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BATAVIA model ship
A
Dutch East Indiaman ship
About the construction of the
Batavia
wooden scale model:
- Built from scratch over
hundreds of hours by master artisans
- Exquisite woodworking
-
Plank-on-frame
construction (very
important)
- Genuine tall ship look, not
shiny and pristine like a plastic toy
- Authentic extensive rigging system comprised of many
different sizes of rope and features numerous blocks and
deadeyes
History
or the Batavia tall ship:
Batavia
was the flagship of a fleet of seven vessels of the
Dutch East India Company. She was built very large
in order to transport a great quantity of
cargo of goods and passengers between the Netherlands
and Asia. With a length of 160 feet,
the Batavia was enormous. She
was also sturdy enough to be able to make long voyages
of over a year.
Batavia
was able to protect her cargos with her heavy guns which
could be found only in ships of the line. A
large crew up to 300 was required to man the ship and to
fight!
Completed in 1628 in Amsterdam.
Batavia led six other ships on her maiden
voyage to Java. Pelsaert (one of the VOC's most experienced
merchants) was in command.
Their
cargo consisted mainly of silver coins and two
antiquities belonging to the artist Rubens for sale to
an Indian Mogul ruler. They also carried sandstone
blocks to be erected as gatehouse in the city of
Batavia--the new headquarters of the VOC in the East
Indies situated in the north-western tip of Java.
The
journey had an inauspicious start with a violent storm
on the North Sea. When calmer weather returned
only two ships remained with Batavia. The ships
reached the Cape of Good Hope a month ahead of schedule.
While there, Batavia's captain Adrian Jacobsz was
publicly scolded by Pelsaert because of his drunken
behavior.
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Shortly after leaving Cape Town, the three ships lost
sight of one another and the Batavia was alone.
On the morning of the fourth of June 1629, Batavia
was wrecked on Morning Reef, on the Houtman Abrolhos,
off the coast of Western Australia.
What then played out on the tiny coral island is a
fascinating tale of maritime treachery, murder and
heroism that has inspired movies, books and plays.
Of the 341
persons on board forty were drowned immediately.
The others were able to get to the nearby islands.
Commander Pelsaert, all the senior officers (except
Jeronimus Cornelisz, who was still on the wreck), some
crew and passengers, 48 in all, left the 268 on two
waterless islands and went in search of water.
Quickly abandoning this fruitless search on the mainland
coast, they then decided to go for the city of Batavia. It took them 33 days to get there!
Batavia's carvings were mostly on the transom. The
carving theme was about the Batavia's myth that was
about the revolt of the Batavians against the Romans in
the year 69 and the revolt of the Dutch against the
Spanish during the Eighty year War. In
front, at the tip of the beakhead, a Dutch lion looked
out towards the horizon.
Moored in Lelystad, in the Netherlands, is an authentic
replica of the Batavia.
Dimensions and price of
the primarily wood Batavia ship model:
36" long x 34" tall x 13" wide $5,690
shipping and insurance in the
contiguous US included. Other
countries: $600 flat rate.
Model is built per commission only. We require only a
small deposit to start the process (not full amount, not
even half). The
remaining balance won't be due until the model is
completed,
in several months.
We build virtually any
ships, let us build
your favorite vessel by clicking on
COMMISSIONING on the left column and let us know
more about it.
Learn more about the
Batavia ship here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batavia_(ship)
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