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Jonge Thomas
Jonge Thomas in distress in 1773
History
Dutch Republic
NameJonge Thomas
Owner
Completed1764
FateWrecked on 25 July 1773 near Dishoek
General characteristics
TypeEast Indiaman
Length150 feet[1]
Capacityloading capacity: 1150 tons [1]
Crew296-360[1]

Jonge Thomas, also written as De Jonge Thomas was an 18th-century East Indiaman of the Dutch East India Company.

During the last part of her fifth return voyage from Batavia, Dutch East Indies, she wrecked 25 July 1779 near Dishoek. Around 49 people drowned. 87 crew members were rescued during the rescue operation initiated by Frans Naerebout [nl]. The rescuers were rewarded, Naerebout became famous and received after his death a statue at Vlissingen. Pilot Thijs Wiegman was blamed for the disaster and was severely punished.

A range of depictions were made of the sinking of the ship and the rescue operation; many of them are in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Ship details

Jonge Thomas was built in 1764 in Amsterdam for the Chamber of Amsterdam [nl]. She was made of wood and was 150 feet long. She had a loading capacity of 1150 tons and a capacity for up to 360 crew members.[1] The ship had capacity for 239-369 crew members.[2][3]

History and fate

On 25 October 1765 she made her first voyage to Batavia under command of Jacob Wiebe. She had an intermediate stop at Cape of Good Hope for two weeks in March 1766 and arrived at Batavia on 25 June 1766. She continued the same year to Canton, China.[2][1]

In total the ship completed three voyages to the Dutch East Indies.

During her fourth voyage to the Dutch East Indies, storm she lost her anchors during a storm and ran aground on a sand bar at Table Bay near Cape of Good Hope. Many lives were lost as the ship started to break up but a substantial number of survivors were left clinging to the hull. The stricken ship was not too far from dry land and many sailors attempted to swim ashore. Most of those who did so perished; the water was cold and the current from the nearby Salt River too great. Except for the very strongest swimmers, those who headed for the shore were carried out to sea.

A crowd of spectators stood on the beach. Some came to watch, others to try to help and yet others were hoping to loot the cargo that was being washed ashore. A detachment of soldiers was in attendance to keep order among the spectators. Governor Joachim van Plettenberg sent 30 soldiers to the beach, to guard the ship and prevent washed-up cargo from being stolen. Wolraad Woltemade, father of one of the soldiers, went to the beach to bring him food. After seeing the sinking ship he went with his horse into the water. Seven times he returned out of the water rescuing fourteen people; two people every time. During the eight rescue attempt he drowned with his horse due to fatigue and due to desperate sailors who cling to the horse.

He became famous for his heroic deed. Among others in 1774 a VOC ship was named after him, and a statue was made of him.

Rescue operation

Frans Naerebout [nl] became a hero through the rescue operation, here depicted with his received medal

On 24 July pilot and fisherman Frans Naerebout [nl] from Vlissingen heard about the Woestduin. Naerebout together with his brother Jacob, had done in the past already several successfull rescue attempts, including of warship Bruinswyk in 1776. A Dutch East India Company official in Vlissingen didn't dare to start a rescue operation due to the bad weather.[4] However, Naerebout and his brother were able to recruit 10 other people for a rescue operation.[5] Due to the bad weather, they had to wait until the tide changed to enter the water. Frans stayed awake until the middle of the night for the best moment to start the rescue operation. After a highly riskfull operation the managed to rescue 71 men by 4am. After their return they went out again were able to rescue another 16 people. After their return, the Naerebout brothers received a warm welcome.[4][6]

Not all people were rescued, about 49 people drowned.[1]

Frans Naerebout became a permanent pilot of the Dutch East India Company.[1] The rescuers were honored by the Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen and received a medal and money. In the speech the emphasis was placed on humanity and individual performance. The Dutch East India Company rewarded the rescuers with an amount of 300 Flemish pounds. Archival research shows that the rescue of the people was a side issue for the VOC, where their priority was the question of guilt and the salvage of the valuable cargo.[4]

The heroic rescue operation of the Woestduin was extensive described in poems by De Bellamy, Loosjes and Rhijnvis Feitn.[7] In the year after his death, Frans Naereout got a statue in Vlissingen in 1919.[8]

Aftermath

Investigation

Quickly after the disaster, the VOC started an investigation into the cause of the disaster. After ten meetings of the board of the VOC, they concluded that the ignorance of pilot Thijs Wiegman was the cause of the disaster. Wiegman was severely punished. He was flogged, branded and prisoned for six months. After that he was banished from Zeeland.[4]

Cargo

Next to the question of the cause of the disaster, the VOC was mainly concerned of salvaging cargo. Abraham in 't Anker of the VOC was sent to salvage the cargo. The government sent fifty men to the beaches of Vlissingen to patrol and arrest beachcombers. However, goods that washed ashore were taken by the local people despite government control. Some of these items were later given to person responsible for the found items. The VOC hired divers to salvage goods, but this was not very successful. The VOC made a list of all recovered goods; the revenue of the sale of these goods and the amount they had to pay to the various fishermen who brought back goods.[4]

Depictions

Yale Center for British Art Engel Hoogerheyden [nl] (1740-1807) made together with Czech-Dutch engraver Mathias de Sallieth (1749-1791) and engraver Arend Wzn Fokke a series of four copper engravings of the destruction of the Woestduin.[1]

  • Woestduin in distress
    Woestduin in distress
  • Cutting down the masts
    Cutting down the masts
  • Woestduin smashed to pieces
    Woestduin smashed to pieces
  • The rescue operation
    The rescue operation

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has in their collection also a number of other depictions of the disaster of the Woestduin and rescue operation.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Jonge Thomas (1764)". vocsite.nl (in Dutch).
  2. ^ a b "Woestduin (+1779)". wrecksite.eu.
  3. ^ "Woestduin (+1779)". Cultureel Erfgoed (in Dutch).
  4. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference Dissel2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "De Gebroeders Naerebout redden 87 Schepelingen". Redding van de opvarenden van de Woestduin (in Dutch). 1979 – via picryl.com.
  6. ^ "Dag Register | July". Hollandsche historische courant. 30 December 1779 – via Delpher.
  7. ^ Inscription on monument of Frans Naerebout
  8. ^ Inscription on video of the monument's unveiling of Frans Naereout
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