An item referred to an account written by a officer of the Britihs ship of the line HMS Barham explaining what exactly happened. She had left Jamaica on 17th January visiting most of the islands to windward an now returning from la Guayra, Venezieal where left on the afternoon of Tuesday 28th April. Underway she hit with a speed of 6 knots a rock. With daylight it became clear that the she run aground on a distance of half a mile of the South East point of Bonaire. To come clear it was decided to throw the 22 guns on the forecastle and quarter deck weighting between 48 and 50 cwt and 15 guns of the main deck weighing 60-64 cwt overboard. The Dutch warships Zr.Ms. Courier (2) captain Van Straaten and Zr.Ms. Pallas (3) assisted her and she was able to reach a reliable anchorage on Monday at 11.00 o’clock. He damage was still unknoWn but feared to be considerable.(1)
Notes
1. 3rd Rate launched at the shipyard of Perry, Wells&Green, Blackwall, England on 8 July 1811, reduced to a 50-gun ship in December 1826, broken up in September 1840, original armament of 74 guns and a builders measurement of 1.761 tons. The edition dated 18 May 1844 mentioned that the British razeed ship of the line HMS Barham was repaired at the shipyard of H. van der Meulen&Co. on Curacao, Dutch West Indies without supplying the year, but probably in 1829 after she run aground at Bonaire, Dutch West Indies.
2. The first survey vessel in the Dutch East Indies, on stocks at the navy yard at Vlissingen, Netherlands 10 July 1817, launched 20 June 1818, sold at Hellevoetsluis, Netherlands to be broken up Wednesday 12 December 1834 and an armament of 18 guns.
3. used for training duties, on stocks at the navy yard at Rotterdam, Netherlands November 1822 by P. Glavimans Jz., launched 29 November 1824, docked at the navy yard at Hellevoetsluis, Netherlands 17 July-1September 1837 for examination, found further repaired unworthy and sold on a public auction for ƒ 5.000, dimensions 130 x 34½ x 17 8/11 (hold) feet and an armament of 28 guns.
