Batavia the horror ship

1. Batavia (ship) The wreck killed approximately 40 of its 341 passengers. A mutiny amongst the survivors led to a massacre. Source: Wikipedia /slideshow Anders Dernback 2019

2. 1628 Batavia was the flagship of the Dutch East India Company. It was built in Amsterdam, Dutch Republic, in 1628. Batavia sailed on her maiden voyage for the capital of the Dutch East Indies, Batavia. The ship wrecked on the Houtman Abrolhos off the coast of Western Australia. The wreck killed approximately 40 of its 341 passengers. A mutiny amongst the survivors led to a massacre.

3. Jeronimus Cornelisz Also on board was the onderkoopman (under- or junior merchant) Jeronimus Cornelisz, a bankrupt pharmacist from Haarlem who was fleeing the Netherlands, in fear of arrest because of his heretical beliefs associated with the painter Johannes van der Beeck, also known as Torrentius. During the voyage, Jacobsz and Cornelisz conceived a plan to take the ship, which would allow them to start a new life somewhere, using the huge supply of trade gold and silver on board. After leaving the Cape of Good Hope, where they had stopped for supplies, Jacobsz deliberately steered the ship off course, and away from the rest of the fleet. Jacobsz and Cornelisz had already gathered a small group of men around them and arranged an incident from which the mutiny was to ensue.

4. Jeronimus Cornelisz (1598 – October 2 1629 )2, Jeronimus Cornelisz (1598 – October 2, 1629) (properly Corneliszoon, "son of Cornelis"; first name informally being "Jeroen" was a Frisian apothecary and Dutch East India Company (VOC) merchant. In June 1629 he led one of the bloodiest mutinies in history after the merchant ship Batavia was wrecked in the Houtman Abrolhos, a chain of coral islands off the west coast of Australia. Almost all that is known of the shipwreck and aftermath stems from a book by the expedition commander Pelsaert who quickly absented himself and reached safety, but allegedly returned to defeat the Cornelisz faction in the nick of time.

5. Early life Early life Born in the Frisian capital, Leeuwarden, Cornelisz grew up in a non-conformist household. His mother and probably his father were Mennonites, members of an Anabaptist church. It has been speculated that they may have had links with some of the more militant Anabaptist movements, such as the Batenburgers, that flourished in the Netherlands during the sixteenth century. The young Jeronimus was well educated, probably at the Latin School at Dokkum, and followed his father into the family trade by training to become an apothecary. He qualified around the year 1623 and practiced in his home town until 1627, leaving in that year apparently as a result of disagreements with the town council.

6. Syphilis Cornelisz moved to the much larger Dutch city of Haarlem, where he opened up an apothecary shop near the centre of the town. In November 1627 he and his wife had a son, but the child died less than three months after being placed in the care of a wet nurse. The cause of death was established as syphilis, considered a scandal, and Cornelisz became embroiled in a legal action against the nurse, seeking to prove that his child had contracted the disease from her and not from his wife. With his reputation and future business prospects destroyed, Cornelisz was forced to realize what he could by selling off his shop and assets.

8. Batavia modern built (replica)

9. The Batavia Technical Details The Batavia Technical Details VOC East Indiaman Batavia Built in accordance with the decision of the Gentlemen Seventeen [i.e.VOC directors] of 17 March 1626 Length between perpendiculars Overall length Beam 10.50 m Maximum draught 5.10 m Height main mast 55 m Empty weight Ballast 220 tons of lead Artillery 24 cast-iron guns Total surface area of sails Total length of rigging Total number of persons on board 45.30 m 56.60 m 650 tons 1180 m2 21 kilometres 341 (in 1628)

10. The port side of the wreck. Photo: Don Hitchcock October 2014 Source and text: The Shipwreck Galleries, Western Australia Museum,

11. Batavia

12. Location of Batavia

13. Western Australia

14. Houtman Abrolhos https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houtman_Abrolhos#/media/File:Houman_Abrolhos_bay.jpg This is a photograph of a beach informally known as "Cave Beach", located on one of the Wallabi Islands in the Wallabi Group of the HoutmanAbrolhos.

15. Batavia

16. The Great Cabin Photo: http://addiator.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/batavia-shipyard.html

17. Batavia's stern https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batavia_(ship)#/media/File:Batavia_Timbers.jpg

18. Batavia

19. Beacon Island, in the Wallabi Group, Abrolhos Islands https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beacon_Island_Abrolhos.jpg

20. Image plate of Hayes' soldiers and Cornelisz's mutineers racing to the rescue ship in separate boats

21. Mutiny Mutiny on the Batavia Voyage On 27 October 1628, the newly built Batavia, commissioned by the Dutch East India Company, sailed from Texel for the Dutch East Indies, to obtain spices. It sailed under commandeur and opperkoopman (upper- or senior merchant) Francisco Pelsaert, with Ariaen Jacobsz serving as skipper. These two had previously encountered each other in Surat, India. Some animosity had developed between them in Surat after Jacobsz became drunk and insulted Pelsaert in front of other merchants, leading to a public dressing-down for Jacobsz by Pelsaert

22. Shipwreck Shipwreck location On 4 June 1629, the ship struck Morning Reef near Beacon Island, part of the Houtman Abrolhos off the Western Australian coast. Of the 322 aboard, most of the passengers and crew managed to get ashore, although 40 people drowned. The survivors, including all the women and children, were then transferred to nearby islands in the ship's longboat and yawl. An initial survey of the islands found no fresh water and only limited food (sea lions and birds). Pelsaert realised the dire situation and decided to search for water on the mainland. A group consisting of Captain Jacobsz, Francisco Pelsaert, senior officers, a few crew members, and some passengers left the wreck site in a nine metres (30 ft) longboat (a replica of which has also been made), in search of drinking water.

23. Murders Jeronimus Cornelisz was left in charge of the survivors. He made plans to hijack any rescue ship that might return and use the vessel to seek another safe haven. Cornelisz made far-fetched plans to start a new kingdom, using the gold and silver from the wrecked Batavia. However, to carry out this plan, he first needed to eliminate possible opponents. Cornelisz's first deliberate act was to have all weapons and food supplies commandeered and placed under his control. He then moved a group of soldiers, led by Wiebbe Hayes, to nearby West Wallabi Island, under the false pretense of searching for water. They were told to light signal fires when they found water and they would then be rescued. Convinced that they would be unsuccessful, he then left them there to die, taking complete control of the situation.

24. A 1647 engraving showing the Beacon Island massacre of survivors of the Batavia shipwreck

25. Search for water After an unsuccessful search for water on the mainland, they abandoned the other survivors and headed north in a danger- fraught voyage to the city of Batavia, now known as Jakarta. En route they made further forays onto the mainland in search of fresh water. In his journal, Pelsaert states that on 15 June 1629, they sailed through a channel between a reef and the coast, finding an opening around midday at a latitude guessed to be about 23 degrees south where they were able to land, and water was found. The group spent the night on land. Pelsaert commented on the vast number of termite mounds in the vicinity and the plague of flies that afflicted them. Drake-Brockman suggested this location is approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of Point Cloates where water has subsequently been located.

26. Cornelisz seized on the news of water on the other island Cornelisz seized on the news of water on the other island, as his own supply was dwindling and the continued survival of the soldiers threatened his own success. He went with his men to try to defeat the soldiers marooned on West Wallabi Island. However, the trained soldiers were by now much better fed than the mutineers and easily defeated them in several battles, eventually taking Cornelisz hostage. The mutineers who escaped regrouped under soldier Wouter Loos and tried again, this time employing muskets to besiege Hayes' fort and almost defeating the soldiers. But Wiebbe Hayes' men prevailed again, just as Pelsaert arrived. A race to the rescue ship ensued between Cornelisz's men and the soldiers. Wiebbe Hayes reached the ship first and was able to present his side of the story to Pelsaert. After a short battle, the combined force captured all of the mutineers

27. Rescue Although Cornelisz had left the soldiers, led by Wiebbe Hayes, to die, they had in fact found good sources of water and food on their islands. Initially, they were unaware of the barbarity taking place on the other islands and sent pre- arranged smoke signals announcing their finds. However, they soon learned of the massacres from survivors fleeing Cornelisz' island. In response, the soldiers devised makeshift weapons from materials washed up from the wreck. They also set a watch so that they were ready for the mutineers, and built a small fort out of limestone and coral blocks.

28. Pelsaert states Pelsaert states that they continued north with the intention of finding the 'river of Jacob Remmessens', identified first in 1622, but owing to the wind were unable to land. Drake-Brockman suggests that this location is to be identified with Yardie Creek. It was not until the longboat reached the island of Nusa Kambangan in Indonesia that Pelsaert and the others found more water. The journey took 33 days, with everyone surviving. After their arrival in Batavia, the boatswain, Jan Evertsz, was arrested and executed for negligence and "outrageous behavior" before the loss of the ship (he was suspected to have been involved). Jacobsz was also arrested for negligence, although his position in the potential mutiny was not guessed by Pelsaert.

29. At least a hundred killed Batavia's Governor General, Jan Coen, immediately gave Pelsaert command of the Sardam to rescue the other survivors, as well as to attempt to salvage riches from the Batavia's wreck. He arrived at the islands two months after leaving Batavia, only to discover that a bloody mutiny had taken place among the survivors, reducing their numbers by at least a hundred

30. Male, aged about 35–39, with a gashed skull, broken shoulder blade and a missing right foot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batavia_(ship)#/media/File:Batavia_victim.jpg

31. Cornelisz never committed any of the murders himself Cornelisz never committed any of the murders himself, although he tried and failed to poison a baby (who was eventually strangled). Instead, he coerced others into doing it for him, usually under the pretense that the victim had committed a crime such as theft. It has been suggested that Cornelisz sought "novelty and stimulation" after having ordered numerous murders by ordering more "perverse atrocities". The mutineers had originally murdered to save themselves but eventually they began to kill for pleasure or out of habit. Cornelisz planned to reduce the island's population to around 45 so that their supplies would last as long as possible. He also feared that many of the survivors remained loyal to the VOC. In total, his followers murdered at least 110 men, women, and children.

32. Aftermath Pelsaert decided to conduct a trial on the islands, because the Sardam on the return voyage to Batavia would have been overcrowded with survivors and prisoners. After a brief trial, the worst offenders were taken to Seal Island and executed. Cornelisz and several of the major mutineers had both hands chopped off before being hanged.

33. Wouter Loos Wouter Loos and a cabin boy, Jan Pelgrom de By, considered only minor offenders, were marooned on mainland Australia, never to be heard of again. This unwittingly made them the first Europeans to have permanently lived on the Australian continent. This location is now thought to be Whitecarra Creek near Kalbarri, though another suggestion is that nearby Port Gregory was the place. Reports of unusually light-skinned Aborigines in the area by later British settlers have been suggested as evidence that the two men might have been adopted into a local Aboriginal clan.[citation needed] However, numerous other European shipwreck survivors, such as those from the wreck of the Zuytdorp in the same region in 1712, may also have had such contact with Indigenous inhabitants, making it now impossible to determine whether the Batavia crew members were responsible.

34. The remaining mutineers The remaining mutineers were taken to Batavia for trial. Five were hanged, while several others were flogged, keelhauled or dropped from the yard arm on the later voyage back home. Cornelisz's second in command, Jacop Pietersz, was broken on the wheel, the most severe punishment available at the time. Captain Jacobsz, despite being tortured, did not confess to his part in planning the mutiny and escaped execution due to lack of evidence. What finally became of him is unknown. It is suspected that he died in prison in Batavia. A board of inquiry decided that Pelsaert had exercised a lack of authority and was therefore partly responsible for what had happened. His financial assets were seized, and he died within a year.

35. Wiebbe Hayes On the other hand, the common soldier Wiebbe Hayes was hailed a hero. He was promoted to sergeant, which increased his salary, while those who had been under his command were promoted to the rank of corporal. Of the original 332 people on board the Batavia, only 68 made it to the port of Batavia. The Sardam eventually sailed home with most of the treasure previous housed on the Batavia aboard. Of the 12 treasure chests that were originally on board the Batavia, 10 were recovered and taken aboard the Sardam.

36. Guilty of mutiny Cornelisz was tried in the islands, found guilty of mutiny, and hanged along with half a dozen of his men. Both of his hands were amputated prior to the hanging (it appears with a hammer and chisel). The remaining mutineers were taken back to Java and tried; many were subsequently executed. Ariaen Jacobsz apparently died in the dungeons of Castle Batavia.

37. Execution The hangings on Long Island as illustrated in the Lucas de Vries 1649 edition of Ongeluckige Voyagie

38. Treasure The Batavia carried a considerable amount of treasure. Each ship in the Batavia class carried an estimated 250,000 guilders each in twelve wooden chests containing about 8000 silver coins each. This money was intended for the purchase of spice and other commodities in Java. The bulk of these coins were silver rijksdaalder issues produced by the individual Dutch states, with the remainder being mostly made up of similar coins produced by German cities such as Hamburg. Each of these silver coins was equal to 2.5 guilders, hence approximately 12 x 8000 = 96000 coins.

39. The treasure also included special items The Batavia's treasure also included special items being carried by Pelsaert for sale to the Mogul Court in India where he had intended to travel on to. There were four jewel bags, stated to be worth about 60,000 guilders, and an early-fourth-century Roman cameo, as well as numerous other items either now displayed in Fremantle and Geraldton, or recovered by Pelsaert. The Gemma Constantina Batavia cameo depicts the emperor Constantine I and is considered probably to have been made at his court to commemorate the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in. The cameo was in 1628, the property of an Amsterdam jeweler called Gaspar Boudaen, on whose behalf Pelsaert was carrying it. Boudaen had added a gold frame with jewels

40. Rijksdaalder silver coins recovered from the wreck site https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batavia_(ship)#/media/File:Batavia_treasure.jpg