Research shows that a shipwreck discovered a few years ago off the coast of southern England is a 17th-century Dutch warship. It is the Klein Hollandia, which was built in 1656 and sank sixteen years later. The ship belonged to the Rotterdam Naval Command.
The remains of Klein Hollandia are located 32 meters off the Eastbourne coast and were found by scuba divers in 2019. The Dutch Heritage Authority describes the condition of the wreck as pretty good. The research was carried out by a team of Dutch and British marine archaeologists.
Italian ceramics
Wooden hulls, bronze cannons, Italian pottery, and most Italian marble tiles were found on the seafloor. These tiles come from quarries near Carara in northwestern Tuscany. According to the researchers, these were intended for the Netherlands and were likely to be used in the construction of luxury homes.
“I have to tell you in all honesty, this is the first time I’ve seen bronze balls underwater at a shipwreck,” Martijn Manders, a state-owned marine archaeologist, told NOS Radio 1 Journal. “Then you see them so bright and that’s great.”
Professional and volunteer divers helped gather underwater evidence to identify the vessel. “One of them was blind and went underwater with a friend,” says marine archaeologist Manders. “He was very good at perceiving things so deeply, as he was with bronze balls.”
The identity of the ship was established through studies of the archives and annual rings in the forest. “All the pieces of the puzzle together show that this must be Klein Hollandia,” Manders says. “Is it 100 percent safe? No, I’m pretty sure. But we are usually right.”
The ship was captured by the British in a raid on a trade convoy and sank while being pulled to British shores as a trophy.
According to experts, the ship took part in all major naval battles of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. It lasted from 1665 to 1667 and was mostly fought at sea, so it is also known as the Second Naval War. The Third Naval War began in 1672, the year Klein Hollandia sank.
British and Dutch experts will continue to work together in the coming period to further investigate the wreckage. Smaller objects were brought to the surface, other remains remained on the seafloor for now. Manders: “Once you tap it and dig it out, you can’t turn it back. So calm down.”
Who exactly does the cargo belong to in a shipwreck? NOS op 3 answers these and other questions in this explanatory video:
Source: NOS
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
