Jan Carel Josephus van Speyk (31 January 1802 – 5 February 1831) was a Dutch naval lieutenant commander with the United Netherlands Navy who became a hero in the Netherlands for his opposition to the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. T ...

Life

Early life

Born in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

in 1802, Van Speyk was orphaned at the age of 10. When he was 18 years old, he joined the United Netherlands Navy and served in the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, whic ...

from 1823 to 1825. He successfully attacked Bangka and

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

, which earned him the nickname "Terror of the Bandits" ( nl, Schrik der Roovers). When the

began, Van Speyk was given command of a

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-ste ...

. Van Speyk despised the Belgian independence movement, and he said he would rather die "than become an infamous Brabander".

Death

On 5 February 1831, a gale blew his gunboat into the quay at the port of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

. The Belgians quickly stormed his ship, demanding Van Speyk haul down the Dutch flag. Rather than surrender his ship, he fired a pistol (some versions say he threw a lighted cigar) into a barrel of gunpowder in the ship's magazine. According to legend he shouted, "I'd rather be blown up then". The number of Belgians killed is unknown, though it probably numbered in the dozens. Twenty-eight of his 31 crewmen also perished in the blast.

Legacy

Eight days' after Van Speyk's death, the Netherlands declared a period of mourning. His remains were buried in the Nieuwe Kerk in

, where the remains of Dutch naval hero Michiel de Ruyter also are interred. Van Speyk is regarded as a naval hero in the Netherlands. This resulted in a royal decree (Koninklijk Besluit number 81, 11 February 1833) issued by King

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

pronouncing that as long as the Dutch Navy exists there will always be a ship named ''Van Speijk'' to preserve his memory. Seven ships of the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...

ships have carried this name, the latest being of 1994, a . Her predecessor, the frigate , launched in 1965, was the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...

of her own class. The mast of Van Speyk's ship is preserved at the Royal Netherlands Naval College. For his actions as captain of Gunboat Number 2, Van Speyk was decorated with the Knight's Cross (4th class) of the Military Order of William. A national memorial in his honour is located at the J.C.J. van Speijk Lighthouse in Egmond aan Zee.

References

* Encarta-encyclopedia Winkler Prins (1993–2002) s.v. Speijk, Jan Carel Josephus van. Microsoft Corporation/Het Spectrum.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Speyk, Jan Van 19th-century Dutch military personnel 1802 births 1831 deaths Burials at the Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam Dutch military personnel who committed suicide Knights Fourth Class of the Military Order of William Military personnel from Amsterdam Royal Netherlands Navy officers