Page 68 - Dutch Asiatic Shipping Volume 1

Names of members of the stadholder's family always occurred in the Navale Magi, including the last ERFPRINS (4693). In the eighteenth century the directors showed a marked preference for names of persons other than royalty. Many women's names ap- peared, including those of directors' wives. It is remarkable that in 1749 - nearly thirty years earlier than the navy - the Company had an ADMIRAAL D E RUYTER (3483) and ADMIRAAL TROMP (3494) in its fleet, shared by the Amsterdam and Rotterdam chambers. Deceased governors-general too were honoured in ships' names, like Maetsuij- ker and Mossel and governor Falck of Ceylon. V an Imhoff's person was glorified even during his lifetime in the GUSTAAF WILLEM (3370) and in the HERSTELDER (3256). A number of names from the Company's closing years shows more of a political tinge. The French admiral De Suffren, active against the British in the East, had a ship named after him, as well as Washington and the Duke of Brunswick. Admiral Zoutman was similarly honoured. Columbus and Vasco da Gama were used for ship's names in 1787. At that time hired ships introduced allegorical names like EENSGEZINDHEID (4450) and HANDELLUST (4596). The Company had used such names occasionally before, but did so more during its last fifteen years. It in not clear however why in 1787 a ship was named SURSEANCE (4557) and another in 1794 ZORG (4788)!
East Indiamen andfluyts:comparison of speeds
In the Company's fleet the fluyt had played a permanently important role, next to the East Indiaman. This cargo vessel so typical in European shipping proved most satisfactory in Asiatic shipping as well. Its carrying capacity was considerable. In decisions about new rates generally a place was secured for the fluyt as well. Not until well into the eighteenth century did it become a less commonplace appearance in the East. But by then the other types of ships had disappeared as well, as already mentioned, and the East Indiaman was dominant, until this uniformity was broken again in 1780. In Table 4 sailing speeds of East Indiamen and fluyts are compared.
Table4: DurationofvoyagesofEastIndiamenandfluytsontherouteRepublic- TheCapev.v.
1650-74 135 1675-99 142 1700-24 139 1725-49 137 1750-74 125 1775-94 126
(158) (218) (396) (717) (701) (365)
out
East Indiaman days (trips)
fluyt
days (trips)
136 (118) 158 (153) 147 (239) 147 ( 63) 197 (5) 161 ( 36)
back
East Indiaman
days (trips) days
121 (117) 117 112 (140) 114 115 (341) 123 117 (526) 123 105 (520) 117 120 (183) 126
fluyt (trips)
( 49) ( 84) (181) ( 42) ( 3) ( 20)
The route Republic - the Cape was chosen because all ships had
Comparing the total duration of voyages is less effective because of variations in stay at the Cape and the difference in destination or places of departure in Asia. For the first half of the seventeenth century sufficient data are lacking. It is clear that the average fluyt needed more time for the voyage out and back than the average East Indiaman. None of the other types of ship made strikingly longer or shorter trips, except for the packetboats which from 1788 managed to complete the run to and from the Cape in about three months.
to complete this lap.