| Career (Dutch Republic) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Arnhem |
| Owner: | Dutch East India Company |
| Builder: | Dutch East India Company, Amsterdam |
| Fate: | Wrecked on Saint Brandon Rocks (off Mauritius) on 12 February 1662 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Dutch East Indiaman |
| Tons burthen: | 1000 tons |
| Propulsion: | Sail |
| Sail plan: | Three masts |
The Arnhem, named after the city of Arnhem in the Netherlands, was a Dutch East Indiaman that entered the Gulf of Carpentaria and recorded having sighted Groote Eylandt in 1623. The vessel was shipwrecked off Mauritius on 12 February 1662. Volkert Evertsz and other survivors of the wreck came ashore on an islet and are thought to have been the last humans to see live dodos. The ship was captained by Captain Pieter Anthoniszoon The Arnhem was one of seven VOC ships that left Batavia on 23 December 1661, homeward bound via the Cape of Good Hope. The other vessels were the Wapen van Holland, Prins Willem, Vogel Phoenix, Maarsseveen, Prinses Royal and Gekroonde Leeuw.
On 11 February 1662 the fleet was scattered by a violent storm. The Wapen van Holland (920 tons), Gekroonde Leeuw (1200 tons) and Prins Willem (1200 tons) disappeared without trace. The following day Arnhem ran aground on the Saint Brandon Rocks (also known as Cargados Carajos), a group of atolls and reefs some 200 kilometres north-east of Mauritius. [1]