Batavia by *Hans* - FINISHED

[*Hans*]

And slowly but surely the stern is getting more and more finished...

 

 

As said - I do not often post - because modelbuilding is - also to me - a slow proces

[Modeler12]

Beautiful work, Hans.

I have never been to Lelystad (sp?) but know the story about the Batavia. Sad, but very interesting.

 

In one of your pictures (http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/5920-batavia-by-hans/?p=170753) you showed the hatches being partly covered with the 'tarp'. I really like that view because we do not see this kind of arrangement in modeling too much. We all tend to leave off the important tarp and show the grating. In reality what you show is much better.

Dank u well en nog veel geniet en geluk met uw verder gebouw van de Batavia.

[Bedford]

I have seen the stern section in the Freemantle museum and been aboard the replica when she was in Sydney at the Australian Maritime Museum.

 

There is a book called Islands of Angry Ghosts that tells the gruesome story of the Batavia as well as the story of discovering and recovering the artifacts. It is a chilling read.

 

This build is quite interesting and I love the stern you have made.

 

Steve

Edited March 26, 2014 by Bedford

[*Hans*]

Thank you! And in fact it is true - most of the time on a model you want to show the hatches, because these are nice and fine detailed parts of the model.

 

In real however they were mostly covered because of the water which could pour in.

 

I discussed this with some other modellers in the Netherlands; to think about the dampy air of over 300 people living on such a small area. Hatches had to be covered to prevend water pouring in, but when it was nice weather they where often opened to provide the inside with some fresh air.

 

This made me decide to make closed hatches and one open.

[NAZGÛL]

Thank you! And indeed, you can regocnize (if you know the ship) the Batavia

 

Is there a way to see the whole documentary? As far as I do understand the Swedish language it was broadcasted january this year - correct?

 

Sorry for my late reply.

 

It's called Vasa 1628: Människorna, skeppet, tiden and should be easy to find on the web.

 

The DVD is in three parts:

1: Building and sinking.

2: The trial, what happened to the people and then the salvage and reconstruction.

3: How they did the film and some facts and stories about the time by the writer and director. 

 

Subtitles in english and german I think.

 

/Matti

[Michiel]

well slowly??   :mellow: I think you're making a very decent pass here. 

 

Nice work,

Michiel

[Michiel]

By the way, what is your scale? I can't find it 

maybe you can even put it in the title.. 

[Mirabell61]

Hans,

 

a lovely and good looking model you are building

fine carving Details

 

Nils

[*Hans*]

Thanks again to you all 

 

Dimensions of the original ship:

- Length overall: 57 meters (ca. 187 ft)

- Width: 10,5 meters (ca. 34ft)

- depth under water: 5,1 meters (ca. 17 ft)

- Total hight from keel: 55 meters (ca. 180 ft)

 

The drawings I have are in 1:50 scale - but this gives a model which is over 1 meter length - a bit to much for our house, so I re-scaled the drawings to 70% which gives an approx scale of 1:70 - 1:72.

 

This means the model will be around 80 cm length - to me nice and handy.

[*Hans*]

 

 

It's called Vasa 1628: Människorna, skeppet, tiden and should be easy to find on the web.

 

Matti - found it - thank you!

[NAZGÛL]

No problem.

 

Great job on your model, I really like Batavia.

 

 

/Matti

Edited March 26, 2014 by NAZGÛL

[*Hans*]

On the front of the Batavia are some smaller statues (in fact only the heads)

 

As I don't know which people these all are I just thougt I'd work out some striking figures who'd fit quitte good in those days.

 

Only the most right one is something diffirent - this one should look a little be like me 

 

[*Hans*]

The lower part of the stern - in Dutch "het holle wulf" - (I couldn't find how this part is called in English) of 17th century ships was decorated with a nice painting - f.i. a heroic sea-battle which was won, or a safe return from a long journy abroad.

 

On the Lelystad Batavia it is a safe return of three ships close to a sandy coast:

 

 

I tried to copy this painting on my model, but this was quitte difficult. It has become a sort of impressionistic picture.

Unfortunately the impressionism was not knowm at that time...

 

 

 

 

 

[Keith_W]

Hi Hans, great progress on your model.

 

It just so happens that unfortunate circumstance brings me to Perth (friend's funeral). While I was here, I decided to visit the Batavia museum yesterday. I took MANY MANY pictures, which I will upload when I get back home to Melbourne later tonight. I am sure you will find these interesting.

 

Re: the painting in your stern galley, may I suggest that it may be easier to print out the design on a colour inkjet printer and attaching the design to the stern of your ship?

[*Hans*]

Keith, sorry to hear about your friend.

 

I would be very pleased to see your pictures (and I hope you also made some pictures of the model in the Batavia-museum) 

 

Regarding printing the painting - this is of course a good and nice solution to get a 1 to 1 copy of the original ship.

But the rest of my model isn't a 1 to 1 copy neither so I figured out to do the painting myself.

 

And to be honest: I liked doing the painting (with a two-haired brush) and giving the ship a personal touch. 

[Modeler12]

 

Regarding printing the painting - this is of course a good and nice solution to get a 1 to 1 copy of the original ship.

But the rest of my model isn't a 1 to 1 copy neither so I figured out to do the painting myself.

 

And to be honest: I liked doing the painting (with a two-haired brush) and giving the ship a personal touch. 

I agree Hans. The painting looks fine and as far as 'impressionism' is concerned, it looks like the original has that also when you look at the waves for example.

Is it possible that the heads on the bowsprit were some of the owners of the Oost India Company? They do look a bit 'modern' though.

[*Hans*]

Jay,

 

No - I just thought I'd make some nice looking figures - did it all by heart.

 

Maybe the're a bit to modern, but again, that's the personal touch...

[Modeler12]

Hans, what you called "het holle wulf" is probably the 'counter' in English. Yours is concave, but most others are convex.

 

What is the origin for the word 'wulf'? Would this translate to 'the hollow  . . . . .'?

[*Hans*]

Maybe the following information is a bit "comic" due to my not 100% knowledge of english.

 

"Wulf" is probably a mumbled (degenerated) version (you know - sailors, no teeth anymore, smoking their pipe and chewing tobacco..) of the Dutch word "gewelf" 

 

A "gewelf" is a vault or an overhanging part of a roof.

 

Wulf is the lower part of the stern, the part that hangs over de water. 

The Dutch VOC-retour ships often had a convex and a concave part - het holle wulf (concave) and het bolle wulf (convex). The convex part is the part with the VOC emblem on it.

[Keith_W]

Hi Hans, I have uploaded my pictures into this thread: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/5315-batavia-shipwreck-photos/

[*Hans*]

Keith,  Nice pictures, though it is clear that there is hardly anything to see on which you can say: "hey, they done this the same on the new Batavia.

 

In fact - the replica was build as a project for young unemployd people to get some practice and experience  and make it easier to find a job. 

 

The shipbuilder of the Bataviawharf at that time was Willem Vos, who saw it as a nice opportunity to help people and to bring back alive the old Dutch shipbuilding experience which was very well known in a great part of the world.

 

They decided to build a VOC-retour ship (which means it was build to sail to the far east with buildingmaterials, people, money, silver and jewelry, and then return to Holland which spices - again and again). The striking terrorstory of the Batavia made Willem Vos decide to name the ship Batavia.

 

It is almost completely unknown how the original Batavia did look - apart from the original pieces at Fremantle, and the new Batavia is more an old-tradition build ship with the name Batavia (I hope this doesn't dissapoint you....)

 

Maybe you know the Bataviawharf started years ago with a new project - De Zeven Provinciën - which was the Flag-ship of Michiel de Ruyter.

Unfortunately, due to neccessary savings the wharf has recently stopped this project. They where about to buy some timber in Denmark - 45 Oak logs - which had to cost ca. 2 million euro's - ca. 2,6 million US-dollar - or 45.000 euro per log). This was a "bit" above budget (the wharf is making a little profit again since many years) and the decision was made to stop the Zeven Provinciën project.

 

They are now focussing on smaller projects, but still in the style and thought of the 17th century Dutch craftmanship.

[NAZGÛL]

I like your painting! For me the replica Batavia painting looks to airbrushed and perfect.

 

I'm sorry to hear about the Zeven Provinciën project! I was really happy they where doing it.

 

 

/Matti

[*Hans*]

Matti,

 

you never know if this will change again. They're not going to remove the work so far done, but it's just the amount of money the wharf has which is to be spent in another way. 

(Imagine - for just one piece of oak to pay 45.000 euros - that is more than a year wages for many people!)

[flying_dutchman2]

Maybe you know the Bataviawharf started years ago with a new project - De Zeven Provinciën - which was the Flag-ship of Michiel de Ruyter.

Unfortunately, due to neccessary savings the wharf has recently stopped this project. They where about to buy some timber in Denmark - 45 Oak logs - which had to cost ca. 2 million euro's - ca. 2,6 million US-dollar - or 45.000 euro per log). This was a "bit" above budget (the wharf is making a little profit again since many years) and the decision was made to stop the Zeven Provinciën project.

 

They are now focussing on smaller projects, but still in the style and thought of the 17th century Dutch craftmanship.

 

 

The first replica burned up and now they stopped building the 2nd replica. Bummer, but that is a lot of money for a couple of logs. Build the ships of Abel Tasman, small project. Or the ship from Hendrick Hamel used to explore SE Asia which is the 'De Sperwer' (the Sparrowhawk) (or is that one built already).

[*Hans*]

I just did check the website of the Bataviawharf (http://www.bataviawerf.nl/who-are-we.html) but they don't mention anything about stopping (which was pronounced 14th of february this year).  And maybe I have to correct myself - the whole ship De zeven Provinciën was about to cost 2 million...

 

Still - there is lack of money.

[Bedford]

That's not much really when you consider the James Craig cost $20 million to restore.

 

It is all relative though.

 

Steve

[*Hans*]

Yeah. Either 2 or 20 million - I both don't have it...

[Bedford]

And he slips in a semi nautical reference, "You ain't Robinson Crusoe"

[*Hans*]

Last weeks I have been busy on the foremast and the mainmast - started with the standing rigging of both.

 

For the foremast this was no trouble, but starting with the rigging of the mainmast I realised I first had to make the mermen on the rail on both sides.

 

 

Standing rigging on the foremast

 

 

Mermen on the rail

[WBlakeny]

Wow, beautfiul.  Those dutch ships really were work of arts.  Just as your model is...  Nice work Hans