Searching for Haarlem (1647 CE) : a ship that made history

In 1647 CE, the United Dutch East India Company (VOC) ship Haarlem wrecked in Table Bay. The events that followed had far-reaching consequences, and this incident can be regarded as the catalyst that laid the basis for the modern multi racial South Africa. Since 1989, a project is underway to search for Haarlem. The present article provides a brief overview of work undertaken to date. This has resulted in the location of a site that, based on currently available evidence, probably contains the wreck.http://www.currentscience.ac.inam2020Historical and Heritage Studie

Searching for a symbolic shipwreck in Table Bay : Haarlem (1647)

When on 25 March 1647 the VOC ship Haarlem stranded in Table Bay, nobody expected that this incident would become the catalyst that created one of the roots of current multiracial and multicultural South African society.1 Of the ship’s crew, 58 were repatriated soon after stranding, but 62 men stayed behind to try and salvage as much of the cargo as possible. During their sojourn, the men from Haarlem came into contact with indigenous people. Upon returning to the Netherlands, the crew reported favourably of their experiences. As a result, VOC management decided to establish a much-needed stopover for its ships that later developed into the City of Cape Town. Although no conclusive physical evidence of the wreck has yet been obtained, the multidisciplinary approach followed in an effort to locate the wreck of the Haarlem is reported here. The basis is provided by historical information that is contained in archival documentation. Of particular importance are contemporary eyewitness accounts, as contained in part of a journal that was kept by the junior merchant from the Haarlem, Leendert Jansz, and associated correspondence.2,3 Jansz was put in charge of the salvage attempts that followed the wrecking. Additional information could be abstracted from a report by commissioners who visited the wreck during the course of 1647; details provided by the commander of the fleet that repatriated the remainder of the crew in 1648; accounts by the first commander of the settlement at the Cape, Jan van Riebeeck; as well as a contemporary published description of the Cape of Good Hope.http://www.sajs.co.zaam2018Historical and Heritage Studie

The wreck of the Dutch East India Company ship Haarlem in Table Bay, 1647, and the establishment of the ‘Tavern of the Seas'

On Sunday 25 March 1647, shortly after five o’clock in the afternoon, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) ship Nieuw Haarlem or Haarlem was wrecked in Table Bay, off the coast of South Africa. The events that followed had far-reaching consequences for the history of South Africa. Fifty-eight of the crew were repatriated by accompanying ships soon after the incident, but 62 men were left behind to try and salvage as much of the cargo as possible. They found refuge in a makeshift camp, where they lived for about one year. During their stay, the men from Haarlem came into contact with indigenous people. Although initially marked by apprehension and reservation, these contacts improved after some time. This led to regular bartering, visits to each other's abodes, basic exchange of language and appreciation of each other's cultures. Upon returning to the Netherlands, the men reported favourably of their experiences. As a result, VOC management decided to establish a much-needed stopover for their ships. This station, known as the ‘Tavern of the Seas’, later developed into the city of Cape Town. The wrecking of Haarlem can thus be regarded as the catalyst that created one of the roots of current multiracial and multicultural South African society.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rmir202019-05-01hj2018Historical and Heritage Studie