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Flying Dutchman
Legend has it that around the mid-17th century a Dutch
vessel was trying to round the Cape of Good Hope at the
tip of Africa. The seas there are notoriously
treacherous and storms can make conditions even worse.
The captain of the ship was anxious to get home and
tried to round the Cape in bad weather.
Despite facing the desperate conditions, the captain
would not turn back, cursing to the heavens that he
would round the Cape "even if it took all of eternity." He muttered that he would rather sail until doomsday
than sit out the storm at anchor.
Angrily, he announced that even the Almighty couldn’t
stop him. When a heavenly figure appeared on deck, he
shot at it. The divine visitor then proclaimed that the
ship would never again find rest, and whoever sees it
would also be stricken by disaster.
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The Flying Dutchman has been seen by
sailors in those waters for hundreds of years. Its
appearance is considered a harbinger of doom.
One of the most famous sightings was first by a seaman
then by Prince George in 1881. Prince George later
became King George V. The seaman who first sighted the
Dutchman fell off from the topmast and died later in the
same day. Also in 1881
a Swedish merchantman
passed in the path of the Flying Dutchman.
Upon sighting the Dutchman the lookout fall from his
post and died but not before saying he saw the Flying
Dutchman. A second lookout was sent up the mast and he
died two days later.
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A few years later, an American ship whose name was
Relentless was rounding the Cape of Good Hope. After
spotting the Flying Dutchman, the captain ordered the
helmsman to head for the Dutchman so he could get a
better look but the helmsman died at the wheel. Later
that night, three crewmen were washed away.
In later years, the Flying Dutchman was encountered
again.
In 1911 the Orkney Belle came across it. This
ship, in 1914, was the first British ships sunk in the
war.
In 1939, over sixty people saw the Dutchman head toward
the beach then disappear right before their eyes. This
took place in South Africa.
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In 1942, according to Admiral Karl Doenitz of the German
Navy, U boats had logged sightings of the Flying
Dutchman. Also in 1942, the Flying Dutchman was sighted
by HMS Jubilee. Nicholas Monsarrat, author of The
Cruel Sea was on watch and signaled to the ship but
received no reply. He made a log book entry that a
schooner of an unknown class was moving under full sail
yet there was no wind.
In 1943 four people in Capetown saw the Dutchman
disappear behind an island. In 1959 the Staat Magelhaen
had a ship appear in front of it on a collision course.
Just as the ships were about to collide, the FlyingDutchman
disappeared. A person was visible at the wheel. The man
at the wheel is said to be her captain Van Decken
serving his sentence of damnation. During
storms the Cape lighthouse often reported seeing The
Flying Dutchman.
A movie was made about the Flying Dutchman which stared
James Mason and Ava Gardner and it was very popular at
the time. There is also an opera by Richard Wagner about
the Dutchman.
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This scratch-built
primarily wood Flying Dutchman pirate ship
model is 24"L x 20"T x 7"W
$2,500 shipping
and insurance in the US included. Other countries: $300
flat rate.
Model is built per commission only. We require only a
small deposit to start the process (not full amount, not
even half) $500  The
remaining balance won't be due until the model is
completed,
in several
months.
For larger sizes, please
send us an email for a quote: Services@ModelShipMaster.com
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Click on the blue wordings to check out our
beautiful
Black
Pearl pirate ship,
Jolly Roger
pirate ship, and the
Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge pirate ship model.
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