On 09 Nov 2009 17:33:06 GMT, Jeronimus wrote:

Bob Taylor wrote in
:

Jeronimus wrote:
Pictures taken on the Batavia Shipyard in Lelystad. It shows the
Batavia (completed) and the Zeven Provinciën (under construction) and
the workshops used for the construction. For the curious among you,
I'm behind the wheel in pic number 13. The wheel is only there
because the Batavia starred in the movie "Scheepsjongerns van
Bontekoe" a famous (in the Netherlands) story about 3 boys who get
onboard a Dutch East India ship (Starring the Batavia) and get
shipwrecked in Indonesia.

For the general public the ship needed a Wheel....

I don't quite follow why it is "only there"?

But thanks for posting these interesting pictures.

Regards, Bob Taylor


Hello Bob,

it isn't supposed to be there. The ships of that day weren't steered by a
wheel, but by a 'Coppelstock' a vertical tiller. On the Batavia this tiller
is also installed, but no near where the wheel is situated. The wheel was
installed temporarily for the generl public, who believes all ships are
steered by a wheel. It also makes for some interesting shots of a captain
tied to the wheel in a storm..

Anything to please the audience of the movie...

regards,

Jeroen
Our Heron had a tiller. I used to love to feel the tremble when she
was in perfect trim. Some other ships of similar size had wheels. I
guess today it is just preference?