Page 94 - Dutch Ships in Tropical Waters

An additional complication was the heavy armaments that these ships carried in order to be ready for a confrontation with European enemies. In at least one case during this early period, the combination of poor stability and heavy armaments was fatal. The Maan (ID:) capsized because of insufficient ballast near Dover when it fired a salute (De Jonge , p. ). Often ships made a stopover on the coast of England to take in extra ballast after they left the Nether- lands. Based on the experience of the first days at sea, the skipper would send boats to collect ballast stones to adjust the stability of the ship. This constant concern about stability would also be one of the main logistical issues for shipping in Asia, as explained later in this chapter. Logistics of the shipping route to Asia Soon after the establishment of the VOC, ships were sent to Asia to serve in the shipping net- work there. This study is focussed on the intra-Asian shipping and thus also on the logistical aspects once trade and shipping were established there. In most instances, the shipping be- tween Europe and Asia is not included within the scope of this research. However, there are some important aspects of the intercontinental shipping between Europe and Asia that influ- enced the shipping within Asia. In Asia, the origin of a vessel determined its features to a large extent. Since more then half the vessels in the VOC fleet originated from Europe, they were either large enough and fit enough to make the intercontinental journey on their own keel or small enough to be transported on board another vessel. In the first decades of shipping to Asia, all ships were used for both transport between Europe and Asia and for shipping within Asia. Gradually, these two aspects of Dutch-Asiatic shipping were differentiated and the major- ity of the fleet in Asia sailed from the Netherlands only once, or stayed in Asia for a longer period and only sailed back to Europe for major maintenance. The VOC also used vessels that were acquired in Asia. Some of these could be built in Asia and therefore did not need to meet the requirements for the intercontinental passage. Others were captured from European com- petitors who had also made the trip to Asia. Apart from the afbreekboots or other vessels that were transported on board other ships, this applied to all vessels sailing on their own keel. Ships from around  last sailed to Asia independently, and on some occasions without the support of a fleet. The passage over the Atlantic and Indian Ocean required specific features for the rigging, the strength of the construction and the accommodation on board. In the fol- lowing section these aspects that directly or indirectly influenced intra-Asian shipping, are in- vestigated. The fitness of the arriving crew in relation with the duration of the voyage By , the VOC had established the fastest route over the Atlantic Ocean to the Cape of Good Hope and the route to Java over the southern part of the Indian Ocean. If the skipper followed the prescribed course and if no extraordinary setbacks were encountered, a voyage from the Netherlands to Batavia could be made in a minimum time of four to five months. This was, at the same time, the maximum reasonable time span that a ship could stay at sea without taking in fresh water and food. Water and other beverages took up a large volume but they were sufficient for six months if strict rationing was followed. A limiting factor was, however, the lack of fresh food that often resulted in the fast deterioration of the health situation on board due to scurvy after three to four months. A period of five to six months at sea could thus be critical for the safety of the voyage. In June , the yacht Tortelduif (ID:) arrived in Batavia with an immobilised crew. After a little more then seven months at sea scurvy had taken its toll (Heeres , p. ). Scurvy was a major problem on these long voyages. There were some known remedies like fresh fruit (mainly oranges and limes). Places to provide this fruit were desperately sought after on the first voyages; soon lime juice was also shipped on the outgoing fleets. The ships’ officers were explicitly instructed to provide lime juice in the morning and the evening to crewmembers who showed the first signs of scurvy (Commelin b, p. ). In , the Gouda (ID:) brought in  glass bottles of lime juice (NA .., VOC , -  Dutch Ships in Tropical Waters