The Zeewijk was a sailing vessel of the Dutch East India Company, or VOC, which wrecked in the treacherous waters off the coast of Western Australia. On June 9, 1727, the Zeewijk, laden with valuable cargo and en route to Batavia (now Jakarta), Indonesia, crashed into Half Moon Reef of the Houtman Abrolhos islands. The crew endured a harrowing ordeal as they battled the elements and scarcity of resources.
Over the course of several months, the crew’s situation grew increasingly dire as food and water supplies dwindled. A group of survivors took the longboat to attempt to reach to Batavia, but they failed, and were never heard from again. Those who remained, determined to survive, set out to build a vessel to escape their plight, salvaging wood and other items from the shipwreck, and mangrove trees to build a boat large enough for almost 100 men. They successfully sailed over 1600 miles to Batavia, and brought news of the loss of their ship.
Dr. Howard Gray previously joined me for the three part series about the Batavia, and joins me again to tell the story of another shipwreck of the Houtman Abrolhos of Western Australia. Dr. Gray is an author and historian, and his publications can be found at Westralian Books.
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Sources
Van Der Graef, Adriaen. The journal by Adriaen van der Graef, under-steersman aboard the Ship Zeewijk. 1726-1728. Translated by translation by Adriaan de Jong.