Model of an East Indiaman

East Indiaman. Frame model, c. 1740-1750. A series of shipwrecks led to a general debate regarding the seaworthiness of the VOC fleet. In 1741 the directors, the Heren XVII, decided to overhaul the methods employed at the Company's shipyards. The English shipwright Charles Bentam was invited to make designs for three types of ship. In a new departure for the VOC, Bentam had models made for use at the shipyards. This model, which divides into constituent pieces, appears to represent one of Bentam's designs - probably for a ship measuring 100 feet (one Amsterdam foot is 28.3 cm or 11 1/7 inches). The directors set standard measurements for all VOC ships. A feature of these 18th-century VOC ships was their spacious holds.