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Fluytschips Whaler in a Bottle
Date Added: 13 March 2012
The type of fluytschip is designed in 1595 by a shipbuilder who was at that time even so the major of de city of Hoorn in the north-west of Holland. He had discovered that a ship whit proportions 4 : 1 better sailors’ were than the ships built whit the old proportions 3 : 1. An other reason for making a "new" ship is the way a lot of Dutch ships were saling true the Sont, de sea between Denmark and Sweden,. All the ships that sailed true that passage had to pay tax. to the Danish government. Ships whit a wide-extended deck had to pay more tax than ships whit a small deck. And the Dutch like a lot of things but not paying to much tax. So the major of the city of Hoorn, mr Liorne, made a ship whit the sizes 4 : 1 and with a very small deck. Later on there were made even ships whit extended shape of 5 :1, 6 : 1 and even 6 ½ : 1 and 7 : 1. The fluytship had a very simple type of rigging so it good by sailed by 10 to 12 seaman. Other types of ships whit that size needed between 30 and 40 sailors on board to sail the ship. It was a "square box" whit masts and sails and in contrast of this she sailed very well. The Dutch started to catch whales about the year 1616. From the start the used Fluytschips because of the big hull where the good put in al lot of food and other things the needed. In the same time the good put in al lot of "whale" when the are saling homewards. Mr. Liorne was a pacifist. Therefore the first Fluytships did not have any weapons. Later on when other shipbuilders made fluytships the made even fluytships of ware. An other reason why fluytships did not have weapons was that the most of them sailed true the Sont on there way to Poland and Russia. There were no pirates or other enemies so de did not need any weapons. And the whalers did not have enemies (in the first years) . Later on the English whalers (and others) were fighting among each other to get the most whales so Dutch ships of ware had to protect them en at that time the were having guns. Fluytships are used for many ways. So there were fluytships specialised for transporting trees. Therefore the had a hatch in the bow. After all the tree’s are in the ship the closed the hatch and caulked it so the water good not com in. There are fluytships used by wale-fishing, transport of grain and everything you good think of. The where offend used by the Dutch fleet to transported gunpowder, bullets, extra sails and so on and so on. One of the ships the Dutch discoverer Abel Tasman used to sail around Australia in 1642/1643 was a fluytschip. The ywere even used in the east. There the were used in the local transport of spice. A friend of mine asked me to make a whaler. His family name is Speksnijder (= beacon cutter) He wanted to give his son a whaler because that was the start of there family name. The ship has an over length of 135 mm and 30 mm wide. The spars are 55 mm and the hull is 37 mm high. The total overall height is 125 mm. The bottle neck size is 28 mm.
Type: Fluytschips Whaler in a Bottle   Maker's Name: Dekker, Frans
Category: Sailing Ships   Made Where: Beemster, Holland
Bottle Size: 270mm x 140mm   Year Made: 2012
Bottle Type: Unidentified