Westerbeek
The Shipwreck 1742
Photography project about the sinking of the VOC ship Westerbeek and the consequences for the crew and inhabitants of the Faroe Islands.
For this project I portray people and their unique stories.
Would you like to take part, or do you know someone with a remarkable story?
And are you, as an individual or organisation, interested in sharing, publishing, or exhibiting these stories?
Interested? Send me a message. Together, we will bring the story of the Westerbeek to life.
The sinking of the VOC ship Westerbeek (1742)
2 September 1742, in dense fog, the VOC ship Westerbeek sank off the coast of the Faroe Island Suðuroy. Of the 91 crew members, 80 men survived the disaster. 10 men were able to travel to mainland Europe before the winter on Danish ships. The remaining seventy crew members were divided over the islands. They remained there without any contact with the rest of the world for the entire long winter. The winter of 1742-1743 was bad. It rained a lot and the snow came early in the autumn. There was little fishing and even then the catch was moderate. The farmers were friendly to the foreigners, who in turn tried to be helpful on the farm and the fishery, but there was too little food. In June 1743, the 70 winterers were picked up by the Dutch ship Mercurius.
All described in the book “Westerbeek 1742”. Originally written by Mathias Lassen in Faroese. Translation and editing by: Tóra Reynhamar and Martha Reijmers with advice from Sámal Báhamar. Publisher Verliero Amsterdam, Martha Reijmers.
In 2023 I decided to start a photo project to document this very special story. See the info button about how I photograph the story of the Westerbeek, its crew and the fantastic Faroe Islands.