This is a replica Dutch East Indiaman ship, docked right beside the National Maritime Museum.
Experience fun interactive VOC museum displays and the exciting VR ‘Dare to Discover’ journey.
what is it?
Visit a replica of a Dutch East Indiaman ship, it is moored right beside the National Maritime Museum. Experience interactive museum displays and the exciting VR journey ‘Dare to Discover’. Approx. 45 mins needed.
who
This exhibition is for true maritime enthusiasts and families with children.
where in the museum is the VOC ship Amsterdam located?
The ship is located in north wing at the jetty of the National Maritime Museum.
about
The replica is a copy of the Dutch east indiaman Amsterdam which was wrecked on its first voyage to Asia in a storm off the English coast near the town of Hastings in 1749.
experience the east indiaman Amsterdam!
more about this replica
The East Indiaman was the largest cargo ship used by the Dutch East India Company or VOC (in Dutch: Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie). During the 17th and 18th centuries ships like these were used to sail to Asia and bring back goods like spices, porcelain, tea, silk and textiles from Asia to Europe. The average journey took about eight months. All East Indiamen combined made nearly five thousand voyages.
the story of the original ship
In January 1749, the original Amsterdam ship left the island of Texel for its first voyage to Batavia, modern Jacarta in Indonesia. After two weeks on the North Sea, the ship was caught in a storm in the English Channel. During this violent storm the ship’s rudder broke off and Captain Willem Klump in the end decided to put the ship on the beach near the English town of Hastings in an attempt to save the 333 people, cargo and the ship. After beaching the ship it started to sink away into the soft mud, but not before the crew and the most precious items of the ship’s cargo – 28 chests of silver – had been brought to safety.
building the reconstruction of the ship
In a way, it was lucky that the Amsterdam sank away in the mud; it preserved much of the items used by the crew. When it was excavated by archaeologists in the 1980s, the shipwreck proved to be a time capsule of daily life onboard an 18th-century East Indiaman. The wreck of the Amsterdam also provided many new insights in Dutch shipbuilding practices used in the 18th century. With support of the town council of Amsterdam it was decided to put these new insight to the test by building a life-size replica of the Amsterdam. Construction began in 1985 and after the new ship was finished it found a permanent mooring place next to the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam.
exhibitions onboard
Each deck has been rebuilt to give you an insight into daily life onboard a Dutch East Indiaman. Visit the cramped orlop deck and see how sailors slept. Step into the spacious cargo hold where both the cargo but also the important provisions and victuals for the crew were stored . Finally, visit the more luxurious captain’s quarters and officer’s mess where important visitors were entertained and the ship’s officers stayed. From the quarterdeck, you can enjoy a panoramic view of Amsterdam, much like it was more than 300 years ago.
your virtual reality ‘Dare to Discover’ voyage
If you thought time-travel was impossible, think again. Sit down, put on your headset and let us transport you back to the 17th century when Amsterdam was a bustling sea-port. You will make your voyage as a ship passenger, have a bird’s eye view of the city, visit the busy shipyards and meet historic people, like the Dutch Admiral Michiel de Ruyter and his wife.
dimensions of the Amsterdam
length of the keel: 42.5 m
length from stern to bowsprit: 48 m
width: 11.5 m
draught: 5.5 m
height: 56 m
water displacement: 1,100 ton
number of cannons: 16
practical information
In case of bad weather and storm, wind force 5/6 or more, access to the Amsterdam is limited. With wind force 7 or more the ship and quay are closed, for the purpose of the safety of our visitors.
In recent years, the VOC ship has become partly accessible to disabled people using a special lift that takes the visitor to the tween deck. Here you can see how the crew slept, see the canons up close and taste the atmosphere in the hold.
The VOC ship Amsterdam is an official wedding location, as is the National Maritime Museum in its entirety. Read more via the link below.
