Page 94 - Loss of the VOC Retourschip Batavia, Western Australia, 1629

Seaman's astrolabes BAT 3720
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Unfortunately this is the only astrolabe that survived in good condition. It was found imbedded in a very large iron concretion which almost certainly was the reason for its good state ofpreservation. Only the astrolabe and gimbal support survive and there was no trace found of the a1idade or locking nut. The astrolabe was slightly bent, indicating that it must have received a considerable blow at the time of the wreck, to bend such thick bronze.
The astrolabe is of the type with the counter-weight at the top (National Maritime Museum Type Ib, Stimson, 1988). There is a diamond-shaped pattern of four fleur-<le-Iis and the date 1628 above. The scale is marked 0"_90°_0° and 90"- OO_90°in one degree intervals. The upper reverse side is stamped twice with the A VOC mark and with an inscribed ' X' ofuncertain meaning. It is similar to the SkokJosterCastle astrolabes Nos 2 and 3 (Anderson. 1972; Svensson, 1942; and Waters, 1966). although the scales, the inscriptions and the gimbal moulding are different.
It is likely that this, together with BA T 394, SkokJosterNos 1. 2 and 3, the Vergu/de Draeck and the Isle ofWight astrolabes (Stimson. 1988) are all Dutch: they have the same basic shape; they have the samediameterof250 -253 mm; and all have Dutch associations. There were 25.7 mm in an Amsterdam duim. so it is likely that these astrolabes were standardized by the Dutch, or possibly the V.O.c., with a ten Amsterdam duim in diameter.
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