The Batavia of 1628, is a legendary ship. It served as an East Indiaman for the United East India Company. The ship is best known to the public for its tumultuous and short history: on her maiden voyage, the Batavia suffered shipwreck off the coast of Australia, losing both the precious cargo and many of those on board. The dramatic events that preceded and followed this disaster, including plots, mutiny, life-and-death battles, and massacres, contributed to the ship’s fame.
A reconstruction has been made of this 17th-century ship. An imposing wooden three-master now anchored on the Oostvaardersdijk in Lelystad, in front of Museum Batavialand. It is an example of historic and traditional shipbuilding, and a story of the pioneering spirit and passion of the shipbuilder who built it. As soon as you see the ship, the rich, multicolored decorations catch your eye. The wind whistles past the rigging, the wood creaks and squeaks. Inside it is dark and you smell a mixture of wood, tar and linseed oil. The ship is an experience for everyone.
How does such an extraordinary ship get to Lelystad? That’s quite a story. On October 4, 1985, Shipbuilder Willem Vos began to fulfill his dream: the construction of an East Indiaman. It became a reconstruction of the Batavia, the 1628 mirror-return ship that sank off the coast of Australia a year after it was built. For ten years, together with some 600 young people, he built this ship on the site where the museum’s shipyard is now located. With great pioneering spirit, fortitude and stubbornness, Willem Vos worked on this adventure. With it he breathed new life into the story of the Batavia and, at the same time, the craft of shipbuilding in the Netherlands. The construction eventually took 10 years, on April 7, 1995 the ship could be christened by Queen Beatrix.
Like her historic predecessor, the ship was named “Batavia. This Batavia, now owned by Museum Batavialand, is now 39 years old and has its own history by now. The ship’s condition is not the best, which is not surprising. In the 17th century, a ship like this only lasted 15 to 25 years at most. Therefore, her possibilities and her role in the museum to be renovated are now being considered.
Below are five chapters, each with a number of questions. Click on the plus sign next to a question to see the answer.
The 1985 Batavia
The Batavia, the imposing wooden ship moored on Oostvaardersdiep in front of the shipyard and museum, is not an original ship from the 17th century. Nor is it a replica (exact copy), but a full-scale reconstruction of the Batavia of 1628, made with the existing knowledge of the time. The ship is 39 years old and belongs to the museum and yard of Museum Batavialand.
The ship is as true to life as possible, a reconstruction of the Batavia of 1628. Historical research, documents and images in paintings have helped in this process. A replica would be a copy of the original, but the original lies largely on the seafloor as only a small part has survived. The inside of the ship could not be fully reconstructed due to a lack of information.
We do not know exactly what a mirror return ship of the early 17th century looked like or was put together, nor exactly how it was built. This is why we refer to it as a reconstruction; both the ship and the construction process are an approximation of 17th-century reality with the knowledge we have of the time.
The ship does not have monument status. Due to her young age, the Batavia is also not considered maritime heritage (that is ships older than 50 years). However, the Batavia can be considered intangible heritage, because its construction and maintenance preserve the old craft of shipbuilding.
How was the reconstruction built?
Shipbuilder Willem Vos, who specialized in the construction of wooden barges, had a dream in the 1970s. He wanted to recreate an East Indiaman, as a tribute to craftsmanship in shipbuilding.
The inspiration to build a ship is given to Willem Vos during Sail 1975 in Amsterdam. There are many circumstances and coincidences that then lead to Willem Vos getting the same opportunity 10 years later in Lelystad.
In 1979, the Western Australian Shipwrecks Museum opened in Fremantle, Australia, where part (the stern) of the Batavia shipwreck discovered in 1963 is on display. With this ship in prominence, Willem Vos thought it would be a good idea to focus his shipbuilding project on the Batavia: it’s current and there’s an interesting story to go with it. Paul Verhoeven even wanted to make a movie about the ship.
Willem Vos begins construction in 1985 in Lelystad. The keel laying (the starting moment of the construction of a ship) is on October 4, 1985 by Mayor J.P.A. Gruijters of Lelystad. During 10 years (1985-1995) the ship was built, at the quay in Lelystad.
The ship is built outdoors. Willem Vos is assigned a site on the shore of the Markermeer, on the Oostvaardersdijk, where not much is happening at that time. The living and working conditions are quite primary; there is no electricity, water or sewage, just a simple construction shack in which to live. There was also a sleeping ship for all the workers.
In the beginning, Willem Vos and his family raise money for the construction. Later, construction is financed from entrance fees, private donations and sponsorships (by Royal Nedlloyd Group Rotterdam, Shell, ING, AKZO Coatings, among others).
From the time plans were made to build the ship, buildings were also conceived where the ship could stand. The first plan for a building dates back to 1982, the last to 2021. However, all of these plans were unaffordable. Therefore, work was started on the ship already.
The construction of the huge ship attracts a lot of attention from visitors from the beginning. As a result, the shipyard also becomes a tourist attraction.
Today, the ship is owned by Stichting Erfgoedpark Batavialand, the foundation that manages Museum Batavialand (the museum and the shipyard on Oostvaardersdijk). The foundation takes care of maintenance and is responsible for the fortunes of the ship.
Willem Vos was in charge as shipbuilder. Initially, there was a regular team of six builders. In addition, many volunteers and schoolchildren helped build, as evidenced by the sample roll of 600 names (the list of names kept for this purpose). In 1995, 55 volunteers worked on the ship.
The intention is to build the ship using traditional methods, original materials and, as a building experiment, 17th-century techniques. The starting point is a ship that is as authentic as possible in terms of dimensions, design and use of materials. Historic hand tools were also used for finishing. Modern tools were used only for the heaviest and largest work.
Historical research helps with this. Many documents have been consulted, such as ship’s specifications (a kind of building specifications), the records of the VOC, the shipbuilding manuals of Nicolaes Witsen and Cornelis van Yk. Shipwrecks such as the Vasa were also examined as well as images on paintings, buildings and furniture.
Unemployment is high in the 1980s. The construction project attracts volunteers and also serves as a training and youth employment project; young people can learn the craft and gain experience building and restoring ships. More than 600 youths built as part of their training as craft carpenters over time, learning the trade. The builders were a cross-section of society.
Construction on the ship took 10 years ashore; the job was completed in 1995. On April 7, 1995, Queen Beatrix christened the ship “Batavia” in Lelystad. She did so with water from the Indian Ocean from the site of the wreck of the 17th-century Batavia. The christening took place on dry land. Then the entire ship was put on a pontoon and driven to Amsterdam, this was a very complex and technical operation. On site, 250 tons of lead were brought on board to give the ship enough weight to sail. After this, the Batavia was declared seaworthy and the ship sailed.
Characteristics and peculiarities of the ship
A mirror return ship was a transport ship of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). It was called a return ship because it always made a round trip. The term mirror refers to the flat part above the rudder that is richly decorated.
The 1985 Batavia was hand-built using authentic materials and raw materials. These were processed in our own yard in the open air (the carpentry) and in workshops in the shipyard, in the carving workshop, the rigging workshop, the forge, and in the block-making workshop and in the sail loft.
The length is 56.5 meters, the length over the stem is 45.28 meters. The ship is 10.5 meters wide. The maximum draft is 5.10 meters. The main mast measures 55 meters. The ship consists of 72 trusses. Inside the ship there is room for 600 tons of goods.
800 m3 of European oak wood from Denmark was used for construction. The masts and decks are pine, sourced from the Black Forest. In addition, rope and canvas were used; a total of 21 kilometers of hemp rope and 1180 m2 of canvas from Scotland for the sailcloth.
There are 3 masts on the ship. There are a total of 10 sails and two bonnets (extension for at the bottom of a sail), made of flax cloth (these were lost in a fire in 2008). The cords and ropes (rigging) were originally made of long-fiber hemp (Cannabis sativa), now replaced by a synthetic variety. There are also 750 blocks for ropework and artillery on board, most of them made of ash wood.
Inside the ship is a hold, a powder room, a large cabin, a bread room and several cabins. There are also conveniences (toilets) and some furniture on the ship. Is the ship armed?
The Batavia was historically armed with 32 guns, 24 of cast iron, six of bronze and two of composite.
The stern is richly decorated. Master carver Cees van Soestbergen and a group of carvers made more than 100 statues from Danish oak, cut in one piece and soaked in linseed oil to prevent drying out. The statues are made in the Northern Renaissance style and painted multicolored.
The carvings are structured around the theme of “Batavia” and the revolt of the Batavians against the Romans in 69 A.D., as a parallel to the Dutch revolt against Spain in the Eighty Years’ War. On display are effigies of William of Orange and his son Maurice, of Julius Civilis (leader of the Batavians) and Batavian warriors.
The overhanging part above the water (hollow wulf) is painted with a seascape with some modern elements such as the Flevoland harrier and flags of the province of Flevoland and of Lelystad on the depicted ships. The whole symbolizes the uncertainties and trials that always had to be overcome.
The 1985 Batavia, like the 1628 Batavia, made one voyage, also to Australia, but not independently. In September 1999, the ship was transported on a dock ship to Sidney, Australia, for the 2000 Olympics. There, the Batavia made several test runs, including an independent sailing trip on the Pacific Ocean. In 2001, the ship returned to Lelystad on a dock ship.
Inheritance of the Batavia
The stories of the shipwreck of the 17th-century Batavia and the construction of the new Batavia appeal to many people. In addition, the adventure of construction brought many people together. Friendships, relationships and even marriages developed in the construction team. Many documentaries have therefore been made about the ship and the passion of shipbuilder Willem Vos, and the Batavia and her voyage to Australia have been frequently in the news. The passion for the ship is still present among the builders of the ship and the volunteers of Museum Batavialand.
When Willem Vos began construction in 1985, little had been developed on the shores of the IJsselmeer. Willem Vos pioneered, he had a boyhood dream which he fulfilled with vigor and stubbornness. Thus, the ship has also been a booster of coastal development and has given value and name to the area.
The Batavia not only tells the story of Museum Batavialand and the shipyard, but is also an important part of the recent history and identity of Lelystad and the province of Flevoland. It is, as it were, part of the DNA of the area, which refers to the history of the ship in numerous places (Bataviakwartier, Bataviastad, Bataviaplein, Bataviahaven, VOC road).
It is estimated that a total of just under 5 million visitors have visited the ship since 1985. During construction, the ship attracted the most visitors; in the late 1990s 300,000 visitors a year visited the ship, in the last 15 years an average of 47,000 a year, in 2023 some 62,000 visitors.
Even today, the Batavia is still a major crowd puller for shipyard and museum, for Lelystad and for the province. Museum Batavialand tells the story of Flevoland; of old land, water and new land. In the shipyard of Museum Batavialand, traditional shipbuilding is demonstrated, including the ship Batavia, which is moored next to the shipyard and can still be visited.
160 volunteers carry the story of the Batavia in the shipyard, museum and on the ship. More than 3,800 friends have supported the Batavia and the shipyard with donations in recent years. Some 160 volunteers help maintain the ship, collections and workshops of Museum Batavialand.
The original Batavia from 1628
The Batavia is a so-called “East Indiaman” from 1628. This type of ship was commissioned by the United East India Company (VOC) to trade to the East Indies, which was considered a Dutch colony in Asia and also officially became the colony of the Dutch East Indies in 1816. The ship was named after “Batavia. That was the capital of the then colony founded by the Dutch from 1619 to 1799.
The ship was built between 1627 and 1628 at the shipyard “Peperwerf” in Amsterdam. It sank in 1629 off the coast of Australia on her maiden voyage.
The United East India Company (VOC) commissioned the construction of the Batavia. As a private Dutch company, the VOC had the sole right for overseas trade with territories in Asia at the time. Batavia was the headquarters of the VOC in Asia
The Batavia was a mirror-return ship, the main type of transport ship of the VOC. It was a sailing ship for transporting goods and people. This type of ship was one of the largest of the time, capable of carrying a lot of cargo.
Such a ship was called a return ship because it always made a round trip. The term mirror refers to the flat part above the rudder that was richly decorated, as ornate as the back of a hand mirror in those days.
What did you need in the 17th century to build a mirror-return ship? A hefty shipyard, place to make the rigging, innovative technology and lots of hands. Also materials; lots of wood, nails, rope and cloth as supplies for the crafts. And, of course, knowledge and craftsmanship, gained in practice and handed down from generation to generation. These were heydays for wooden shipbuilding with orders from all over Europe.
Such a ship took five to eight months to build and cost 100,000 guilders at the time. These ships lasted about 15 years to a maximum of 25 years.
In those days, ships were made of wood. These were not built with detailed drawings, but rather by eye according to a number of fixed measurements laid down in charters. Practical knowledge and experience of the builders and the use of fixed proportions were important.
The high rising bow and stern is typical of this type of Dutch ship. These are connected by straight decks. This was to prevent sagging in case of large forces during sailing. Another typical feature is the flat shape of the bottom, which gives the ship rigidity.
On board the Batavia were provisions for 341 men. The ship was also equipped with fairly heavy armament to defend the VOC’s interests.
On Oct. 28, 1628, a small fleet of 7 VOC ships, including the Batavia, left Texel for the Dutch East Indies. Aboard the Batavia were a total of 341 people on board (100 soldiers, 40 passengers and the rest crew). Also on board were goods such as currency, gold, jewelry, luxury consumer goods, clothing, blocks of sandstone for a city gate in Batavia and food and wine for the crew. The voyage would take about eight months.
The leader of the expedition was chief merchant François Pelsaert. Skipper Adriaan Jacobsz was responsible for good sailing, but he had to accept orders from the chief merchant. The skipper and the chief merchant knew each other from a previous voyage and were not friends. One of the passengers, the merchant’s wife Lucretia Jans, did not like the advances of skipper Jacobsz and friction ensued. That was the start of a series of events: plots, mutiny, shipwreck, life-and-death battles and massacres. We know this from historical and archaeological research.
The Batavia sank off the coast of Western Australia on June 4, 1629, on the reef of the “Houtman Abrolhos,” today called Beacon Island. The ship literally ran aground. Problems with navigation and mutiny probably played a role in the shipwreck. Of the 341 people on board, 68 men, 7 women and 2 children survived the disaster. Most of the precious cargo, coins and gold, could be saved despite the mutiny.
The wreck was discovered in 1963 on the seafloor near Morning Reef on the Wallabi Island Group, part of the Abrolhos. Extensive archaeological research was conducted. The wreck still lies on the seafloor. Part of the stern, some cannons, utensils, trade goods and ballast have been recovered and are on display at museums in Fremantle and Geraldton in Australia. The precious cameo of Constantine is on display today at the National Museum of Antiquities and the renowned Rubens vase at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, USA.