UNK NETHERLANDS Silver 8 REALS (Daalder)

DATELESS 8 REALS RECOVERED FROM THE "VLIEGENT HART" (FLYING HEART) SHIPWRECK.

On May 5, 1730, the Vliegenthart (Flying Heart) was launched as the newest addition to the impressive fleet of the Dutch East India Company. She was about 145 feet long and 36 feet wide — fairly small by modern shipping standards, but about the average size for merchant ships of the 1700s. The ship had three masts, with the high central mast reaching a height of about 145 feet. Like other ships in the fleet, the Vliegenthart was designed for the long and dangerous journey to the other side of the world. She was able to handle the extremely rough seas as she rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and the full set of sails allowed her to catch the favorable trade winds across the Indian Ocean. Due to the threat of attack, the Vliegenthart was heavily armed with 42 guns. The Vliegenthart made her first journey to the East Indies in late 1731, returning to the Dutch port of Rammekens in the province of Zeeland in August 1734.

After being refitted over the winter months, the Vliegenthart left the Netherlands once again for the East Indies on February 3, 1735. On board were 167 seamen, 83 soldiers, and six passengers plus a small treasure hoard of gold and silver coins that would be used to trade for silk, spices, and precious gems in the East Indies. However, the Vliegenthart and her smaller companion ship Anna Catharina never left Dutch waters. With a strong gale blowing as they left shore, first the Anna Catharina and then the Vliegenthart were driven onto a sandbar and severely damaged. The Vliegenthart slipped off the sandbar, but it already had gaping holes and quickly sank in 10 fathoms (60 feet) of water. All men on board were lost.

The Dutch East India Company immediately organized a salvage operation to recover the lost treasure from the Vliegenthart but only a few guns, some bottles of wine, and four silver coins were found. Visibility was only a few inches in the murky depths. In addition, the waters were too hazardous and the shifting sands too dangerous to risk continued salvage attempts, so the wreck was abandoned for almost 250 years.