The Dutch VOC retourschip

What did the Zuytdorp look like? Here’s a painting of a naval frigate, the Rotterdam, anchored on the Maas, painted by Nicolaas Baur in 1807. While a naval frigate is larger than a VOC retourschip —‘return ship’—cargo vessel, it gives you a picture of the sort of ships the brilliant Dutch shipwrights were building during the Dutch Golden Age.

The 45 metre keel of the Zuytdorp was laid in January 1701 in the Middelburg shipyard, and she was launched in early July—in a remarkable six months. It’s no wonder Peter the Great of Russia visited the Amsterdam shipyards in 1697 with his team of carpenters, to learn the tricks of the trade from the Europe’s finest shipwrights. He assisted in building the Peter en Paul while he was there.