400 years Netherlands-Australia: Explorers: Shipwreck: The Zuytdorp (1712)

Orders from the VOC directors for those in command of the Zuytdorp, 1707.

The Zuytdorp (1712)

The Zuytdorp was one of the largest ships in the service of the VOC’s Zeeland Chamber in the early 18th century. Built in 1701, the ship carried 40 guns and on its first voyage had 318 souls on board: 221 seamen, 89 soldiers, two women, three children and a clergyman. Under captain Marinus Wijsvliet, the Zuytdorp and four other VOC ships sailed for the East Indies in 1711 with a cargo of coin and gold and silver bullion. The fleet carried 925,000 guilders in total, 250,000 of which were on the Zuytdorp.

Despite all the warnings in the sailing instructions, the Zuytdorp ended up in the windless Gulf of Guinea, off the west coast of Africa. Heat, poor food and tainted water wiped out many of those aboard, and by the time the ship reached the Cape 112 had died and 22 were seriously ill. However, it did not spend any longer than usual at the Cape and took on more men to replenish the crew.

The second part of the voyage was even more disastrous than the first. The Zuytdorp and the Kokenge left Table Bay together on 22 April 1712. But when the Kokenge arrived in Batavia on 4 July it was alone. Clearly, the Zuytdorp had foundered, but no rescue attempts were ever made as the area to be searched was too extensive.

In April 1927, wreckage from a wooden vessel was found 65 km north of the Murchison River in Western Australia. Stockman Tom Pepper was fishing when he spotted large pieces of wood, including a carved female figurehead. He also found coins and the breechblocks for bronze cannon. Further finds made over the next 10 years prompted the Australian newspaper the Sunday Times to organise an expedition in 1941. Apart from a copper plate, the results were disappointing and the wreck was not identified.

In 1954, Tom Pepper got the archaeologist P.E. Playford interested. He soon found more coins, the latest of which was dated 1711. So Playford looked into ships that had gone missing from 1711 onwards and soon came across the name of the Zuytdorp. The records showed that the ship had been carrying coins bearing the arms of Zeeland. Further expeditions took place in 1954 and 1958, but without diving. Since then, treasure hunters have frequently visited the site but have never discovered the wreck itself.

The cliffs – now called the Zuytdorp cliffs – against which the ship was dashed are a good 30 metres high. The crew would not have had much time to save their skins or the cargo. Findings, including the remains of a campfire, on the land behind the cliffs indicate that at least some people survived the wreck. But despite extensive excavations no traces of the survivors themselves have been found. In 1987, archaeological research at sea was followed by a comprehensive dig on land. The conclusion was that there is not enough evidence to determine the fate of the survivors. By now, visitors and treasure hunters have done so much digging as to destroy the site’s archaeological potential.

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	Orders from the VOC directors for those in command of the Zuytdorp, 1707. The Zuytdorp (1712) The Zuytdorp was one of the largest ships in the service of the VOC’s Zeeland Chamber in the early 18th century. Built in 1701, the ship carried 40 guns and on its first voyage had 318 souls on board: 221 seamen, 89 soldiers, two women, three children and a clergyman. Under captain Marinus Wijsvliet, the Zuytdorp and four other VOC ships sailed for the East Indies in 1711 with a cargo of coin and gold and silver bullion. The fleet carried 925,000 guilders in total, 250,000 of which were on the Zuytdorp. Despite all the warnings in the sailing instructions, the Zuytdorp ended up in the windless Gulf of Guinea, off the west coast of Africa. Heat, poor food and tainted water wiped out many of those aboard, and by the time the ship reached the Cape 112 had died and 22 were seriously ill. However, it did not spend any longer than usual at the Cape and took on more men to replenish the crew. The second part of the voyage was even more disastrous than the first. The Zuytdorp and the Kokenge left Table Bay together on 22 April 1712. But when the Kokenge arrived in Batavia on 4 July it was alone. Clearly, the Zuytdorp had foundered, but no rescue attempts were ever made as the area to be searched was too extensive. In April 1927, wreckage from a wooden vessel was found 65 km north of the Murchison River in Western Australia. Stockman Tom Pepper was fishing when he spotted large pieces of wood, including a carved female figurehead. He also found coins and the breechblocks for bronze cannon. Further finds made over the next 10 years prompted the Australian newspaper the Sunday Times to organise an expedition in 1941. Apart from a copper plate, the results were disappointing and the wreck was not identified. In 1954, Tom Pepper got the archaeologist P.E. Playford interested. He soon found more coins, the latest of which was dated 1711. So Playford looked into ships that had gone missing from 1711 onwards and soon came across the name of the Zuytdorp. The records showed that the ship had been carrying coins bearing the arms of Zeeland. Further expeditions took place in 1954 and 1958, but without diving. Since then, treasure hunters have frequently visited the site but have never discovered the wreck itself. The cliffs – now called the Zuytdorp cliffs – against which the ship was dashed are a good 30 metres high. The crew would not have had much time to save their skins or the cargo. Findings, including the remains of a campfire, on the land behind the cliffs indicate that at least some people survived the wreck. But despite extensive excavations no traces of the survivors themselves have been found. In 1987, archaeological research at sea was followed by a comprehensive dig on land. The conclusion was that there is not enough evidence to determine the fate of the survivors. By now, visitors and treasure hunters have done so much digging as to destroy the site’s archaeological potential.