''Staaten Generaal'' was a Dutch 74-gun

third rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Rating When the rating system was f ...

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactics in the Age of Sail, naval tactic known as the line of battl ...

which served in the

Dutch States Navy The Dutch States Navy (, ) was the navy of the Dutch Republic from 1588 to 1795. Coming into existence during the Eighty Years' War, the States Navy played a major role in expanding and protecting the Dutch colonial empire, in addition to partici ...

and the

Batavian Navy The Batavian Navy () was the navy of the Batavian Republic which existed from 1795 to 1806. Founded in May 1795 after the Dutch Republic was Low Countries theatre of the War of the First Coalition, overrun by France during the French Revolutionar ...

. The order to construct the ship was given by the Admiralty of the Meuse. The ship was commissioned in 1786. In April 1788 the ship was crewed with 550 men. It measured 180'0'' Amsterdam feet long, had a breadth of 48'6'' Amsterdam feet and had a depth of 22'0'' Amsterdam feet. In 1795, the ship was commissioned in the

. On 11 October 1797 the ''Staaten Generaal'' took part in the

Battle of Camperdown The Battle of Camperdown (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Zeeslag bij Kamperduin'') was fought on 11 October 1797 between the Royal Navy's Commander-in-Chief, North Sea, North Sea Fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan, Adam Duncan and a ...

as the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

Vice-Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...

Samuel Story ''Schout-bij-nacht'' Samuel Story (2 October 1752 – 8 January 1811) was a Dutch naval officer who served in the French Revolutionary Wars. He is best known for commanding the Batavian Navy squadron which surrendered without a fight to the Royal ...

. The ship was engaged by , Admiral Adam Duncan's flagship, and caught fire twice. The fire was extinguished both times, but the ''Staaten Generaal'' drifted away from the battle and was unable to continue the fight in a favourable position. On the morning of 12 October she escaped to

Texel Texel (; Texels dialect: ) is a municipality and an island with a population of 13,643 in North Holland, Netherlands. It is the largest and most populated island of the West Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea. The island is situated north of Den ...

with the remainder of the Batavian fleet. In 1798, the ship was renamed to ''Bato''. She sailed to the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony (), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three ...

in 1802, after which she sailed on to Batavia. Upon her return to the Cape, she underwent inspection and was found to be in poor condition, and was turned into a hulked gun platform. She was anchored in

Simon's Bay Simon's Town (), sometimes spelled Simonstown, is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa and is home to Naval Base Simon's Town, the South African Navy's largest base. It is located on the shores of Simon's Bay in False Bay, on the eastern s ...

to guard approaches to the naval base. When the Batavians were defeated in the

Battle of Blaauwberg The Battle of Blaauwberg (also known as the Battle of Cape Town) was a successful British amphibious operation during the War of the Third Coalition which lasted from 8–18 January 1806 and resulted in the capture of the Dutch Cape Colony. Af ...

, ''Bato'' was burned and

scuttled Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull, typically by its crew opening holes in its hull. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vesse ...

to prevent her from being captured. British Commodore Sir

Home Popham Rear-Admiral Sir Home Riggs Popham, KCB, KCH (12 October 1762 – 20 September 1820), was a Royal Navy officer and politician who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He is known for his scientific accomplishments, particula ...

, in a letter published in the ''London Gazette'', reported ”French Ship Atalante, of 40 Guns, and Batavian Ship Bato, of 68 Guns: Destroyed by the Enemy running them on Shore when the Cape was attacked, January 10, 1806.”

Post-script

The wreck of the ''Bato'' was recently discovered.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Staaten Generaal Ships of the line of the Dutch Republic Ships of the line of the Batavian Republic Ships built in the Netherlands 1786 ships Maritime incidents in 1806 Ship fires Scuttled vessels Shipwrecks of the South African Atlantic coast

Post-script

See also

References