Huis te Kruiningen
Warship · Netherlands · Lost 1677 · The Lesser Antilles
A Dutch warship sunk in Tobago's Rockley Bay during a fierce 1677 Franco-Dutch naval battle, positively identified after decades-long archaeological survey.
The Vessel and Her Loss
Huis te Kruiningen was a Dutch Zeeland Admiralty warship present at the 1677 Battle of Tobago, when a French squadron under the Comte d'Estrees attacked a Dutch fleet at anchor in what is now Rockley Bay, Scarborough. The Dutch inflicted heavy losses on the French but suffered severe damage themselves, and this ship was among those sunk. Her remains were positively identified through the Rockley Bay Research Project's surveys and excavations beginning in 2012.
Vessel
- Not established
- Not established
- Netherlands
- Wood
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Sail
- Zeeland Admiralty
Loss
- March 3, 1677
- Enemy action
- Rockley Bay, Scarborough Harbour, Tobago
- Caribbean Sea
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Casualty figures for this specific ship are not established in the sources reviewed.
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Buried hull remains and associated artifacts identified through excavation
- Not established
- 2012-2016 (Rockley Bay Research Project surveys)
- Site under archaeological study with Tobago House of Assembly oversight
Position
- Not established
- Position withheld to protect the site
- Scarborough, Tobago
Exact position protected during ongoing archaeological research in Scarborough Harbour.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (58/100)
Details of her construction, dimensions, and crew losses are not established in the sources reviewed.
Institute of Nautical Archaeology
Battle context, identification, and survey history.
East Carolina University maritime studies thesis on Rockley Bay
Site formation, identification methodology, and historical context.
