Britain’s heritage protection agency announced on Friday that it has succeeded in identifying the origins of a mysterious 17th-century ship discovered in 2019 at the bottom of the sea off the coast of England.
After years of research, Historic England scientists were able to identify this 100-foot ship as the “Klein Hollandia”, a Dutch warship sunk by the British in 1672.
“The condition of the ship is more than remarkable and can provide interesting insights into how Dutch ships were built in the 17th century and the activities that took place on board.Historic England said in a note.
78 divers have completed 282 dives in 4 years on the #KleinHollandia sunk off Sussex in 1672.
Our collaboration between @RCE_Maritiem and @HistoricalEngland features #diggingforbritain of @theAliceRoberts this Sunday on BBC2. @HE_Archaeology @HE_Maritiem @HE_SouthEast pic.twitter.com/YNE7RViOSB
– Association of Nautical Archeology (@NautArchSoc) January 27, 2023
According to the British agency, which conducted its research in collaboration with underwater archaeologists and Dutch academics, they found “a large part of the wooden structure, the cannons, Italian marble stones and pieces of Italian ceramics” at the bottom of the sea.
Scientists have examined these remains to determine the origin of the ship.
The “Klein Hollandia”, which took part in all major battles of the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1665-1677), sunk while transporting a cargo of marble stones. She was sailing from the Mediterranean to a Dutch port when she was attacked by the British and shipwrecked.
The shipwreck, according to the British agency, contributed to the outbreak of the third war between England and Holland, which contested control of maritime trade between the 17th and 18th centuries.
Source: DN
