Breech Block from the Zuytdorp

This iron breech block, one of nine found at the base of the cliffs near the Zuytdorp wreck, suggests that at least some of the crew may have survived the shipwreck in 1712.

These blocks were part of a ship’s cannon system. Loaded with gunpowder and shot, they were slotted into the breech of a cannon for firing. But here, far from the deck of a ship, they may have served a desperate new purpose: signalling for help.

The cliffs lie directly beneath the VOC’s shipping route to Batavia. It’s possible the survivors used these blocks to fire warning shots, hoping to catch the attention of a passing ship that never came.