Perished with visitors on board

The ship the Vliegend Hert was a ship of the Dutch West India Company (WIC). It was on the roads near 'Sandt Punct' (Sandy Point). That was the port of the Caribbean island Saint Christopher (usually called Saint Kitts). There were several Dutch ships there and the Swedish ship the Kalmar Sleutel (this is a Dutch translation in the sources of a Swedish ship's name, Kalmar Nyckel).

On the last ship, Peter Minuit was commander. He was the former governor of New Netherlands (the Dutch colony around present-day New York) and at that moment headed the Swedish colony New Sweden that had just been established around present-day Delaware.

Skipper Jan van Water and commander Minuit, both of the Kalmar Sleutel, went on board of the Vliegend Hert on June 28th, 1638. They were there to dine with the skipper on his invitation. In that period, much Dutch personnel worked in the Swedish colonial service.

Swaren Orancan

In the Amsterdam City Archives an attestation can be found (dated 27-10-1639) of first mate Michiel Simonsz van Uitgeest of the Kalmar Sleutel about what happened next.

There were six crew members of the ship the Santa Clara on board of the Kalmar Sleutel to trade tobacco against a few parrots.

While second mate Jacob Evertz was still busy weighing the tobacco, one hour before sunset the roadstead was visited by 'den swaren Orancan' as the attestation calls it, a heavy hurricane or tornado.

The Vliegend Hert, the Santa Clara and the Kalmar Sleutel were dragged from their anchors and blown out to sea. The Kalmar Sleutel managed to get back to the roads with much trouble. Of the other ships and their crews, nothing was heard again. Commander Peter Minuit and skipper Jan de Water also died.

The wreck has not been found.

• HTR hub, Amsterdams notarieel archief
  ref. no. Inv. nr. 1280 (scan 168)