Fishermen find iron canon

Last Thursday Dutch Fishermen fishing on the spot of the well known shipwreck ‘t Vliegent Hart (vlakte van de Raan, Belgium) found an iron canon in their net.  It is probable that the canon belongs to the Dutch Eastindiaman ‘t Vliegent Hart. This vessel sank on 3rd February 1735 during a storm on her second outgoing voyage from Holland to Batavia. All 256, sailors and passengers drowned.

The canon has been brought to Colijnsplaat (Zeeland) were it has been examined by Wilbert Weber of the Muzeeum in Vlissingen.  He confirms it to be an iron canon from the first part of the 18th century.
Problem with the iron canon is that it is very difficult to preserve. The working of salt in the iron canon is speeding up the decaying process once brought to the surface.

On multibeam recordings made on the wrecksite in the spring of 2009 the wreck was not identified anymore. Implying that the wreck is covered up again with sand. Maybe there is a new situation now in which the wreck is (partly) free of sand again.

The Muzeeum in Vlissingen has already two iron canons of ‘t Vliegent Hart and cannot facilitate the  preservation of this newly found canon. In the meanwhile the canon is stored in Colijnsoplaat (Zeeland) as the fishermen put it, in await of an interested party or buyer.

Read more

• wreck ID 't vliegent Hart
• movie on you tube of the Yrseke 138 with the canon on deck

The canon