Page 81 - Dutch Ships in Tropical Waters
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with features specially suited to certain cargoes (like wood or grain) or specific regions (e.g. the Northern Atlantic for whaling or the Baltic Sea for trade). However, it took longer for the VOC to use this ship-type in Asia. Fig. .: The conquest of Laala by De Vlamingh van Outshoorn, September , . Anonymous. Wieder F.C. Monumenta Cartographica The Hague Vol. V, pl. . The illustration shows the attack on Laala (Ceram) by the Vlaming, van Oudshoorn on September the th, . On the right hand the Sas-van-Gent (ID) of rate is to be seen, and on the left, the small fluyt Zaandijk (ID). This flute has at least cannon ports at the back and must have had a deck inside on which the cannon was placed. This was not the case with the flutes Edam (ID:) and the Zeehaan (ID:), which left for Asia in an earlier period and of which was established that they were vulnerable because of the lack of the cannon backwards. The third larger VOC-vessel depicted in the middle of the illustration is the Cochin (ID). It is most probably a captured Portuguese vessel, which is mentioned as being a yacht with various data about the amount of lasts. Surprisingly, the Cochin still has a holy figure on its transom The first demand from Asia to send flutes came in December from Jan Pieterszoon Coen, in his position as Director of Trade. (Colenbrander , p. ). He called these vessels by the old fashioned name he knew – gaing – and asked for them because the Company had a short- age of sailors in Asia. The advantage of the flute, that is, that it could be sailed by a small crew, also meant that these vessels had little accommodation space, which made them less suitable for bringing many people to Asia. Before this request reached the directors in the Netherlands, they had already decided to send flutes to Asia in their Assembly of September . The Chamber Hoorn was ordered to build an experimental vessel of feet long and wide, with a hold depth of feet (NA .., VOC , fol. ), which was described as a ‘hand- same bequaeme fluyte’ (a handy and suitable flute), but also named both a galiasse and a pinasse. A comparison of dimensions of this and other vessels of the same period bought or built by the VOC shows that this flute was extremely narrow with a somewhat shallow hold (NA .., VOC , fol. ). However, the vessel turned out to be suitable for the VOC’s purposes in Asia. On a request from the Directors to be advised of the outcome of this trial in order to decide on whether to continue this experiment, the Administration in Asia replied that the flute Dutch Ships in Tropical Waters
