Page 159 - Dutch Ships in Tropical Waters

their military capacity the VOC then relied on the yachts as armed merchant vessels with some ‘war features’; well-armed smaller vessels and occasionally the Retourschepen. Gradually the VOC’s strategy also changed to a policy in which the Portuguese activities were disrupted by well-armed cargo carriers assisted by smaller types of vessels like the fregat in rate . The num- bers of fregatten in rate  grew rapidly between  and , during this period they played an important role in the establishment of the VOC positions in various regions. Many of these vessels were captured from the Portuguese. An important element in the development of a differentiated VOC shipping network in Asia was the search for the most suitable vessel to maximise commercial activities in combination with a military capacity when required. If the balance of power allowed it, the VOC could employ pure merchant vessels on certain routes. The best indicator of this process is the intro- duction of the flute as the cargo carrier. Their introduction into Asian waters was discussed in the early s. On an experimental scale various types, such as the flute-like gaing Galiase (ID:) in , were sent to Asia and tested. Due to the tense circumstances still present in the whole VOC trade area, but also mainly because of the organisational experiment with out- sourcing most of the intra-Asian shipping in the early s, the VOC did not use many flutes until . From this year flutes were sent to Asia on a regular basis. The various types of flutes (rates  and ) became an enormous success as was the case in Europe. After  the medium sized and big flutes became the most popular VOC cargo-carriers to destinations where heavy protection was not required. The number of flutes diminished around , when, under the threat of renewed confrontations with the English and the Portuguese, war-yachts were pur- chased and dispatched to Asia. Soon after the Dutch-Anglo war ended, flutes were once again sent to Asia and the trading component in the VOC fleet grew yet again. As discussed previously the success of the yacht in the VOC fleet in Asia was based on a combination of features. Often these yachts were true multi-purpose vessels, transporting sub- stantial amounts of cargo but also displaying sufficient battle strength when required. Depend- ing on the actual situation in Asia, and the availability of these vessels in Europe, the balance between merchant and military features was subject to change. As was the case with the ‘war- yachts’ of the s, the scale tipped to military features at the cost of cargo capacity. In other instances, like the Avondster, captured in the s, the vessels were more suitable for trading activities. After , yachts played an important role in the renewed ambition of the VOC to attack the Portuguese in their strongholds. Since these actions were proactive strikes by the VOC they were able to maximise use of the best available vessels. Relating to the growth of the trade and shipping network, another issue emerges clearly from the analysis, the need for smaller vessels that could be used to support the operations of the VOC. These vessels (rates  and ) were employed at all the various types of locations where the VOC was established. Both these rates show a steady growth that mirrors the gener- al growth of VOC activities in Asia. An interesting development was the trend towards repla- cement of the Dutch prefabricated vessels with Asian-built vessels after the s. This is highly significant as it demonstrates the extent of VOC shipbuilding in Asia. Unlike the Portu- guese the Dutch failed to set up a successful shipbuilding programme for bigger vessels. The VOC directors in the Netherlands felt the need to control this important economic aspect for their various Chambers. A significant benefit of the shipbuilding program in Asia was that smaller vessels no longer needed to be strong enough to sail from Europe or small enough to be shipped on board a retourschip. In fact after  no more prefabricated vessels were shipped to Asia. Input of new vessels into the fleet The availability of suitable ships was of prime importance for the capacity of the VOC. From the early th century onwards, the VOC had its own shipbuilding facilities in the Netherlands. It is generally believed that the VOC primarily built its own ships. However, besides control- ling the construction of its own ships, the VOC also purchased ships for modification in their own shipyards. The directors would decide on the shipbuilding programme at an annual meet- Conclusions 