In June 1653 the Sperwer departed from Batavia to bring the new governor of the Dutch possessions on Taiwan there. They arrived in mid-July and promptly departed to travel with a cargo destined for Nagasaki, where the Dutch had a trade post at the island of Deshima. The Sperwer never reached Nagasaki. It was wrecked in a storm off the Korean island Jeju. 36 of the 64 crew survived and became stranded on the island, where they were soon arrested and brought to the local governor. For Hendrik Hamel, this started an involuntary stay in Korea for thirteen years.
For 13 years Hamel and his crew mates lived in various locations in Korea on state rations, sometimes under well-willing and sometimes under harsh governors. Many of the Dutchmen never accepted being settled permanently in Korea and after long scheming a small group managed to acquire a small ship with which they managed to make an escape. They sailed to Nagasaki, though they were shipwrecked before reaching the city. They were picked up by locals and brought to Nagasaki, where they were questioned by the Dutch authorities on Deshima regarding their experiences in Korea. Afterwards, they were allowed to return to the Dutch Republic via Batavia. Hendrik Hamel had written a journal on his experiences in Korea and a description of Korean society, but his text was not brought to the Republic by him, but by other crew mates who arrived there first. The journal was quickly published by a number of publishers eager to sell copies of his unique story.
