Historical treasure discovered from a Dutch warship that sank 350 years ago

Dutch and British maritime archaeologists have established the identity of the Klein Hollandiaa warship built in 1656 which participated in all major battles of the Second Anglo-Dutch War and which had been located off the south coast of the UK by amateur divers.

The image that divers came across at a depth of 32 meters is that of a historical treasure: a beautiful Bellarmine jug decorated with a flower and the face of a bearded man, slightly yellowish over the centuries, lying on the seabed, near the remains of a bronze cannon from which an eel was fishing.

Around him, the treasure was even greater: on the sand rested a much of the wooden hull, more cannons, pieces of Italian potteryand even some marble tiles that came from the Apuan Alps quarries in north-western Tuscany, and which were destined for the Netherlands, where they were used to build luxury homes.

“The condition of the wreck is good and could offer a great deal of data on how 17th century Dutch ships were built and on the activities of this warship during her final voyage,” admits the Cultural Heritage Agency, part of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Netherlands.

a warship

The remains were discovered in 2019 off the south coast of England, but researchers are only now confirming the vessel’s identity to the Dutch government: it is the warship Klein Hollandia (Little Holland, in Dutch), built in 1656 (destroyed 17 years later), owned by the Admiralty of Rotterdam and witnessed all the important battles of the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1665-1667), according to experts.

In 1672, the vessel was part of Admiral de Haese’s squadron which escorted the Smyrna fleet as it sailed from the Mediterranean to the English Channel, en route to the Netherlands. On the Isle of Wight on the British south coast off Southampton, she was attacked by a British squadron.

On the second day, 23 March, a fierce battle broke out, resulting in heavy damage to Klein Hollandia and the death of the vessel’s master, Jan Van Nes, in action.

The vessel was boarded and captured by the British, but soon after, when they attempted to tow her to the English coast as a trophy, sank with English and Dutch sailors aboard.

This surprise action by the small English squadron under Sir Robert Holmes and Sir Frecheville Holles contributed to the start of the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672-1674).

Professional and volunteer divers have helped gather underwater evidence to identify the vessel, and over the past year, specialists from Historic England, the Netherlands Agency for Cultural Heritage (RCE) and the Society for Nautical Archeology (NAS) have been working on her identification.

a tangible story

Klein Hollandia was considered such an important vessel at the time of her discovery that she was granted the highest level of protection under the Wreck Protection Act 1973, legislation marking her half-century this year, only licensed divers are allowed on the wreck site.

“We were fascinated by the variety of material present on the seabed. The impressive amount of timber framing of the hull, naval guns, beautifully cut marble tiles and pottery relics all point to a late 17th-century Dutch vessel returning from Italy,” said Mark Beattie Edwards, director of NAS.

Gunay Uslu, Secretary of State for Culture of the Netherlands, praised the international and UK cooperation in such discoveries and recalled that with the archaeological, cultural and maritime historical investigation of wrecks such as the Klein Hollandia, the stories come to light superficial and tangible remains.

“This provides valuable insights and important perspectives on the shared history of our seafaring nations. What we have learned about this specific shipwreck provides information for the general discussion of our past and current problems,” Uslu added.

The wreck was initially classified as “anomaly” on the seabed during a hydrographic survey in 2015 by the UK Hydrographic Office, and discovering the story of the sunken ship now, building on yet to come surveys, will open another fascinating chapter in the long Anglo-Dutch maritime history .

EFE extension