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The shipwreck of the Sperwer

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The shipwreck of the Sperwer

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. On the image we see three ships sinking. The reason for this is that the publisher used an old image from his stock for his publication of the journal. In reality the Sperwer sailed alone.

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Sources and literature

Hoeting, Verhaal van het vergaan van het jacht de Sperwer en van het wedervaren der schipbreukelingen op het eiland Quelpaert en het vasteland van Korea (1653 - 1666). Met eene beschrijving van dat rijk, door Hendrik Hamel.

Roeper, Vibeke, De wereld van Hendrik Hamel: Nederland en Korea in de Zeventiende Eeuw (2003)