Hidden Secrets Unearthed: 19th-Century Dutch Shipwreck Discovered Off Australian Shores
The Wreck Of The ‘Koning Willem De Tweede’
The Koning Willem de Tweede was built in 1840 at Kinderdijk, South Holland. It was an 800-ton, fully-rigged vessel constructed primarily of oak. Originally christened the Erfprinses van Oranje (“Crown Princess of Orange”), it was later renamed to honor King William II of the Netherlands.
The ship was designed for both passenger and cargo transport, a common practice for merchant vessels of the era.
In June 1857, the ship departed from Hong Kong under the command of Captain Hindrik Remmelt Giezen carrying around 400 Chinese migrants bound for the Victoria gold fields in Australia.
State Library of VictoriaA Chinese miner at the Victoria goldfields in 1867.
For the crew of the Koning Willem de Tweede, their job was done once they had dropped off their passengers, but the ship remained anchored in Guichen Bay near the town of Robe due to rough weather. Then, on June 30, 1857, a violent storm struck the area, and the ship’s anchor was lost.
The storm also ripped away the ship’s windlass — a device used to raise and lower anchors — prompting Captain Giezen to try and beach the ship in order to save it. Instead, the vessel ran aground on Long Beach and started to break apart under the waves.
Tragically, of the 25 crew members, 16 perished while attempting to reach shore in a small boat that capsized in the surf. Giezen managed to survive by clinging to a cask and was eventually pulled to safety by rescuers.
The bodies of the drowned soldiers were buried in the dunes nearby.
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