Has there ever been a group of slaves shipwrecked (a la Castaway)

July 10, 2007 10:31 PM

I remember coming across a historical account of a Dutch slave ship being shipwrecked on a tiny island, and the survivors living for many years. Sound familiar?

I've exhausted my energies on Google and I'm not sure if this was an actual occurrence or if it was fictional. The jist of it was that about a dozen individuals (Dutch slave traders and their slaves) were stuck on a very small island with scant resources and some of them survived for many years (maybe as many as ten?). I believe another boat may have come by and rescued some of them (leaving slaves behind). Any idea what I might be talking about or where I might be able to find information on it? Thanks!

posted by nameless.k to society & culture (5 comments total)

Google search on "shipwrecked dutch ship slaves" turns up this on the first link.

STRUIS BAY, South Africa After years of painstaking research and sophisticated surveys, Jaco Boshoff may be on the verge of a nearly unheard-of discovery: the wreck of a Dutch slave ship that broke apart 239 years ago on this forbidding, windswept coast after a violent revolt by the slaves.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:33 PM on July 10, 2007

Hmm the first thing I thought of when you mentioned an interesting Dutch shipwreck was that of the Batavia.

It wasn't a slave ship, but a spice trading vessel that suffered a mutiny and was subsequently shipwrecked on a tiny group of islands off the coast of Australia.

The leader of the mutiny, and now leader of the survivors was batshiat crazy. Soon the survivors split into two groups 'Lord of the Flies'-style and fought pitched battles against each other. The survivors were eventually rescued, and their story came to light

It is a fascinating story, and the subject of a book by Mike Dash

It might not be the story you are looking for, but if you are a fan of maritime history then it is a must read.
posted by TheOtherGuy at 11:14 PM on July 10, 2007

Are you thinking of this news story?

"Shipwrecked and abandoned: the story of the slave Crusoes
Shipwrecked on a tiny Indian Ocean island, a group of slaves survived for 15 years before being rescued by the French navy. Now archaeologists have uncovered the shameful history of their extraordinary ordeal. John Lichfield reports"
posted by bottlebrushtree at 12:42 AM on July 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

Not quite the same, but you may be as fascinated as I am by Pitcairn Island.
Inhabited by descendants of mutineers of the HMS Bounty, the island is still inhabited with 50. And they have the internet.
posted by disillusioned at 3:23 AM on July 11, 2007

Check this post.
posted by CunningLinguist at 7:21 AM on July 11, 2007