Eastbourne wreck site

A Two-Decker, probably the Dutch Ship Klein Hollandia, by Willem van de Velde the Elder
History
Dutch Republic
Name	Klein Hollandia
Launched	1656
Fate	Foundered in 1686
General characteristics
Class and type	ship of the line
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	44 guns

The wreck of the Klein Hollandia was found in 2019, 14 km southeast of Beachy Head, East Sussex, England. The site was designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act on 5 July 2019. The wreck is a Protected Wreck managed by Historic England.

The wreck

The site, 32 metres (105 ft) below the surface, consists of a wooden wreck with cannon, galley bricks, concreted objects, and large dressed stone blocks.[1][2]

Discovery and investigation

The site was located in 2019 after divers investigated an obstruction identified by the UK Hydrographic Office. The Nautical Archaeology Society returned shortly after discovery to further investigate. At least thirteen cannon were observed, as well as galley bricks, concreted objects, and the probable base of a copper cauldron.[1][3]

When designated in 2019 the wreck was believed to be a Dutch vessel, but its identity was not known until 2022. At least 31 cannon were identified, one dated 1670. In January 2023 the wreck was revealed as being the Klein Hollandia, a warship of the Admiralty of Rotterdam that was built in 1656. She had sunk in 1672 shortly after being attacked and boarded on 12 March 1672 by an English squadron while sailing from the Mediterranean to the Netherlands.[2] This incident took place 2 weeks before the Third Anglo-Dutch War began, and thought to be the catalyst for the ensuing war.[4]

References

1. "Unknown Wreck Site - 1464317 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
2. Davies, Caroline (27 January 2023). "'Remarkable': Eastbourne shipwreck identified as 17th-century Dutch warship". Guardian. Retrieved 27 January 2023. A remarkably preserved shipwreck known only as the "unknown wreck off Eastbourne" has finally been identified as the 17th-century Dutch warship Klein Hollandia... Its identity has been confirmed after painstaking research by archaeologists and scientists after its initial discovery in 2019, having lain 32 metres (105ft) underwater on the seabed since 1672. the Klein Hollandia warship which was built in 1656 and owned by the Admiralty of Rotterdam.
3. Edwards, Mark Beattie (7 December 2023). "The Klein Hollandia: Discovering a 17th-century Dutch warship off Eastbourne". The Past. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
4. Roberts, Alice; Nubia, Onyeka (1 January 2023). "Alice Roberts reveals a Dutch ship sunk by the English, a Cornish Roman fort and a 5,000-year-old Neolithic monument. Series 10: Episode 4.". Digging for Britain. BBC. Retrieved 30 January 2023. Sir Robert Holmes with a squadron of 5 ships cruising about the Isle of Wight, met with the Dutch Smyrna fleet, consisting of about 50 sail. Quote taken from A contemporary pamphlet "A true and perfect relation of the great victory obtained over the Dutch" which gives a date of 13 March 1672 for the action.

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