What was the Batavia shipwreck?
The Batavia was a Dutch East India Company ship that was wrecked on the Houtman Abrolhos islands off Western Australia in 1629. The wreck was followed by a brutal mutiny and massacre of survivors.
The Batavia was on its maiden voyage from the Netherlands to Batavia, now Jakarta, when it struck a reef in June 1629. Most of the passengers and crew reached nearby islands.
Commander Francisco Pelsaert sailed to Batavia in a small boat to seek help. While he was away, a group led by Jeronimus Cornelisz seized control of the survivors.
The massacre
Cornelisz and his followers murdered around 110 to 125 men, women and children. A group of soldiers led by Wiebbe Hayes resisted on another island.
When Pelsaert returned, the mutineers were captured and tried. Cornelisz and several others were executed. Two mutineers were marooned on the mainland, possibly becoming the first Europeans to live in Australia.
Parts of the wreck were recovered in the 1970s and are displayed at the Western Australian Shipwrecks Museum in Fremantle. A replica of the ship was built in the Netherlands.