You said: when did ‘Die Wapen van Alkmaar’ arrive in the Cape of Good Hope

The ship ‘t Wapen van Alkmaar arrived at the Cape of Good Hope on 27 January 1689

Voyage Details

  • Departure: The vessel departed from Texel in the Netherlands on 27 July 1688.
  • Duration: The transatlantic journey took exactly six months to complete.
  • Leadership: The ship was commanded by Captain Carel Goske (or Karel Goske).
  • Sponsorship: It belonged to the Chamber of Amsterdam of the Dutch East India Company (VOC).

Passengers and Conditions

The ship was notable for transporting approximately 40 French Huguenot refugees fleeing religious persecution in Europe. The journey was exceptionally harsh:

  • 37 passengers died during the voyage.
  • 104 passengers arrived sick.
  • The crew and passengers were so weakened by the time they reached Table Bay that they could not bring out their own bower anchor.

About forty Refugees set sail from Texel on the 27th July, 1688, on board ‘t Wapen van Alkmaar, commanded by Captain Carel Goske, and arrived six months after, i.e., the 27th January, 1689. They lost thirty-seven persons by death and brought one hundred and four sick ones, the latter being placed immediately in the Company’s hospital at Cape Town. The French emigrants were sent into the country to their new homes on the 1st February, after they had been given all the necessaries to carry on their agricultural pursuits. The only name I have been able to trace of those who sailed in the Alkmaar is that of Antonie Martin.