HEEMSKERK and ZEEHAEN
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 1:46 am
Not much on the HEEMSKERCK or ZEEHAEN is known, it were small ships called yachts, and mostly built by the VOC for service in the Dutch East Indies, that after arrival she stayed there.
HEEMSKERCK (sometimes named HEEMSKERK), named after the town Heemskerk in the Netherlands.
Built around 1638/39 at the yard at Amsterdam for the VOC, she sailed from Texel on 29 April 1639 for the Dutch East Indies. Not a captain given.
Tonnage 120 tons.
22 November 1639 arrived at Batavia with on board 75 crew and 23 soldiers, during the voyage two crewmembers died.
ZEEHAEN (sometimes also given as ZEEHAAN, means sea-rooster,) also built around 1638/39 on a yard in Amsterdam for the VOC. She was a fleute.
Not a tonnage given.
19 January 1640 sailed from Texel, not a commander or crew given, and arrived at Cambodia on 29 September 1640.
In August 1642 an expedition was fitted out on orders of Governor General of the Dutch East Indies, Anthonie van Diemen to make a discovery voyage to the partly known and still unreached South and Easterland. They had to chart the known Soutland’s coast and search for the unknown South Land and find a safe seaway to South America.
The expedition was under command of Abel Tasman and the HEEMSKERCK and ZEEHAEN were appointed for the expedition. (A google search will give you many hits for Abel tasman.)
Abel Tasman took command of the HEEMSKERCK and the ZEEHAEN was under command of Jacobzoon Visscher, the total crew on both vessels was 110 men.
14 August 1642 both vessels sailed from Batavia for Mauritius where they after arrival stayed a month for repairs. At that time a there was a Dutch Fort at Mauritius.
08 October 1642 sailed from Mauritius with a southerly course, after three weeks in about 50 degree South both ships headed east, and on 24 November they saw high mountains, near what is now known as Macquarie Harbour, and named the new land Van Diemen’s Land, now Tasmania.
02 December a group of men from the two ships went ashore at what now is Blackman Bay, Tasmania but not any contact was made with the local people.
The two ships sailed from there with an easterly course, on 13 December she sighted high elevated land (near Okarito), and a few days later they saw smoke rise in several places, and when they found a anchorage both ships dropt their anchor in what he named later Moordenaars Baai (Murderers Bay) it is now known as the Golden Bay .
The land he sighted he named Staetenlandt, now New Zealand. (some sources give that the VOC later the new discovered land the name Nieuw Zeeland gave after the Province Zeeland in the Netherlands.)
19 December, after the two vessel anchored early in the morning two canoes with 13 Maori were nearing the two ships, but conservation between the Dutch and Maori was not possible. Tasman gives in his journal, it were men of average build with harsh voices which we not could understand.
After some time seven other canoes appeared, Tasman tried to lure the Maoris nearer and invited them on board but the Maoris did not near the two ships.
The shipper of the ZEEHAEN sent his quartermaster and six men to the HEEMSKERCK to warn Tasman not to let any native on board.
But suddenly the boat was attacked by the Maoris and four men were killed, the other three jumped overboard and swam to the HEEMSKERCK and were picked up by the quickly lowered sloop of the HEEMSKERCK. From the two ships rifles and guns were fired, but nobody was killed.
Anchors were raised and the two ships sailed away, Tasman gives since we could not befriend these people or obtains any water or refreshment here.
Due to bad weather he did not discover Cook Strait, both vessel sailed along the coast of the North Island, and reached the Northern point of New Zealand, which he named Kaap (Cape) Maria van Diemen after the wife of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. They made not any landing on this coast, but sailed after passing Cape Maria van Diemen a northerly course.
19 January 1643 she sighted an island what they named Pijlstaart Eiland because many pintails nested there, it is currently know as Ata one of the Tonga group.
21 January they anchored near an island what she named Amsterdam Island, (now Tongatapu).
Plenty of refreshments they received there and the natives were friendly and helpful.
24 January she left this island and afterwards discovered the northern islands of the Tonga Archipelago, by sailing through the Fiji Archipelago, the Solomon Islands and via the northern side of New Guinea and Moluccas.
15 June1643 the two ships reached Batavia.
Although Tasman had established that the Southland-Australia was an island, but noting they knew of the land, and the merchants directors of the VOC who were more interested in new markets did not pursue new ventures to this waters.
The two vessels stayed in the East Indies, the HEEMSKERCK was laid up in 1649, and the ZEEHAEN her fate is not known.
In 1642 Tasman was dispatched by the Dutch East India Company to discover the great continent which was believed to lie in the unknown southern ocean. What he did discover, on 13 December 1642, was New Zealand, which he named 'Staten Landt'. His attempt to land at what is now Golden Bay was thwarted when one of his boats was attacked by Maori war canoes. The original map of the western coastline he travelled up is shown on the stamp. Also featured is an illustration from Tasman's journal and a portrait believed to be of Tasman
The stamp is designed partly after a drawing made by a crewmember of one of Abel Tasman ships, who visited New Zealand in 1642, Tasman named the bay Moordenaars Baai (Murderer Bay) now Golden Bay.
It is one of the earliest drawings made by European of Maori.
The sailing vessel depict on the stamp is the HEEMSKERCK.
New Zealand 1997 $1.80 sg2056, scott1418 1940 2d sg616, scott?
Norfolk Island 1994 $2 sg572, scott56.
South Africa 1999 standard post sg?, scott?
Grenada 1991 $5 sg2229, scott1958.
Ciskey 1993 R1.05 sg226, scott207.
Source: Internet and New Zealand Post.
http://www.inghist.nl http://www.abeltasman.org/nieuwzeeland.html
HEEMSKERCK (sometimes named HEEMSKERK), named after the town Heemskerk in the Netherlands.
Built around 1638/39 at the yard at Amsterdam for the VOC, she sailed from Texel on 29 April 1639 for the Dutch East Indies. Not a captain given.
Tonnage 120 tons.
22 November 1639 arrived at Batavia with on board 75 crew and 23 soldiers, during the voyage two crewmembers died.
ZEEHAEN (sometimes also given as ZEEHAAN, means sea-rooster,) also built around 1638/39 on a yard in Amsterdam for the VOC. She was a fleute.
Not a tonnage given.
19 January 1640 sailed from Texel, not a commander or crew given, and arrived at Cambodia on 29 September 1640.
In August 1642 an expedition was fitted out on orders of Governor General of the Dutch East Indies, Anthonie van Diemen to make a discovery voyage to the partly known and still unreached South and Easterland. They had to chart the known Soutland’s coast and search for the unknown South Land and find a safe seaway to South America.
The expedition was under command of Abel Tasman and the HEEMSKERCK and ZEEHAEN were appointed for the expedition. (A google search will give you many hits for Abel tasman.)
Abel Tasman took command of the HEEMSKERCK and the ZEEHAEN was under command of Jacobzoon Visscher, the total crew on both vessels was 110 men.
14 August 1642 both vessels sailed from Batavia for Mauritius where they after arrival stayed a month for repairs. At that time a there was a Dutch Fort at Mauritius.
08 October 1642 sailed from Mauritius with a southerly course, after three weeks in about 50 degree South both ships headed east, and on 24 November they saw high mountains, near what is now known as Macquarie Harbour, and named the new land Van Diemen’s Land, now Tasmania.
02 December a group of men from the two ships went ashore at what now is Blackman Bay, Tasmania but not any contact was made with the local people.
The two ships sailed from there with an easterly course, on 13 December she sighted high elevated land (near Okarito), and a few days later they saw smoke rise in several places, and when they found a anchorage both ships dropt their anchor in what he named later Moordenaars Baai (Murderers Bay) it is now known as the Golden Bay .
The land he sighted he named Staetenlandt, now New Zealand. (some sources give that the VOC later the new discovered land the name Nieuw Zeeland gave after the Province Zeeland in the Netherlands.)
19 December, after the two vessel anchored early in the morning two canoes with 13 Maori were nearing the two ships, but conservation between the Dutch and Maori was not possible. Tasman gives in his journal, it were men of average build with harsh voices which we not could understand.
After some time seven other canoes appeared, Tasman tried to lure the Maoris nearer and invited them on board but the Maoris did not near the two ships.
The shipper of the ZEEHAEN sent his quartermaster and six men to the HEEMSKERCK to warn Tasman not to let any native on board.
But suddenly the boat was attacked by the Maoris and four men were killed, the other three jumped overboard and swam to the HEEMSKERCK and were picked up by the quickly lowered sloop of the HEEMSKERCK. From the two ships rifles and guns were fired, but nobody was killed.
Anchors were raised and the two ships sailed away, Tasman gives since we could not befriend these people or obtains any water or refreshment here.
Due to bad weather he did not discover Cook Strait, both vessel sailed along the coast of the North Island, and reached the Northern point of New Zealand, which he named Kaap (Cape) Maria van Diemen after the wife of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. They made not any landing on this coast, but sailed after passing Cape Maria van Diemen a northerly course.
19 January 1643 she sighted an island what they named Pijlstaart Eiland because many pintails nested there, it is currently know as Ata one of the Tonga group.
21 January they anchored near an island what she named Amsterdam Island, (now Tongatapu).
Plenty of refreshments they received there and the natives were friendly and helpful.
24 January she left this island and afterwards discovered the northern islands of the Tonga Archipelago, by sailing through the Fiji Archipelago, the Solomon Islands and via the northern side of New Guinea and Moluccas.
15 June1643 the two ships reached Batavia.
Although Tasman had established that the Southland-Australia was an island, but noting they knew of the land, and the merchants directors of the VOC who were more interested in new markets did not pursue new ventures to this waters.
The two vessels stayed in the East Indies, the HEEMSKERCK was laid up in 1649, and the ZEEHAEN her fate is not known.
In 1642 Tasman was dispatched by the Dutch East India Company to discover the great continent which was believed to lie in the unknown southern ocean. What he did discover, on 13 December 1642, was New Zealand, which he named 'Staten Landt'. His attempt to land at what is now Golden Bay was thwarted when one of his boats was attacked by Maori war canoes. The original map of the western coastline he travelled up is shown on the stamp. Also featured is an illustration from Tasman's journal and a portrait believed to be of Tasman
The stamp is designed partly after a drawing made by a crewmember of one of Abel Tasman ships, who visited New Zealand in 1642, Tasman named the bay Moordenaars Baai (Murderer Bay) now Golden Bay.
It is one of the earliest drawings made by European of Maori.
The sailing vessel depict on the stamp is the HEEMSKERCK.
New Zealand 1997 $1.80 sg2056, scott1418 1940 2d sg616, scott?
Norfolk Island 1994 $2 sg572, scott56.
South Africa 1999 standard post sg?, scott?
Grenada 1991 $5 sg2229, scott1958.
Ciskey 1993 R1.05 sg226, scott207.
Source: Internet and New Zealand Post.
http://www.inghist.nl http://www.abeltasman.org/nieuwzeeland.html