Page 75 - Loss of the VOC Retourschip Batavia, Western Australia, 1629

BA T 3324 (SCALE 1:4)
Cl I· 11 ·1 l
BA T 578
(SCALE 1:4)
BA T 3630 (SCALE 1:4)
This can be tabulated as follows: REGNO. Diammm
BAT 3630 110
BAT 405 123
BAT 3324 l32 BA T416 142 BAT 578 155
Length mm 454 488
446
Shot size 10 16 18 24 32
V olumeL 4.5 5.8
7.1
His wonh noting thatthe containers are of about the same length. All these diameters were comparedwith theBatavia Ially-sticktogivetheshotsizewhichcorrespondtotheclassofguns32,24, 18,16and IQpont.Thelidsmaybeexpected to have a larger diameter, because they have to fit over the container, though this is unlikely to be more than a few mm. These cartridge containers raise some interesting problems. The shot diameters indicate that they should be designed to fit four classes ofguns: 5,8, 12 and 24 pont; however the cartridge containers indicate that they fitted 16, 18 and 32pont guns.Finally,theborediameterofthebronzegunsof150and120mm,allowingfor0.25duim (6mm)windage,indicate guns of24 and 12pont. It seems likely that at least BA T 578 was designed for a gun that was not on board the Batavia or possibly, although very unlikely, an iron gun not yet raised.
Smith (1627) describes the cartridge cases as: ' ....cases for Cartrages made of Lattin' {"Latten: a mixed melal of yellow colour, either identical with or very like brass," Shorter Oxford Dictionary, Onions (1968)) 'to keepe the Cartridges in, which is to have no more powder in them than just the charge of your Peece, and they are closely covered in those cases ofLatten, to keep them dry, and from any mischances by fire, and are farre more ready and safer than your Ladles and Budgbarrels'. Likewise Manwayring (1644) mentions these cases: 'There are also other carthrages, which are made of Lattin; in which we use to put these other carthrages, to bring them amoungst the ship, so much the safer from fire till we put them in the Peeces mouth, which is a dare, that in the fight, there cannot be too much diligence or order used'.
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