Prinz Willem (1649)

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The Prinz Willem (named after the Stadholder) was built in 1649 for the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in Middleburg. She was the largest Indiaman (Retourschipp in Dutch) built up to that time at over 700 tons burthen and mounted 32 guns (24 pounders on the lower deck).

As often happened with the large well armed merchantmen of her time she was pulled into military service at the outbreak of the First Anglo-Dutch War in 1652. She was hastily refitted with 56guns and although one of the largest most well armed ships in the fleet, she was also one of the slowest. Her crew was inexperienced and forced to tolerate the unpopular Withe de With as her commander prior to the Battle of Kentish Knock because the crew of the 54gun Brederode(Evertsen’s flagship) refused to allow him on board.

The ship distinguished itself during the first major engagement of the war, the Battle of Kentish Knock, but De With failed to gain the decisive victory over the English he wanted so badly. (7,000 Dutchmen on 62 ships mounting 1,900 guns versus 10,000 Englishmen on 68 ships mounting 2,400 guns). The fleet retired under cover of a westerly storm clearly beaten by the English.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Abraham_Willaerts%2C_First_Dutch_War.jpeg

Known thereafter as the “Oude Prins” (Old Prince), she served both as warship and carrier until she was lost at Madagascar in 1662.

A wonderful replica of her was built in Japan in 1985 and she was a show piece at a Dutch theme park in Nagasaki. Nagasaki for centuries was the only place foreigners were allowed to trade with Japan as it’s prominent island port facilities prevented the European “Barbarians” from bringing their culture into contact with that of Japan. The Dutch held a monopoly over this port for centuries until the American Commodore Perry forced himself into the picture with a fleet of American warships.

This replica was purchased by a Dutch company in 2003 and she was sailed back to the Netherlands where she again took her place as part of a tourist attraction at Den Helder – Cape Holland.

She was all but destroyed by a fire in July 2009 and has been sitting as a hulk ever since. Her future is uncertain but some say that she will be rebuilt.

She is an excellent example of a large Dutch “Retourschipp” from that time. We have a good record of her plans and her image is recorded in contemporary art. There is a large 17th century model of her prominently displayed in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Thousands of models have been produced of her based on this famous original model. I myself have an excellent wood model of her.

A really nice model of her is being built on the NRG model Ship World site even now. Prinz Willem model

Here is the version of her I made for GOF ERAs:

MK

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