Museum coming up for 17th century Surat ship
Yagnesh Mehta, TNN 24 November 2009, 10:14pm IST

SURAT: The city has been a leading ship-making centre since the 17th
century. The ship Quedagh Merchant’ was also built here. The remains
of this ship will be kept at a museum at Dominican Republic. The
museum is being jointly set up by UK, US, France, Holland, Portugal,
Spain and India.

The Quedagh Merchant’, an Armenian trade vessel, was hijacked by
notorious Captain Kidd, according to sea trade history. This incident
changed the future of global trade through sea in the 17th century,
revealed Pavel and Isabella Galoumian, an Armenian research couple who
were in the city to collect manufacturing details pertaining to the
vessel.

"We are working on the topic since 2007. We have collected lots of
details about Quedagh Merchant’, which was one of its kind of
vessels. It was hijacked by Captain Kidd on January 30, 1698," says
Pavel, a physicist in European Organisation for Nuclear Research,
Geneva.

The Galoumian couple says the vessel was built in the city around 1645
by a Wadia family. It was initially owned by Indian traders and then
rented to Armenian traders.

The documented history states the vessel was hired by Armenian traders
to take goods to Europe. British Captain Kidd, who was working for his
masters in England, hijacked the ship in the Arabian Sea off
Cochin. "After hijacking the vessel loaded with goods worth Rs
2,00,000, Captain Kidd returned to England and was arrested. He was
hanged after a few years of trial, but he had sent the ship towards US
with his trusted men aboard," says Isabella, a translator.

The arrest and execution of Captain Kidd helped to check the menace of
piracy and enhanced England’s reputation.

"The remains of the vessel were found in 2007 from the island of
Dominican Republic where it was burnt by Captain Kidd’s men in
1698. It was later confirmed that it was the Quedagh Merchant’ as it
was made of Indian teak wood. The glue, iron and wooden nails used in
the ship too were of India," says Isabella.

yagnesh.mehta@timesgroup.com

http://ti mesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/surat/Museum-coming -up-for-17th-century-Surat-ship-/articleshow/52652 35.cms