Batavia... VOC

[ARC]

The Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, VOC) was a chartered company established in 1602, and is often considered to have been the first multinational corporation in the world and it was the first company to issue stock. It was also arguably the first megacorporation, possessing quasi-governmental powers, including the ability to wage war, imprison and execute convicts, negotiate treaties, coin money, and establish colonies. The VOC enjoyed huge profits from its spice monopoly through most of the 17th century.

One of these voyages occurred in 1628, when 8 ships of the VOC sailed from Texel bound for the East Indies on the 28th of October 1628 - the Batavia, under the command of François Pelsaert, of Antwerp; Dordrecht, having for her merchant-captain the collector of revenue, Isaac van Swaenswyck, of Leyden; and the yacht Assendelft, under the command of the second merchant-captain, Cornelis Vlack, of Amsterdam.

This is the ship... well as close as it can be... recreated.

 

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[Bum Luck]

The VOC isn't as famous as the Spanish, but they were a major economic force in that day. They sure made money longer than Spain, since their wealth was based on trade instead of exploitation of the Americas. You could say that the Dutch bankrupted Spain through wars.

Of course, Dutch pirates preyed on the Spanish in the New World.

Good post!

 

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The Batavia carried 30 cannon: 22 of iron, six of bronze and two of composite construction, one of which is shown here. Composite guns were experimental. They attempted to combine the reliability of bronze with the cheapness of iron to give a much lighter gun. These guns were only one third the weight of a bronze gun of the same calibre. However, composite guns were not strong enough to fire cannon balls and were therefore used for firing anti-personnel shot such as wired musket balls, nails and stones.



How the composite cannon was made

A sheet of copper for the bore of the gun was moulded to form a tube. Six flat iron bars running the length of the gun were mounted around the copper tube and fixed in place by 30 wrought iron bands ranging in thickness from 16 to 56 mm.

The gunpowder chamber in the breech was formed separately, strengthened with additional iron bands and held in place by hammering over the ends of the long iron bars. The trunnions (projections on each side which supported the gun on its wooden carriage) were then attached and iron pins mounted around them. Copper sheathing was then fitted to the outside of the whole gun forming an ornamental casing.

At this stage, the gun was covered in clay, upended and heated. Molten lead solder was then poured into the top until all the spaces between the different metals were filled. A copper disc was then soldered onto the end and the bronze cascabel (the knob at the end) screwed into place with an iron screw. This has since corroded away on the example shown here.

 

[KANACKI]

Hello AARC

Here is documentary about the fate of the Batavia.



Kanacki

 

[KANACKI]

Here is another documentary of the fate of the crew and passengers of the Batavia.



Kanacki

 

[tinpan]

Hi The oldest ship wreck found in these waters is the Tryall or Trail British Class 5 Royal Frigate 100 feet long ,300 tons , 26 guns . Carry silver to Java .Wrecked off the coast in 1622 . Others Verguide Draek 1656 Zeewijk 1727 and Zuytdorp . TP

 

[Smithbrown]

The Trial wasn't a Royal Frigate- she was a ship of the English East India Company. There was a report on the wreck published 30-40 years ago.

 

[tinpan]

The Trial wasn't a Royal Frigate- she was a ship of the English East India Company. There was a report on the wreck published 30-40 years ago.

Hi I stand corrected , and shipwrecks are protected so there s no point wasting your life researching or dreaming . TP

 

[Arch1]

AARC- Cool stuff as usual! There's a bunch of VOC ships in the East Indies as Batavia (now Jakarta) was their base there- its also where they had their second location of their hydrographic office and copies/originals of all their secret charts. I've seen the locations of the Tryall and the Zeewijk(sp) on many maps, but don't believe I've seen the others. Gotta look back into my stash....

Cheers;

-Arch1

 

[Bum Luck]

AARC- Cool stuff as usual! There's a bunch of VOC ships in the East Indies as Batavia (now Jakarta) was their base there- its also where they had their second location of their hydrographic office and copies/originals of all their secret charts. I've seen the locations of the Tryall and the Zeewijk(sp) on many maps, but don't believe I've seen the others. Gotta look back into my stash....

Cheers;

-Arch1

The Dutch were good chart makers, and also great at keeping secrets, aka monopoly.