Dutch East India Company Ship Amsterdam

The Amsterdam, a ship belonging to the Dutch East India Company, was wrecked on the Bulverhythe shore near Hastings on 26 January 1749. The ship was carrying around 2 tons of silver coins. The wreck site is protected under the Protection of Wrecks Act.

The bow of Amsterdam at low tide

The site is accessible via the footbridge at the end of Bridge Way (off the Bexhill Road (A259)). There is no parking in Bridge Way, we managed to find parking along the Bexhill Road.

When I first arrived on site I thought these timbers surrounding the Amsterdam wreck were part of the ships' debris field. They are actually the remains of a 4000 year old prehistoric forest.

The Shipwreck & Coastal Heritage Centre on the seafront at Hastings. Some of the material recovered during the archaeological investigation of Amsterdam is on display here. I planned to put up the opening times of the museum, but the best I could get from the staff member I spoke to was that they were definitely open weekends, so be sure to call before trying to visit (contact detail at the bottom of this page). Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

From Wikipedia:

The Amsterdam was a 18th century cargo ship of the Dutch East India Company. The ship started its maiden voyage from Texel to Batavia on 8 January 1749, but was wrecked in a storm on the North Sea on 26 January 1749. The shipwreck was discovered in 1969 in the bay of Bulverhythe, United Kingdom, and is sometimes visible during low tides. The wreck site is protected under the Protection of Wrecks Act since 1974. Some of the findings from the site are in the Shipwreck and Coastal Heritage Centre in Hastings. A ship replica was built between 1985- 1990 and can be visited in the Netherlands Maritime Museum in Amsterdam.

The Amsterdam was an East Indiaman or 'mirror return ship' (Dutch: spiegelretourschip) built for transport between the Dutch Republic and the settlements and strongholds of the Dutch East India Company in the East Indies. On an outward voyage these ships carried guns and bricks for the settlements and strongholds, and silver and golden coins to purchase Asian goods. On a return journey the ships carried the goods that were purchased, such as spices, fabrics, and china. In both ways the ships carried victuals, clothes, and tools for the sailors and soldiers on the ship. On an outward voyage of eight months, the ships were populated by around 240 men, and on a return journey by around 70.[1]

The Amsterdam was built in the shipyard for the Amsterdam chamber of the Dutch East India Company in Amsterdam.[2] The ship was made of the wood of oaks.[1]

The maiden voyage of the Amsterdam was planned from the Dutch island Texel to the settlement Batavia in the East Indies. The ship, commanded by the 33-year-old captain Willem Klump, had 203 crew, 127 soldiers, and 5 passengers.[2] The Amsterdam was laden with textiles, wine, stone ballast, cannon, paper, pens, pipes, domestic goods and 27 chests of silver guilder coins. The whole cargo would be worth several million euros in modern money.

On 15 November 1748 the ship made its first attempt but returned on 19 November 1748 due to an adverse wind. The ship made a second attempt on 21 November 1748, which also failed and from which the ship returned on 6 December 1748. The third attempt was made on 8 January 1749.[2] The Amsterdam had problems in the English Channel tacking into a strong westerly storm. For many days she got no further than Beachy Head near Eastbourne. Black Death appeared amongst the crew and a mutiny broke out. Finally the rudder broke off and the ship, helpless in a storm, grounded in the mud and sand of in the bay of Bulverhythe on 26 January 1749, 5 km to the west of Hastings.

She began to sink into the mud, where much of the keel remains today, perfectly preserved. Some of the cargo, including silver coinage, was removed for safekeeping by local authorities. There was some looting and English troops had to be called in to bring the situation to order. The crew were looked after locally before being returned to the Netherlands

In 1969, the Amsterdam was discovered after being exposed by a low spring tide. It is the best-preserved VOC ship ever found. Archaeologist Peter Marsden did the first surveying of the wreck, and he advised further excavation.

The wreck site was designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act on 5 February 1974.

The VOC Ship Amsterdam Foundation started researching the wreck, followed by major excavations in 1984, 1985 and 1986, during which huge numbers of artifacts were found. Although the wreck is submerged in the sand and mud of the beach (and is even visible at very low tides), much of the excavation was done by divers, for whom a small tower was constructed near the wreck. Additionally the wreck was surrounded by an iron girder frame. The archaeological output was so dense that new ways of researching needed to be developed, all of which were needed to understand the technological, socio-economic and cultural features of the VOC. Some of the finds are on show at the Shipwreck and Coastal Heritage Centre in Hastings, East Sussex, UK. The wreck is protected and diving on it or removing timbers or any artifacts is forbidden. The ship may be visited as the timbers are exposed at very low tides in the sand just opposite the footbridge over the railway line at Bulverhythe.

A ship replica was built in Iroko wood by 400 volunteers using tools of the period, between 1985 and 1990. It was floated to Amsterdam and is situated next to the Netherlands Maritime Museum (Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum) where it can be visited. As for the original ship, there had been hopes in the 1980s that the Dutch Government, which still owns it, might excavate the whole wreck and return it for restoration and display in Amsterdam, like the Regalskeppet Vasa in Sweden, or the Mary Rose in Portsmouth, but the funds were not forthcoming. Several decks and much of the bowsprit lie submerged in the mud and are in remarkably good condition, being naturally preserved by the mud and much of the cargo is still aboard.

References

1. 'Eastindiaman Amsterdam'. Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
2. Overbeek, J.H.D. van. 'Gegevens VOC-schip Amsterdam 1748'. De VOC site. Retrieved on 2008-04-28.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VOC_ship_Amsterdam