[wossab]

While your post is informative, it's kind of disingenuous to claim a link between two phenomena when there is none, seemingly because you needed to say something bad about Dutch ships in some way. It's a shame really, because it detracts from the quality of your other links.

[defrost]

> it's kind of disingenuous to claim a link between two phenomena

Which two phenomena?

Dutch ships heading to the Dutch East Indies sinking and the need to accurately measure longitude?

These are very much linked.

> needed to say something bad about Dutch ships

I felt no such need.

It's a simple fact that a comment about Netherland naval ships faux sinking US carriers prompted a remark about the large numbers of Dutch ships famously sunk off our coast here in W.Australia.

It has little to do with the quality of the ships and everything to do with the then inability to accurately reckon longitude.

Of technical interest to anyone with an interest in the evolution of surveying, navigation, timekeeping, colonial expansion, shipwrecks, treasure, etc.