Vergulde Draeck

Type

Jacht (VOC yacht)

Period

17th Century

Nation

Netherlands

Overview: The Vergulde Draeck (Dutch for "Gilt Dragon") was a jacht — a light, fast-sailing vessel type used by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) — purchased in 1653 by the VOC's Amsterdam Chamber. It is historically significant as the first VOC shipwreck ever discovered off the Australian coast, found by spearfishermen in 1963. Specifications: Sources give her length as roughly 38.8–41.8 metres with a beam of about 9.8 metres and a draught of around 4.1 metres, at approximately 260 tons burthen. Archaeological study of the surviving hull timbers showed only a single skin of structural planking with a sacrificial outer layer of pine (protection against teredo worm), unlike the double-planked hulls of larger VOC Indiamen, and saw marks on the timbers provide evidence of wind-powered sawmill use in Dutch shipbuilding of the period. Service History: Departing Texel on 4 October 1655 under skipper Pieter Albertszoon on her second voyage to Batavia, she called at the Cape of Good Hope in March 1656 before continuing east. On the night of 28 April 1656 she struck a submerged reef between present-day Seabird and Ledge Point, Western Australia, and broke apart almost immediately; of 193 people aboard only 75 reached shore, and just seven of those ultimately made it to Batavia for help. Multiple VOC rescue and search expeditions over the following two years failed to find the remaining survivors or recover the ship's silver cargo, and several search-party sailors were themselves drowned in the attempt. Notable Facts: The wreck, discovered in 1963, was one of the events that prompted Western Australia's shipwreck protection legislation after early looting of the site and the nearby Batavia wreck. In 2024–2025, archaeologists identified what is believed to be the survivors' shore camp near the wreck site, adding new detail to the story of those marooned on the Australian coast in 1656.