Jan Carel Josephus van Speyk (31 January 1802 – 5 February 1831) was a

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...

officer who became a public hero in the Netherlands for his opposition to the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was a 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. The ...

Life

Early life

Born in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

in 1802, Van Speyk was orphaned at the age of 10. When he was 18 years old, he joined the

and served in the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

from 1823 to 1825. He engaged in anti-piracy operations in Bangka and

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

, which earned him the nickname "Terror of the Bandits" (). When the

began, Van Speyk was given command of

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-steam ...

No. 2. 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 (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

. 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 Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter (; 24 March 1607 – 29 April 1676) was a Dutch States Navy officer. His achievements with the Dutch navy during the Anglo-Dutch Wars earned him the reputation as one of the most skilled naval commanders in ...

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 may refer to: Kings * William the Conqueror (–1087), also known as William I, King of England * William I of Sicily (died 1166) * William I of Scotland (died 1214), known as William the Lion * William I of the Netherlands and Luxembour ...

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

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 that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very comple ...

of her own class. The mast of Van Speyk's ship is preserved at the

Royal Netherlands Naval College The Royal Naval College was the service academy of the Royal Netherlands Navy. From 2005 it is part of the ("Royal naval institute" or KIM) as part of the ("Netherlands defence academy") in Den Helder. It offers a program of four or five year ...

. For his actions related to the bombardment of Antwerp, as captain of Gunboat Number 2, Van Speyk was decorated with the Knight's Cross (4th class) of the

Military Order of William The Military William Order, or often named Military Order of William (Dutch language, Dutch: , abbreviation: MWO), is the oldest and highest Dutch honours system, honour of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is named after St. William of Gellone ...

. A national memorial in his honour is located at the J.C.J. van Speijk Lighthouse in

Egmond aan Zee Egmond aan Zee () is a village on the North Sea coast in the Netherlands, Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Bergen, North Holland, Bergen, about 9 km west of Alkmaar. Egmond aan Zee was a separate municipali ...

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 died by suicide Knights Fourth Class of the Military Order of William Military personnel from Amsterdam Royal Netherlands Navy officers