The "Tweede Schipvaart" (Second Expedition) to Asia

After passing the Cape of Good Hope in late August 1598, the ships of the Tweede Schipvaart (Second Expedition) were driven apart by poor weather conditions. A smaller group of three ships found each other again and sailed from Madagascar to Bantam. A larger group of five ships also regrouped around Madagascar and sailed from there to Java, passing by an island they named Mauritius, after the stadholder and flagship of the expedition. The island proved a useful place to restock on supplies and was home to the flightless bird we now know as the dodo. In early October the ships continued their journey on to Java.

In November and December 1598 the ships of the Tweede Schipvaart (Second Expedition) arrived in the port of Banten, the capital and namesake of the sultanate. Here four ships would remain while expedition leaders sought to obtain pepper and other products and establish diplomatic ties with the sultan. Four ships continued east to trade for spices and make valuable contacts in the Moluccas.

When the ships of the Tweede Schipvaart (Second Expedition) arrived in Ambon in early 1599, the Portuguese had had a presence there, for decades. They had the southern half of the island under political control, had built various fortifications, but were in conflict with Hitu, a state on the northern side of the island. After arriving in Ambon in February 1599, the Gelderland and Zeeland soon continued onwards to the Banda islands, while the Amsterdam and the Utrecht stayed on Ambon until early May. The established friendly relations with Hitu, but had little commercial success. They subsequently set sail for Ternate.

Under the command of Jacob van Heemskerck the Gelderland and Zeeland sailed to the Banda islands, where they spent several months from March to July 1599. The objective was to trade to obtain cloves and nutmeg. After a difficult start, the Dutch managed to acquire sizable stocks of the products by establishing good contacts on Banda Neira, and they left some personnel to man a lodge there. In early July the ships commenced their return to Ambon.

From late May to early August 1599 the Utrecht and Amsterdam, under the command of Wybrand van Warwyck, remained in Ternate, where the Dutch traded to obtain cloves and established ties with the local sultan Saidi Berkat. They also obtained permission to leave behind a small crew of men with goods to trade until the next Dutch expedition would visit Ternate.

The four ships of the Tweede Schipvaart (Second Expedition) which in 1599 were sent to the Moluccas under Wybrand van Warwyck and Jacob van Heemskerck sailed past the island of Sulawesi several times: on the way to the Moluccas, on the return journey from Ternate (Van Warwyck) and from Banda (Van Heemskerck). While the latter's journey went smoothly, Van Warwyck encountered major problems on the return voyage, as navigating the waters east of Sulawesi proved difficult due to a combination of adverse winds and currents and a lack of reliable maps. None of the ships went ashore at Sulawesi, but many coastline profiles were drawn in the region, to inform future expeditions.