred and fifty feet (46 meters) in length and armed with 24 cast-iron and bronze cannons, ‘Batavia’ was loaded with silver coins and building supplies, intended for the prosperous colony of Batavia (Java). 330 people were aboard the ‘Batavia’ mainly company sailors and officers, and also about 100 soldiers and a few private travelers.
On 4 June 1629 the ship struck Morning Reef at near Beacon Island in the Houtman Abrolhos at night. Of the 330 aboard, 40 drowned and the rest managed to get ashore. Jacobsz, Pelsaert and others, left the wreck site in a 30-foot (9.1 m) longboat built at the wreck-site, and then sailed for Batavia, now known as Jakarta, for help. Soon after their arrival in Batavia, Pelsaert was sent back in the yacht Sardam by the V.O.C. to recover the bullion and to rescue any survivors. In his absence, a murderous mutiny occurred led by Jeronimus Cornelisz. The ship was carrying an estimated two million silver coins, but only about 9,000 were recovered from the wreck.
READING SOURCES
Peter Fitzsimons, “Batavia, Shipwreck, Murder, Sexual Slavery, Courage” (Sydney 2011)
Mike Dash, “Batavia’s Graveyard”, (New York 2002)
Philippe Godard, “ The First And Last Voyage Of The Batavia” (Perth 1993)
Greta Van Der Rol ”To Die a Dry Death” (UK 2015)
H. Drake-Brockman, “Voyage to Disaster” (Sydney,1963)
H. Drake-Brockman, “The Wicked and the Fair” (York Aust. 1957)
H. Edwards, “Island of Angry Ghosts” (London, 1966
J. N Green, "The V.O.C. ship Batavia wrecked in 1629 on the Houtman Abrolhos, Western Australia', I.J.N.A. 4: 1(1975)
My model was based on the Kolderstock model and some modifications were made to enhance it just that little bit more. The decks are partially decked, so that you can look below and see the fully rigged cannon and the additional windlass aft. This model, which I completed five years ago, took me over three years to finish, and now proudly resides in the tourism office of Eco Abrolhos Tours, as does my ‘Zeewijk’ model (previous post). Both models were constructed at the scale of 1/72. As a matter of interest, this company takes tourists out to the Abrolhos Islands for an incredible adventure.
’ model (previous post). Both models were constructed at the scale of 1/72.
