Prins Willem

Type

Galleon

Period

17th Century

Nation

Netherlands

Overview: The Prins Willem was a 17th-century Dutch East Indiaman (spiegelretourschip) built for the Zeeland Chamber of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). Technically a large armed merchant "return ship" rather than a true galleon, she is catalogued here under the closest available broad category for a big, multi-decked 17th-century Dutch armed sailing ship. Specifications: The ship was launched at Middelburg in 1649/1650 and was, at roughly 51-68 m overall length with a 14.3 m beam and about 1200 tons burthen, reportedly the largest spiegelretourschip the VOC ever built. She carried 24 guns as built, later increased to around 40-54 guns when converted for naval use, and was rigged as a full-rigged ship with two towering 54 m mainmasts. Service History: She made her maiden voyage to Batavia (Jakarta) in 1651 and completed several trading voyages to the East Indies over the following decade. During the First Anglo-Dutch War the VOC lent her to the Dutch state, where she briefly served as flagship of Vice-Admiral Witte de With at the Battle of the Kentish Knock before returning to merchant service; she was lost with all hands near Madagascar (or Île Brandon, Mauritius, in some accounts) in a storm in February 1662 while homeward bound. Notable Facts: A contemporary 1:50 scale model built alongside the original ship survives and is on permanent display at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, providing an important reference for the ship's decorative stern carvings and rigging. A full-size steel-hulled replica was built in 1984-85 at the Amels shipyard in Makkum for a Dutch-themed park near Nagasaki, Japan; after the park's bankruptcy the replica relocated to the Netherlands (Den Helder) but was destroyed by fire in 2009. The ship's name is oddly spelled "Prins Willim" on contemporary depictions, possibly due to lack of space for the final "e" or an archaic spelling variant.