Replica of Dutch East Indianman destroyed by fire

The prins Willem a replica of a Dutch East Indiaman was destroyed by fire. Fire broke out in a bar compartiment in the rear part of the ship. At first it looked a small local fire but it developed and firefighters couldn’t bring the blaze under control because of the heath and smoke.

The Prins Willem was built in 1985 for the open air museum Oranda Mura (Dutch village) in Nagasaki Japan. The ship was a gift from the Dutch government to Japan to commemorate centuries of cooperation between Japan and Holland.

In 2003 the prins Willem was sold to a Dutch company who stationed it as a eye catcher in the old marine harbour of Den Helder. Exploitation of the ship was never easy and it was again to be sold in 2010. However that will never happe,n fire destroyed her.

The original Prins Willem was built 1649/1650 for the VOC chaimber of Zeeland and was probably the bigest East Indiaman ever buily by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) 68 m. 180 feet.

The original Prins Willem also had a ill faith; she was wrecked in a storm near the Island Brandon, Madagascar in 1662 on her voyage home from Batavia to Zeeland.

Source: NRC, Dutch television NOS,

From Dutch television news NOS



The prins Willem in the morning after 6 hours of fire