Page 139 - Dutch Ships in Tropical Waters

smaller scale. By replacing the big men-of-war with smaller swift sailing and shallow draught vessels, the VOC was able to frustrate the Portuguese and the local shipping which also used smaller vessels, and chased them for their loot. The nature of trade and cargo in the various regions was also subject to change. The rate of the vessel to be sent depended on the availability of cargo. Was there sufficient cargo to be taken on in one place to justify the deployment of a large vessel, or did the cargo need to be collected from various places and ports. In which case could this be achieved more efficiently by smaller vessels? Interpretation The following are the main parameters that can reliably be said to have influenced decisions on the composition of the fleet in certain regions: – Nautical-physical conditions in a region, like exposed versus sheltered waters, special weather conditions such as typhoon systems, narrow passages, shallow harbours etc. – Political-military conditions in a region. This can be translated into the basic requirements for vessels with a military function and the type of warfare (offensive, defensive, well- armed European competitors, coastguard functions, etc) that could be encountered. – Type of cargo and logistics of the trade. The type of cargo could also determine whether special vessels were needed for transport (e.g. elephant trade versus bulk trade in pepper). The Arabian Sea (Westerkwartier) (Areas -) This region ranges from the Maldives in the southeast, the west coast of India to Persia and Arabia in the west. Conditions in these waters are characterised mainly by an exposed open ocean with a regular and predictable wind pattern. In general these conditions did not require special characteristics of visiting vessels. Only the harbour of Surat in northwest India (by the VOC named Suhali's com, the Bay of Suvali) had a shallow entrance with limited access. Since the city of Surat was located inland on a river that was difficult to navigate, the medium-sized and bigger vessels needed the assistance of smaller vessels to take their cargo ashore. Because they often had to load and unload precious metals, they needed reliable protection and sup- port. In some cases, smaller vessels escorted larger ships to the Surat area specifically for this purpose. Although the nautical-physical conditions allowed every seagoing vessel to operate in this region in principle, the political-military realities did not. There was a constant risk of con- frontation with heavily armed Portuguese or English vessels. The VOC exacerbated this al- ready highly militarised situation by their initial raid on Goa in the early period and their an- nual blockades after . Visiting vessels, therefore, needed to be heavily armed or be escorted by another defensible vessel. At some times these convoys could be easily organised because of the presence of a fleet of well-armed vessels for the Goa blockade. Nevertheless, it seemed most efficient for the VOC to attempt to combine the employment of a defensible vessel with a trade mission at the end of a blockade period or when the Portuguese force was considered to be fairly weak, such that, an early departure was possible for some of the blockade fleet. Combin- ing the actions of blockade and trade mission was feasible because the type of cargo in this region did not require specialised cargo carriers. The vessels only needed a degree of flexibility owing to the diversity of the cargo, which could range from silk and horses from Arabia, pep- per and rice from the Malabar Coast to the transport of elephants to India. A yacht like the Avondster (ID:), which could transport soldiers and equipment, was rejected as a ship for the blockade but it could easily be employed elsewhere in the region, including the transport of elephants to the coast of Malabar. The route between Surat and Persia was the only region in the shipping network where the VOC allowed the transport of goods for private traders. The heavily armed vessels, initially the men-of-war (rate ) and later the big war yachts (rate ) met the requirements for this trade that had to be based on trust by the private traders. The VOC was reluctant to provide this service, but this trade could provide an essential supply of money  Dutch Ships in Tropical Waters