Batavia 31"

Item  #  A0702

Batavia 31"
 
  • 31" long x 11" Wide x 25" High (1:71 scale).  25 Lbs.
  • Requires hundreds of hours to build from scratch (not from a model kit) by our master artisans.
  • Plank on frame construction (a painstaking process where each individual plank is added to the hull one at a time).
  • Built with rare, high quality woods such as rosewood, cherry, teak and birch.
  • The model rests perfectly on a large wood base between four arched dolphins.
  • Masterfully stitched canvas sails.
  • Metal anchors and machine turned brass cannons.
  • Significant deck detail.
  • To build this ship, extensive research was done using various sources such as museums, drawings and copies of original plans.

 
 
Batavia was a ship of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). She was built in Amsterdam in 1628, and had 24 cast-iron cannons. Batavia was shipwrecked on her maiden voyage, and made famous by the subsequent mutiny and massacre that took place among the survivors. A twentieth century replica of the ship is also called the Batavia.

 

A replica of the Batavia was built at the Bataviawerf in Lelystad in the Netherlands. The project lasted from 1985 to April 7, 1995, and was conducted as an employment project for young people under master-shipbuilder Willem Vos. The shipyard is currently reconstructing another 17th century ship, which, in contrast to the merchant ship Batavia, is a ship of the line, the Zeven Provinciën; Michiel de Ruyters' flagship.

The Batavia replica was built with traditional materials, such as oak and hemp and using the tools and methods of the time of the original ship's construction. For the design, good use was made of the remains of the original ship in Fremantle (and of the Vasa in Stockholm) as well as historical sources, such as 17th century building descriptions (actual building plans were not made at the time) and prints and paintings by artists (who at the time generally painted fairly true to nature) of similar ships.

On September 25, 1999, the new Batavia was transported to Australia by barge and moored at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney. In 2000, Batavia was the flagship for the Dutch Olympic Team during the 2000 Olympic Games. During its stay in Australia the ship was towed to the ocean once, where it sailed on its own. On June12, 2001, the ship returned to the Bataviawerf in Lelystad where it remains on display to visitors.
     
     
 Batavia 31" $499.95
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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