Page 70 - Loss of the VOC Retourschip Batavia, Western Australia, 1629

Bar shot
About 25 or so examples of shot were found with
rectangular holes in them, usually two, sometimes one. It was thought that these were bar or spike shot. Possibly some of these shot were stored without the bar or spike, because a number were found densely packed at the bottom of the concretion where it would be impossible to be packed so closely with the spike in place. The author found one shot with the hole resting against the ceiling planking, thus the evidence favours that they were stored, in most cases, without their spike. The histogram of diameters shows a broad range, with examples centering around 95 to 115 mm. This group included shot with a singular rectangular hole, two rectangular holes and round holes, but excluding hollow shot from the latter class. The examples with round holes may, in fact, represent shot with flaws in the casting or a special class, possibly a type of chain shot. Unfortunately, because the wrought-iron had invariably corroded away, it is uncertain if this is a special class or not. The tw6 remaining groups consist of shot with a single hole, presumably the normal bar shot formed by joining two shot with a square-section bar and
resembling a dumb-bell, the other, sometimes called cross- bar shot and described by Smith (1627):67 as follows: 'Crosbar-shot is also a round shot, but hath a long spike of iron cast with it as if it did goe thorow the middle of it, the endswhereofarecommonlyarmedforfearofburstingthe Peece, which is to bind a little Okum in a little Canvasse at the end of each Pike'. The hole sizes on the Batavia range from 20 by 20 mm to 16 by 16 mm. Rarely were the holes identical; usually one hole was about 2 to 5 mm larger than the other.
Canister shot Someexamplesofcanistershotwererecovered. These
appeared to bea type of thin, sheet-metal canister with iron concretion inside. .
Case shot
BAT 4435 (SCALE 1:4)
BAT 6384 (SCALE 1:4)
Ceramic pyrotechnic device BAT 2406
A n u m b e r o f e x a m p l e s o f case s h o t w e r e f o u n d . T h e s e c o n s i s t e d o f f o u r w o o d e n s e c t i o n s w h i c h w h e n f i t t e d t o g e t h e r formed a cylindrical case. The inside of the case was hollowed out and fiIled with iron scrap. The case was held together with two metal straps, about 10 mm wide, at eiiher end of the case. The examples illustrated had a bore diameter of 85 mm.
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A stoneware jar was found on the site. This jar has two strap handles and is ofovoid shape. Only one such jar was found and similar types have not been found commonly on VOCships.Puype(1976)Fig.24showsastinkorstormpot found in Vlissingen in the 19th century which is very simi- lar, except that it has three handles, not two. Most contem- porary texts refer to pyrotechnic devices. Simienowicz (1676) refers to:
...severalsortsoCFire·Pots,Flasks,Bollks,andChests....You are to tyeon Ends of Match to the Neck and ears or Handles of your Pot, if it be made of clay....and they may likewise serve in SeaFights, withgraetdisadvantage to theEnemy and their ships; for as soon as these fall upon a Ship's Deck. or meet with any hard substance, they will never fail to break. and fly in Pieces; upon which the Puwder will be spilt. and scattered abroad, and the match falling amoungst it. it camlOt avoid Accension; and will accordingly break out with so terrible aPlash. as must spoil and destroy many of the Enemy. and perhaps bum the ship itself.
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