The Schotse Lorredraaier was initially an English smuggler called the Brittannia Galley and was commandeered by Simon Hill. The vessel fell into the hands of the VOC in Batavia when the English crew turned themselves in to the authorities. After an investigation, many of the crew found employ in the service of the VOC or sailed onwards towards the East to engage in trade.

The name Schotse Lorredraaier roughly translates to ‘Scottish interloper’ as a reminder of the origin of the vessel. It was then sent from Batavia to Zeeland, where it was readied for its first outward journey under the VOC flag.

The Schotsche Lorredraaier was on an outward-bound journey from the Netherlands to Batavia when she was caught in the gale of 17th June 1722. She broke adrift on the night of 16/17 June and was destroyed in a collision with 2 other ships, the Rotterdam and the Standvastigheid. The next morning all that remained of the vessels were the crushed fragments lying on the beach between the Salt River and the Castle.

There were only 45 survivors from the combined crews of 505 from the three vessels. Only 17 of the Schotse Lorrendraaier's crew survived.

The gale of 17 June 1722 saw 10 vessels being wrecked during a severe north-westerly gale in Table Bay, with 8 of these vessels belonging to Dutch authorities. This event saw one of the highest losses of life in the history of the Cape in a single event, with 660 casualties. Over £250,000 of goods were lost, which is a vast amount in today’s figures!

The Schotse Lorredraaier was found in pieces on the shore the morning after the storm and, as such, was likely taken apart for scraps. It is unlikely that anything of the wreckage remains. Moreover, the site where the wreckage would be, if anything remains, lies underneath reclaimed land.

• DAS 2492.1.
• Generale missiven, Deel 7, 632.
• Dagregister Kaap 17-6-1722.
• Lesa la Grange, Martijn Manders, Briege Williams, John Gribble and Leon Derksen (2024).
  Dutch Shipwrecks in South African Waters: A Brief History of Sites, Stores and Archives [Unpublished].
• Negrón, R. (2018).
  The Schotse Lorrendraaier. [Unpublished paper].
  Leiden University.
• Abraham Storck.
  A Dutch Yacht before the Wind in a Harbour.
• SAHRA Database.