Hollandia
Trademark
UnclaimedHollandia was a 1742 Dutch East India Company ship that sank near the Isles of Scilly on its maiden voyage in 1743.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Hollandia was an eighteenth-century ship of the Dutch East India Company, known for its brief service and the catastrophic loss of life on its maiden voyage. Built in Amsterdam in 1742 to a new design for the VOC, the vessel measured approximately 42 metres in length, had a reported displacement or burden of about 700 tons, and carried 32 guns. It was intended for long-distance commercial and military service in the VOC system, which connected the Dutch Republic with trading and administrative centres in Asia. The ship departed Texel on 3 July 1743 as part of a fleet bound for Batavia, the principal VOC headquarters in the Dutch East Indies. Its cargo reportedly included a substantial quantity of trade coin, and the complement included sailors, soldiers, and important passengers. During the voyage, Hollandia became separated from the rest of the fleet. In the early hours of 13 July 1743, it struck Gunner Rock, west of Annet in the Isles of Scilly, and sank in the surrounding waters. The disaster killed all people aboard. The recorded death toll was 306, comprising 276 sailors and soldiers and 30 passengers. The wreck remained unidentified for more than two centuries. London attorney and maritime treasure hunter Rex Cowan began searching for Hollandia in 1968, consulting Dutch and English archival records and applying contemporary detection equipment, including a proton magnetometer. He located the wreck on 16 September 1971. Subsequent salvage operations recovered numerous objects associated with the ship, including a large quantity of coins, bronze cannons, and bronze mortars. Hollandia is therefore not a contemporary consumer brand or operating business. Its historical significance lies in its connection with the VOC's maritime network, the scale of the 1743 shipwreck disaster, and the later identification and archaeological recovery of the wreck site. Because the surviving reference material concerns a single historical vessel rather than a continuing commercial identity, information such as present ownership, headquarters, product offerings, executive leadership, marketing activity, and financial performance is not applicable.
History
Hollandia was constructed in Amsterdam in 1742 for the Dutch East India Company, commonly known by its Dutch abbreviation VOC. The ship represented the company's combined commercial and military operating model: VOC vessels transported goods, specie, personnel, and passengers while also carrying substantial armament for protection and, when required, military use. Hollandia was built to a new design and was described as a 32-gun vessel of approximately 700 tons and 42 metres in length. On 3 July 1743, Hollandia left Texel with a fleet sailing toward Batavia in the Dutch East Indies. The voyage formed part of the long-distance logistics system that sustained the VOC's Asian trading empire. The ship carried a large amount of trade coin and several important passengers, in addition to its sailors and soldiers. The available historical account does not identify the individual passengers or provide a detailed manifest. The ship did not reach its destination. It became separated from the fleet and, during the early hours of 13 July 1743, struck Gunner Rock west of Annet in the Isles of Scilly. Hollandia sank nearby, and all those aboard died. The recorded total was 306 fatalities: 276 sailors and soldiers and 30 passengers. The wreck thus became one of the notable maritime losses associated with the VOC's extensive but hazardous oceanic operations. For more than 200 years, the wreck's exact location was unknown. Rex Cowan began a dedicated search in 1968, combining Dutch and English archival research with detection technology. His use of a proton magnetometer was significant because the wreck contained substantial metal material, including weapons. On 16 September 1971, he located the wreck site. Salvage work recovered a large number of coins along with bronze cannons and mortars. These finds helped connect the underwater site with the historical vessel and illustrated the mixture of commercial and military equipment carried by an eighteenth-century VOC ship. Hollandia's story consequently spans three periods: construction and deployment by the VOC in 1742, the fatal 1743 voyage, and the twentieth-century rediscovery and salvage of the wreck. No operating company, modern product line, or continuing brand organization is associated with the vessel.
- 1971
Wreck located
[1]Rex Cowan located the wreck on 16 September after applying historical research and detection equipment, including a proton magnetometer.
- 1968
Wreck search begins
[1]Rex Cowan began searching for Hollandia using archival research and instrumental methods.
- 1743
Departure for Batavia
[1]Hollandia left Texel on 3 July as part of a fleet bound for Batavia, carrying trade coin and passengers as well as sailors and soldiers.
- 1743
Shipwreck at Gunner Rock
[1]On 13 July, Hollandia struck Gunner Rock near Annet in the Isles of Scilly after becoming separated from its fleet. All 306 people aboard were lost.
- 1742
Construction in Amsterdam
[1]The Dutch East India Company built Hollandia in Amsterdam to a new design as a 32-gun ship of approximately 700 tons and 42 metres in length.
Products and positioning
Historical Dutch East India Company merchant and armed transport vessel; not an active commercial brand.
VOC merchant and armed transport ship · 1742
Hollandia
A 32-gun Dutch East India Company vessel built in Amsterdam in 1742. Hollandia was approximately 42 metres long and had a reported burden of about 700 tons. It was designed for oceanic voyages carrying trade goods, coin, passengers, sailors, soldiers, and armament. The ship sank on its maiden voyage in 1743 and is now known primarily through the archaeological remains of its wreck.
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