Drommedaris was one of the three ships that brought the first Holland settlers to South Africa.

About the Drommedaris wooden scale Model Ship

Painted in original colors.

About the construction of the Drommedaris wooden scale Model Ship

• The hull is built using the Double Plank-on-Bulkhead construction method
• The bulkheads and keel are cut from marine grade pine plywood
• The first layer of planking is done plank by plank using Mahogany planks
• The second layer of planking is done using Mahogany Veneer strips
• The deck is made of Anagre, a light brown timber from the Amazon
• The gunwale and stringers are made of American Walnut
• The fife rails and pin racks are made of American Walnut
• The deckhouses and gangways are made of Teak
• The masts and yards are made of Mahogany dowels
• The sails and ropes are made of linen
• The model is painted with acrylic paint
• The ornaments are cold cast in bronze and painted

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History of the Drommedaris

The Drommedaris was a Dutch Jaght built by Amsterdam Yards in the Netherlands in 1645. It was in use by the VOC from 1645 – 1661.

On 24 December 1651 a VOC fleet of three vessels, The Drommedaris (under command of David Koning), Goede Hoop and the Reijger, set sail from Texel bound for Batavia.

The Drommedaris, Goede Hoop and Reijger stopped over in Table Bay, South Africa, on 6 April 1652 and in doing so established a halfway stop for re-supplies and repairs for VOC ships on route from the East Indies. This location on the trade route between Europe and the East Indies was paramount, as ships needed fresh water, vegetables and meat.

Jan van Riebeeck also built the first Fort thereby improving the natural anchorage in Table Bay and ensuring that agriculture took shape in “The Cape of Good Hope”. Little did he and his men know that this new settlement would one day become Africa’s jewel and one of the most spectacular cities in the world.

The Drommedaris departed from the Cape on 25 May 1652 and arrived in Batavia on 22 July 1652.

The Drommedaris was laid up in 1661.

Member of The Nautical Research Guild

Learn more about the Drommedaris: http://www.e-family.co.za/ffy/g13/p13967.htm