| " Prins Willem" |
| The Prins Willem", built in 1651 at Middelburg, Zeeland (the Netherlands) was one of the largest of East Indiamen to be constructed during the 17th Century. Built to withstand long and often hazardous sea voyages, the East Indianman enabled the Dutch East India Company to participate in the highly profitable trade with Asia and contributed to the Netherlands' dominance of world trade during the 17th Century. |
| The "Prins Willem" was seconded to the Dutch Navy during the First Anglo-Dutch War, and it participated in the 1652 sea battle near Duins. After returning to the merchant navy, the "Prins Willem" made five journeys to South East Asia along the lucrative spice route, before being wrecked off the island of Brandon on the return voyage to the Netherlands. |
| The model is 120 cm in length and took five years to complete. All parts, with the exception of the gun barrels, were handcrafted. It is three-quarters the size of the model which is on display in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. |
| The model was on display as part of the 1998 exhibition of "The Golden Age of Dutch Art" in the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia |
 |
 |
| 16th of May 2004. |
| Flags by |
 |
| To read the story about how the "Prins Willem" was wrecked on the 10th or 11th of February 1662, visit the following site. www.vocshipwrecks.nl/home_voyages/prins_willem2.html (The story is in the Dutch language) |
 |
 |
| While in the Netherlands in April 2004 , I visited the Replica of the Prins Willem" in Den Helder. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |