During the 16th century the city of Hoorn in the Netherlands grows to a world trading port. Ships are calling regular from the Baltic and the Mediterranean. The merchants of Hoorn earning good money with the trade between Hoorn and Baltic and Mediterranean, especially with Genoa and Livorno in Italy.
The historian Velius describes in his “Chronic of Hoorn” how a merchant Pieter Janz Vael (also known as merchant Liorne) residing in Lyoren on Phenidsen (Venice) in 1594 orders the construction of a new type of cargo vessel.
According Velius the owner should have been inspired by the story of the ARK of Noah when ordering the vessel. The dimensions and tonnage are based on the specifications of the ark as mentioned in the Bible.
1595 At the yard of Pieter Jansz Vaalhen at Hoorn and given the kinship name possible a relative of the owner, the keel was laid down. While it was a complete different type of vessel as normally built there, the construction is not unnoticed by other owners.
The “fluitschip” in English “fluyt” as this new type was named, appears to be very profitable. The origin of the name fluyt is unknown.
The flute in contrast with a square sterned ship did have a rounded stern and a pear shaped hull.
The pear shape hull was an important economic reason for the Dutch owners for the Öresund toll in Denmark. At that time ships had to pay a toll to pass the Sound and the Sound-toll depended on the width of the deck. Hence the narrow deck above the wide spacious hold. After this toll calculating was altered in 1669 the ships were built with a wider deck.
The “fluyt” with a shallow draft needed a limited number of crew, about 12, while a ship of the same dimensions needed 30.
The “fluyt” was faster and more stable than many other ships.
She was one of the most important ships types used by the Dutch international shipping, and during the “Golden Age” the Dutch merchant marine consisted out of 80 percent of this type.
During that time the shipyards in the Netherlands built 400 to 500 flutes a year.
In that time the technical innovation of the wind driven sawmills in the Netherlands was discovered, and used to saw all the planks needed to built a flute, and by this way the flute could be produced very cheaply.
In 1671 Nicolaes Witsen named the standard fluyt length 37 metres and 35 metres for flute used for the Baltic trade. In 1697 Cornelis van Yk gave as measurement length 40 metres, beam 5.5 metres.
The rigging was similar to that of other three masts vessels, a foremast, mainmast with up to tree square sails, and a mizzen mast width a sail, sometimes a Latin cross sail. The fluyts sailing to the south mostly carried also a spritsail.
When England captured some fluyts during the Dutch-English war and the English merchants seeing how much cheaper the Dutch shipping was building this type of vessel and the profit they made they acquired the captured vessels.
The “fluyt” was so popular that similar designs were soon developed by seagoing competitors of the Dutch, Germany built the first flute in 1618 in Lubeck, France built fluyts at La Rochelle and from 1803-1819 also in Le Havre mostly for account of the French Government. This latest fluyts took part in expedition to Algiers in 1830.
The following types of fluyts were used in the Netherlands,
Oostervaerders were used in the trade to the countries around the Baltic Sea, of this type many were built because the trade between the Netherlands and the Baltic was very important.
Noortsvaerders sailed to Norway, the Baltic region and Russia; she did have a timber port in the stern to load timber in the Northern countries.
Groenlantsvaerders, used for whaling in the Arctic waters special the waters off Greenland. She were reinforced to withstand the ice pressure. At the stern a hoist was fitted to lower and retrieve the whaleboats.
Fransvaerders, used in the trade to France, this type was fitted out with a beakhead.
Spaensvaarder, used in the trade to Spain, and she were fitted out with a beakhead.
Straetsvaerders sailed to the Mediterranean, equipped with a beakhead, the pear form of the hull made it difficult for the Barbary pirates to board the ship. Armament on these ships was mostly 12 small guns.
Oostindisvaerders mostly used by the VOC, while she were not so suitable for this trade in the tropic, she started leaking in the highly curved planking. For this reason the type used there were much stronger built.
She did have a beakhead and were armed.
Westindisvaerders used in the trade to Africa and the Americas by the West Indische Company (WIC), she were armed and carried a beakhead.
Barbados 1994 5c sg1075, scott872 and 872a
St Kitts-Nevis 1970 60c sg218, scotts?
Mr Hubertus Guschok supplied my with a list which depict the ships on stamps built as a Fluyt.
The number after the country name is the Michel catalogue number.
Barbados 856 1994 5 c sg1075
St, Kitts Nevis 211 1970 60 c sg218
Guyana 6218 1998 80 $ sg?
Paraguay 2304 1972 0,75 Gs sg? ship MAURITIUS
Paraguay 2303 1972 0,50 Gs sg? ship MAEN
Japan 2918 2000 80 ¥ sg? ship LIEFDE
Bulgaria 3408 1985 5 St sg3286
South Africa 834 1992 35 c sg745. 1952 2d sg127 and 142.
Marshall Islands 1994 20 c sg489/682 ship EENDRACHT
Wallis & Futuna 508 1986 8 F sg488 ship EENDRACHT
Australia 928 1985 33 c sg973 ship EENDRACHT
Australia 932 1985 33 c sg? same picture as Australia 928 from stamp-sheet
Australia 384 1966 4 c sg408 ship EENDRACHT
Papua New Guinea 546 1987 70 T sg554 ship EENDRACHT
Tonga 905 1985 32 S sg896 ship EENDRACHT
Grenada 2241 1991 4 $ sg2228 ship EENDRACHT
Mauritius 415 1976 2,50 R sg505 ship MAEN
Poland 1468 1964 2 Sl sg1462
Czechoslovakia 2332 1976 1 Kc sg2294
Vietnam 2295 1991 3000 D sg1550 Dutch Hooker, a special-type of Fluyt
Togo 3136 2000 425 F sg? Dutch Hooker, a special-type of Fluyt
Tanzania 1999 400sh sg?
Netherland 1934 12½c sg441, scott?
Source: Various Dutch books, Wikipedia.
FLUYT
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aukepalmhof
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