The Zeewijk Story

Author/s C. Ingelman-Sundberg

Year of publication 1977

Report Number: 181

Introduction
On 7 November 1726 the recently-built Dutch East Indiaman Zeewijk left Rammekens near Vlissingen in the Netherlands. She was bound for Batavia with a compliment 208 seamen and soldiers. On 13 November Zeewijk arrived at the Road of Downs off the English Coast and ten days later, after having lost two anchors and one of her cables, she finally set sail for the East lndles.

Zeewijk was a Zeeland ship, one of five East Indiamen constructed by the Dutch East India Company in 1725. She was 145 ft long (40.6 m) and had a draught of 19.75 ft (5.53 m) in her stern and 17.5 ft (4.9 m) forward. She was registered at 140 lastens (c. 278 tonnes) and armed with 36 iron and bronze guns and 6 small breech-loading swivel guns. The master carpenter and supervisor was Hendrick Rass.

On her maiden voyage Zeewijk carried heavy ironwork, bricks and cash money in ten chests amounting to 315,837 guilders. Provisions for the long journey to the East Indies included casks and cases of meat, fish, goats, butter, cheese, wine and brandy.

The original skipper appointed, Jan Bogaard, was not on board. He was ill and unfit to sail and so Jan Steins (Steijns) from Middleburg was nominated to take his place. This change of command was to be of great significance for the fate of the Zeewijk. For Jan Steins, the Zeewijk was to be his first and last command.