Date Added: 18 December 2007
The Turfijker is member of the Tjalk-family. Round stern and stem. With de Turfijker peat was transported from the county Drenthe, in the north/east of Holland all over the country. Even via the Zuiderzee (jet IJsselmeer) to the west of Holland, to places such as Amsterdam. Peat was together with wood the main fuel to heat houses and cook meals in stoves and fire places. Because peat doesn’t weigh very much, you stow many of it in a ships hold. To increase the ships cargo capacity, bulkheads (aprox 60cm high) were placed on deck, round the entrance of the hold. The hatch of the hold came on top of the bulkheads. During the war against Spain, who kept Holland occupied for 80 years, a peatship was used as a Trojan-horse. At the end of the 16th century a peatship was send to the city of Breda. In its hold, stowed under the peatcargo a bunch of soldiers of the Prince of Orange was hidden. The peat was to be delivered to the Spanish garrison. The boat was moored in the middle of the town. During the night the soldiers disembarked, made the Spanish garrison p.o.w and captured the town. Next the towns gate was opened, to let more soldiers enter the town. More towns were conquered by the Prince of Orange the next years, but he could never use this trick again.
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