Cocos (Keeling) Island used in April 2009 a 55c stamp for the 400th anniversary of the first European sighting of the group in 1609 by Captain William Keeling (1578-1620) of the English East India Company. The islands were previously known as the Cocos Islands (because of the profusion of coconut palms growing there), but by the early 18th century they were known as Keeling Islands or Cocos-Keeling Islands.
The stamp shows an early 17th-century English East India ship similar as the HECTOR which was commanded by Capt Keeling, as given by Australian Post.
The HECTOR was in the Third Fleet of the East India Company to the Indies.
Built in 1601, where not given.
Given as 300 ton (bm), ship rigged.
The Third Fleet sailed on 16th April 1607 from Plymouth, the HECTOR under command of William Hawkes, accompanied by Capt Keeling on board the DRAGON as Admiral.
30 April they sighted the Canary Islands, then she headed for Sierra Leone, where the two ships anchored.
After leaving from Sierra Leone an s.s.w. course was set for Cape of Good Hope, arriving 12 December in Saldana Bay, South Africa, where they anchored.
18 February they set sail and sailed from this anchorage bound for Madagascar, where they took victuals and water.
When Keeling shifted to the HECTOR I could not find, but he arrived in the East Indies on board of the HECTOR this voyage.
He arrived at the Banda Islands with the intention to load a cargo of spices, he was welcomed by the there already settled Dutch merchants. At that time there was peace between Holland and England, but the Dutch merchants not keen of any competition would like to see the sailing of the HECTOC so soon as possible after she got her cargo of spices.
When three Dutch East Indiamen arrived on the road of Banda, strengthening the Dutch forces in the Banda Islands, later an other six Dutch vessels joined.
The Dutch afraid that Capt Keeling would supply the Chieftains with weapons, searched all boats plying between the HECTOR and the coast, under heavy protest of Capt. Keeling.
The HECTOR loaded some mace and nutmegs, but not fully loaded she left Banda bound for Bantam where she arrived on 5 September 1609.
18 October 1609 she sailed from Bantam, and on her return voyage to England Capt. Keeling sighted the Cocos or Keeling Islands. When he sighted the group is not given, and most probably he never made a landing on the uninhabited islands.
18 December the coast of Natal was sighted, and two days later he sighted the Dutch East Indiaman GELDERLAND on her return voyage to the Netherlands, both ships sailed together along the South African coast.
23 December the senior merchant Craen of the GELDERLAND visited Capt Keeling on board the HECTOR and was entertained in a most friendly way.
When parting from the HECTOR she fired a salute of three guns.
03 January 1610 both ships anchored in Table Bay for fresh provision and some repair, sailing out again on 20 January, both ships sailed in company, and again Craen made a visit to the HECTOR during the passage.
Both ships anchored northwest of St Helena, and Keeling and Craen in a boat of the GELDERLAND landed to gather oranges and get some fresh meat on the island.
But after landing the boat was smashed to pieces in the breakers, and they had to stay a night ashore in the open air.
The next evening they were picked up by a boat of the HECTOR, Keeling in his journal gives that they shot nineteen goats, nine hogs and thirteen pigs as refreshment for the HECTOR.
19 February the two ships get underway again.
On board the GELDERLAND scurvy takes her toll with daily funerals, only nine men were able to do some work, and Keeling fearing that the GELDERLAND would become a burden instead of an asset, and during a gale on 8 May the two ships parted.
.
20 May 1610 the HECTOR arrived in the Downs.
The GELDERLAND lost all sails in this storm; in the English Channel she met a Dutch warship who towed her into Dartmouth. She remains there till 12 June before she sailed out again, arriving Den Helder, Netherlands the 18 June 1610.
Noting more found on the voyages of the HECTOR, but most probably used for other voyages to the East Indies.
1617 When careening the HECTOR at Jacatra (now Jakarta, Indonesia) she capsized and was lost.
Cocos (Keeling) Islands 1984 65c sg116, scott?. 1990 45c sg 223, scott218 and 2009
Sources: Ships of the East India Company by Rowan Hackman. The Mariner’s Mirror Volume 56.