Laid out in 1650, Prins Willem was the largest ship in the Dutch East India Company. His crew consisted of 254 sailors plus 22 members of their families. Immediately after his first voyage Prins Willem was converted into a warship. He took part in 1652 at the Battle of Duins. Then it was commanded by Admiral Witte de Witt.
Contents of the ship model kit
The wooden ship model from the Italian firm COREL is based on a 17th century model of this ship, which is on display in the Amsterdam Museum and shows Prins Willem already like a warship. Stacked body design with double skinned, from excellent materials both in selection and quality of processing. The high stern, inherited from the galleons, is decorated with rich carvings. A consequence of the high stern is the presence of many additional decks that rise in steps. This makes it possible to install excellent railings and ladders, additional guns, doors and windows.
Bronze cast guns, hundreds of metal ship decorative elements, ready-to-install small wooden parts - all this is made in the high quality typical of COREL. This model even has cores! Additionally, there is a sheet with photo-etched parts. Detailed instructions and detailed drawings will help you make this impressive ship model.
Since 2011, due to changes in technology, the printing on flags has been blurred.
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A world map dating from about 1680 shows that most of Australia's coastline, with the exception of its eastern coast, had already been explored. This became possible thanks to the voyages of the Dutch in the 17th century, about a hundred years earlier than Captain James Cook, who explored and mapped the east coast of Australia on the barque HMS Endeavor.
Thus, the ship "Prince William" can be considered a typical representative of the "East Indian" of that era.
At one time, the Prince William was one of the best merchant ships in the world. Built at Middleburg in Zeeland (south Holland) with a displacement of approximately 2,000 tons, it was much larger in size than the ships of the fleet of the United Dutch East India Company (Vereendige Oostindische Compagnie), of which it was the flagship and pride. The ship's keel was laid in 1649, launched on January 1, 1650, and finally equipped on May 5, 1651, when it set out on its maiden voyage, heading for Batavia.
Although the construction took place in Zeeland, in the south of Holland, the Prince William was built, like all the ships of the East India Company, according to Amsterdam standards, in other words, using the old Amsterdam foot, which was equal to 28.31 cm. which was approximately equal to an English foot (30.48 cm), consisting of 12 inches. According to this standard, the length from stem to stern was 118 feet (33.4 m), the hull depth was 18 feet (5.1 m) and the beam at the beams was 45 feet (12.7 m).
Prince William was designed with two full decks, but due to the significant height of the hold, it was later possible to install an orlop deck above the cargo hold, on which living quarters were located for additional crew during hostilities.
In accordance with the tradition of the time, the Prince William's three square-rigged masts were installed in a perfectly precise location. The upper deck was divided into 11 equal parts, and the foremast was positioned one part from the bow. The mainmast was installed close or exactly in the center, and the mizzen was positioned at a distance of one part, counting from the stern. This installation method turned out to be very successful.
According to the sail plan, Dutch sailmakers introduced their own method of calculation, which also proved to be excellent. In order to calculate the optimal amount of canvas needed, it was necessary to multiply the width of a piece of canvas (which was usually equal to 30 "thumbs", a measure of length that corresponds to one 1 ell *, or approximately one English yard (91.4 cm) by the number of feet , which was the beam width of the ship, add zero to the resulting sum and divide by six, the result was the number of ells of canvas required for a complete set of sails.In other words, for a ship with a beam of 30 feet, 30 x 30 = 900, plus zero = 9000 divided by 6 = 1500 ells of canvas This ingenious calculation formula, introduced by the Dutch, was used throughout the 17th and 18th centuries.
Apart from the practical aspects, the Prince William was a very beautiful ship, the decoration and carvings of which were truly admired. The two-ton, hardwood-carved bow figure in the shape of a lion about to leap was one of dozens of sculptures that profusely adorned the stern, bow and sides of the ship. And this despite the prudence and thrift of the Dutch burghers, who usually did not allow themselves such liberties. But it is known that, having spent large sums on rewards for woodcarvers, the total budget for paying the salaries of those who came later to carry out the painting was limited to only 160 florins.
Painters and artists were able to get out of this situation in an original way. Lacking the funds for the final gilding, they first painted the sculptures and carvings with yellowish ocher and then coated them with a resin mixed with sulfur. In bright sunlight or the light emitted by the ship's two large stern lanterns, it seemed as if the carvings and sculptures were gilded. Thus, the stern decorations had to look great.
The stern decoration included shields with the coats of arms of the United Dutch East India Company and the city of Middlenburg, a painted carved bas-relief of Prince William II surrounded by lions, trumpet-blowing angels, as well as warriors, naiads and dolphins. Most of the threads were not very convex or had holes in them that allowed air flow to pass freely.
In peacetime, the crew of the Prince William consisted of 150 people and, like the rest of the East Indians - English and Dutch, was well armed.
Being a merchant ship, the Prince William was equipped with 32 guns, of which 24 guns weighed two and a half tons each, firing 24 pound cannonballs, the caliber of six more guns varied from 18 to 24 pounds, and two small bronze cannons were also present, which were probably installed on the upper deck.
The most surprising thing today is the fact that the United Dutch East India Company, being a commercial enterprise, was headed by 17 directors from 7 practically independent provinces; clear and defined standards of behavior and conduct of business in the Company gave amazing results.
Each Company ship had two “masters”: the captain and the merchant. The latter was given full authority in matters relating to cargo and destination, while the captain was responsible for navigation, discipline and safety of travel.
The Prince William remained in her original capacity as a merchant ship for only a very short time. After one voyage to Batavia, from which she left on December 19, on her return to Holland on June 28, 1652, she was annexed from the Company, along with four other ships, for the needs of the navy for the war with England. As a warship, the Prince William was required to carry at least 40 guns, which in turn necessitated the addition of additional gun ports. In order to accommodate additional weapons, most of the forecastle had to be dismantled. Most likely, the re-equipment was carried out in great haste, since already in October of the same year the ship took part in the Battle of Downs. In the battle in which he participated under the command of Witte de Wit (Witte Corneliszoon de With), the ship was severely damaged.
In 1653, the Prince William was returned to its owners, the United Dutch East India Company, and was again converted into a merchant ship. In total, the ship made 17 voyages, most of them between Zealand and Batavia, bringing huge profits to her Company owners. On December 13, 1661, the Prince Willem set out on its last voyage, and on February 10 or 11 it was wrecked near Brandon Island.
Interestingly, although the Prince William never visited their country, the Japanese spent several million dollars to build a replica of it in Makkum in 1984-85. Guided by ancient images and a perfectly preserved model of the Prince William in the Amsterdam Scheepvaart Museum, craftsmen from the Netherlands did a tremendous job, and now the ship stands in all its glory in a specially recreated “Dutch” harbor in Nagasaki. And only thanks to the passion of his life and work of the Dutch naval historian Herman Ketting, today he looks and evokes exactly the same feelings as in those days when he was a conqueror of the seas.
We bring to your attention an overview of the construction of a series of models of the ship of the Dutch East India Company "Prince Willem", built in 1651. The source materials for working on the models were the book "PRINCE WILLIAM" ship of the Dutch East India Company of the 17th century" by Hermann Ketting.
I started working on the project in April 2007. It was assumed that two models of this ship would be laid down simultaneously. I planned to use this model to test new technologies for making a case. I also wanted to make two models in different versions of the final appearance in order to see the reaction of customers. The lack of permanent exhibition sites in the region and the distance from maritime museums leads to the fact that potential customers’ ideas about the appearance of a sailing ship model are formed under the impression of viewing paintings, films and photographic materials. Therefore, customers are stubbornly conservative in their requirements for the appearance of a sailboat model. I would like to change the situation to be able to make models different in appearance. I also wanted to find for the model of this ship such a combination of materials, methods of processing and final appearance, so that the model would create the feeling of contemplating a real ship returning from a voyage.
The case was made using the technology of A. Baranov, Odessa, which he described on various forums. It is well known, so it does not need a detailed description. The split blank was made from a plywood frame and filled with pine blocks, then finally sanded. The shell of the body was glued not from pine slats, but from linden slats. In my opinion, they are more suitable for this purpose. Linden is more flexible, soft and does not chip.
Photo 1 Photo 2
On the picture. Figure 1 shows the stage of gluing the first layer onto a waterproofed blank. On the picture. 2 the first shell is removed from the blank and rough beams are glued into it. In the background you can see a blank with a partially completed first layer of shell for the second model. Both models were built with the lower deck gun ports closed, so the beams were glued immediately at the installation level of the upper gun deck. Beams glued from linden planks, in three layers, on a template.
The rough deck was made from linden slats. After finishing the rough deck, I glued the inserts under the round gun ports of the upper deck. After that, I began finishing the sides above the waterways and the deck with teak veneer. I worked with this wood for the first time, I chose from a large number of samples of different veneers at the company’s warehouse. I liked the texture, I knew that wood was used at different times for different purposes on real ships. So I decided to try it.
Glued according to the method of A. Baranov. Veneer on "Moment". With a deck gap of 0.3-0.4 mm. After gluing all the veneer slats, I sanded it, cleaned it of dust and puttyed it. Putty - a mixture of black acrylic paint and automotive putty "Yantar". Then, on the next model, I tried to putty it with just thick paint - the same result. Immediately after applying the putty, you need to start sanding. Carefully remove the layer of putty from the deck and remove debris with a brush. Let the putty dry completely. After this, you can sand the surface. Sanding rubs dust into the pores of the wood, revealing a textured pattern. After sanding, it's easy to walk over the deck with a sharp scraper.
Photo 3 Photo 4
Photo 3 shows the result. It's not the grayish-white pine deck of a real ship, but it does have the effect of old wood. I still need to work on this, but I liked the result.
After finishing work with the deck and veneering the inner sides, I began simulating the frames inside the sides. Installed in the places indicated on the drawings. Material - walnut. Photo 4 shows the upper ends of the frames above the deck.
I worked on the interior space of the hull up to the installation of superstructure decks, decor on the forward bulkhead of the forecastle and stern superstructures.
Photo 5 Photo 6
On the picture. 5 general view of the hull before moving to the outer side of the sides. Photo 6 shows the front bulkhead of the tank.
After completing the work on the internal space of the side, I moved to the outer part of the side. First I glued the strips of velhouts, then I started veneering the space between the velhouts.
Photo 7 Photo 8 Photo 9
Photo 7 shows part of the side with glued strips of velvet and sheathing boards. Photo 8 shows a fragment of the trim. The cladding was made of veneer. Upon completion of the work on the upper part of the hull, I turned the model over and started gluing the bottom. Photo 9 shows the result.
Photo 10 Photo 11
I imitated the fastening of cladding boards with copper wire - Photos 10, 11.
After completing the finishing work on the sides (installation of gun port linings, channeling, latrine structure, latrine figure), I covered the entire hull with Pinotex stain.
Photo 12 Photo 13
The result is in Photo 12,13. After that, he made the guns and installed them on the upper deck.
Photo 14
The guns are cast from an alloy of tin and lead (Photo 14).
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Photo 18 Photo 19
When the hull was ready (Photo 15-19), I moved on to manufacturing and installing masts.
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I made them from pears and rubbed them with wax mastic. The standing rigging was twisted with cotton threads and impregnated with stain (Photo 20-23).
After finishing work on the masts, he began making yards and sails. The beams were made from pear, painted with black acrylic paint and impregnated with Pinotex stain.
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The sails were made of calico and soaked in an adhesive solution. The imitation of connecting fabrics into a sail was made on a sewing machine (Photo 24-26).
Photo 27 Photo 28 Photo 29
In its final form before shipping to the customer, the model looked like this - Photos 27-29.
I made the second model in this series in a similar way, using the same technologies and techniques. Only the sailing armament was modified. I furled the lower tier of sails.
Photo 30 Photo 31
What happened can be seen in Photos 30-31.
In March 2008, the third model of this ship was put on the slipway. On it I open the gun ports of the lower gun deck - this is the main design difference between the third model and the first two.
Photo 32 Photo 33
Photo 33 shows a shell with cut-out gun ports and a veneered interior of the side. On this model, all parts of the hull and spar are made of pearwood, the planking strips, and deck strips are made of teak veneer. On this model I decided to move away from the traditional color scheme on the sides. I found a resource on the Internet that posted an article about a diorama of the island of Texel, Holland. I really liked the appearance of the models whose photos were presented in the article. Therefore, I decided to use three colors on the outer side.
Photo 34 Photo 35 Photo 36 Photo 37
In Photos 34-37 there are sequential changes in paint on the sides. The green one is acrylic paint, the middle stripe is a stain of several shades of red and orange, the bottom stripe is bitumen varnish diluted with white spirit. The bottom part is painted with aerosol paint. A small point on simulating bolts for fastening velhouts. The model will be placed in an office space. In the part that is slightly darkened. Therefore, I increased the thickness of the velkhouts and the diameter of the rivets so that even in dim light from a distance the contours of the velkhouts themselves and the rivets on them could be seen.
Photo 38
I made the nails for fastening the sheathing from copper wire. Photo 38.
Photo 39
Guns and deck equipment are installed on the lower deck - Photo 39.
The model has a huge number of threaded elements. This makes the model interesting for the customer and challenging for the modeler. I cut everything from wood. The first two models are made of walnut, the third is made of pear. If you have to make this model again, and you manage to convince the customer of the advisability of making decorative elements by casting, the model will only benefit from this. Decorative elements will need to be cast and blackened.
Photo 40 Photo 41 Photo 42 Photo 43
So far, what has been carved out of wood looks like this - Photo 40, tank bulkhead. Photo 41 - aft superstructures. Photo 42 - figure of a latrine. Photo 43 - port linings, steps of the outboard ladder, edging of holes for wiring running rigging, etc.
Photo 44 Photo 45 Photo 46 Photo 47
Photos 44 - 47 - stern decor. The decor coating is the first layer of Pinotex stain, the second is bitumen varnish. Then, after drying, you will need to go through it several times: with sandpaper, cover it again, with sandpaper, cover it.
The first part of the review about the construction of the model ended with the main work on the body of the model being completed. The next stage was the manufacture and installation of masts and standing rigging. Photos 1-27 record the sequence of these works.
Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4
Photo 5 Photo 6 Photo 7 Photo 8
Photo 9 Photo 10 Photo 11 Photo 12
Photo 13 Photo 14 Photo 15 Photo 16
Photo 17 Photo 18 Photo 19 Photo 20
Photo 21 Photo 22 Photo 23 Photo 24
Photo 25 Photo 26 Photo 27
When making the masts and tops, I used a pear. After painting the tops of the masts and spurs of the topmasts and topsails with black acrylic paint, I covered the wood with drying oil thinned with white spirit. After drying, I tinted it with a weak solution of bitumen varnish. When making the standing rigging I used cotton thread of a greenish tint. I forged all the required diameters from one thread, in three strands. All threads are impregnated with a weak PVA solution, then tinted with a weak solution of bitumen varnish. I practiced some elements and techniques for the first time on this model. For example, making musing for forestays (photo 15). I knew the technique visually, but I tried it for the first time on this model.
As the masts were installed, running ends began to arrive on deck. You can see some fragments of their fastening in photos 28 – 33.
Photo 28 Photo 29 Photo 30 Photo 31
Photo 32 Photo 33
After installing the masts, I began making sails. For the sails, a parachute and cotton with synthetics were used. The imitation of seams on the panels was made by breaking through. I took out one thread. Edges and stripes are as usual (photos 34-36).
Photo 34 Photo 35 Photo 36
I attached the lyctros in a new way for myself. I performed this operation on a sewing machine. Technique from Alexey Baranov. I liked the result (photos 37 – 41).
Photo 37 Photo 38 Photo 39 Photo 40
Photo 41
After making the sails, I impregnated them with a weak solution of bitumen varnish. The model had to have the topsails, bowd-blind, blind and mizzen removed. I cleaned using a technique I learned from Alexey Baranov. The result can be seen in photos 42 – 48.
Photo 42 Photo 43 Photo 44 Photo 45
Photo 46 Photo 47 Photo 48
I also made flags in a new way for myself. What was new was the coloring. I made the flags themselves from pre-dyed strips of fabric. Fabric – German white teak. Dyed with fabric dyes. The strips were glued together with PVA. Then I painted the flags with a weak solution of bitumen varnish. The result is in photo 49 - 51.
Photo 49 Photo 50 Photo 51
In photos 52 – 53 you can see the stern canopy.
Photo 52 Photo 53
When the bowd-blind, blind, mizzen and topsails were installed, I transported the model to the customer. I already installed the mainsail, foresails and topsails from him. In photos 54 – 57 you can see the model in the room where it was being completed.
Photo 54 Photo 55 Photo 56 Photo 57
After installing all the sails, I took the model to the studio for a couple of hours. This was also a new experience for me. The photographer worked with the model for the first time. You can see what happened in photos 58 - 74.
Photo 58 Photo 59 Photo 60 Photo 61
Photo 62 Photo 63 Photo 64 Photo 65
Photo 66 Photo 67 Photo 68 Photo 69
Photo 70 Photo 71 Photo 72 Photo 73
Photo 74
On this model I realized that the glass caps for the model, which I made for the models, have their own maximum dimensions. I ordered them from an office that glued my cap together using transparent glue. The result was an aquarium without stands or wooden lining. The lower perimeter of the cap went into a groove on the stand. The result was a transparent structure. The model was not covered by anything. There was complete visibility from all sides. But this design has its own size limitations. And this limit was reached on this model. The foothill model in the water surface will have to be closed differently. You'll get a whole closet. But this is a little aside and a completely different story.
The model is finished and takes its place in the customer’s office. In my opinion, the model turned out to be more interesting than the two previous models of this ship. I did something simplified on this model. Made some mistakes and mistakes. I succeeded in something. I would like to continue the Dutch theme. Maybe not on the model of this ship (making another Prince would be just funny, especially since I already have an option for what the next model of this ship might look like). The Dutch built beautiful ships; I want to match in my work what they put into their creations.
It can be seen that most of the Australian coastline, with the exception of its eastern coast, has already been explored.
This became possible thanks to the voyages of the Dutch in the 17th century, about a hundred years earlier than Captain James Cook, who explored and mapped the east coast of Australia on the barque HMS Endeavor.
Thus, the ship "Prince William" can be considered a typical representative of the "East Indian" of that era.
was one of the best merchant ships of its time
Displacement of about 2000 tons, owned by the United Dutch East India Company (Vereendige Oostindische Compagnie) (there was also a British East India Company).
The ship "Prince Willem" 
The ship "Prince Willem" Her keel was laid at Middleburgh in 1649. The Prince William was an extremely graceful ship. Its carved details evoked genuine admiration. The figure at the bow, in the shape of a lion preparing to leap, was just one of several dozen sculptures that decorated the bow, stern and sides of the ship. This decor has been completed. despite the prudence and stinginess of the Dutch burghers. However, it is known that, having spent huge sums on paying for the art of woodcarvers, the total salary budget for those craftsmen who came later to carry out painting was only 160 florins. Painters and artists found an original way out of this situation. In the absence of money for the final gilding, they initially painted the carvings and sculptures with yellowish ocher, then covered them with a resin compound mixed with sulfur. The bright sunlight or the light emitted by the two lanterns located at the stern of the ship gave the impression that the sculptures and carvings were gilded. Thus, the stern decorations began to look great.
The stern decoration also included the armorial shields of the city of Middleburgh and the United Dutch East India Company plus a carved bas-relief of Prince William II, who was surrounded by lions and angels blowing trumpets, in addition to naiads, warriors and dolphins. The ship set off on its first voyage to the shores of Batavia on May 5, 1651, with a crew of 176 people: including 93 boarding crew members and 22 women and children.
The ship "Prince Willem" After one voyage to Batavia,
from which the "Prince Willem" left on December 19, upon returning to Holland on June 28, 1652, she was annexed from the Company along with four other ships for the needs of the navy for the war with England.
The ship "Prince Willem" To use it as a battleship. Before the war, the ship underwent modernization: in addition to the destruction of the forecastle and quarterdeck bulkheads, 6 guns were added to the gun batteries below deck, opening 3 new gun ports on each side of the bow, and the forecastle was also removed.
The ship "Prince Willem" For some period, Prince Willem served as the flagship of the famous Admiral Witte de Witte; in October 1652, she took part in the Battle of the Downs, when she was significantly damaged. In 1653, the Prince William was returned to its owners, the United Dutch East India Company, and was again converted into a merchant ship. In total, the ship made 17 voyages, most of them between Zealand and Batavia, bringing huge profits to her Company owners.. On December 23, 1661, the Prince Willem sailed from Batavia with three ships heading towards the Netherlands.
The ship "Prince Willem" The flotilla was commanded by Arnold de Vlaming Van Odshorn, governor of Ambon.
The small fleet never reached its destination port: perhaps due to a strong storm, the ships were wrecked near Brandon Island, sinking with all their cargo.
Most often, such crashes occurred due to a sharp squall of wind with uncorrugated sails.
The ship "Prince Willem" The photographs show a model of the ship
before mobilization without additional tank guns, like a typical representative of a merchant ship.
The model was made according to drawings and using materials proposed by engineers of the Italian company.
The model's skin consists of two layers. The interior is made of planed slats of lime wood. The outer one is assembled from polished walnut lamellas of various sections. Beech, boxwood and bamboo are also used in the elements of this model.
Decorations on the deck, sides and stern are cast from soft alloy and painted. Photo-etching elements are also used to convey small patterns. The guns were machined from metal; in total the ship carried 30 twenty-four pound guns and 28 eighteen pound guns. The deck artillery of the forward deck and quarterdeck have wooden carriages.
The standing rigging is made of plant threads of various diameters (from 0.25 mm to 3 mm) to accurately convey the scale. The runner is made of white threads (0.20mm, 0.25mm, 0.5mm).
The model is made on a scale of 1:100
Model dimensions:
Length with bowsprit - 730 mm.
The height from the slipway to the top of the main mast is 580 mm.
The width of the main yard on the Fordewind course is 305 mm.