Jan van Speyk


Jan Carolus Josephus van Speijk, also written Van Speyk, was a Dutch naval lieutenant who became a hero in the Netherlands for his opposition to the Belgian Revolution.

Early life

Born in Amsterdam in 1802, van Speijk was orphaned only a few weeks after his birth. When he was 18 years old, he joined the Royal Netherlands Navy and served in the Dutch East Indies from 1823 to 1825. He successfully attacked Bangka and Java, which earned him the nickname Schrik der Roovers.

Death

When the Belgian War of Independence began, Van Speijk was given command of a Dutch gunboat. Van Speijk despised the Belgian independence movement, and he said he would rather die "than become an infamous Brabander". On February 5, 1831, a gale blew his gunboat into the quay at the port of Antwerp. The Belgians quickly stormed his ship, demanding Van Speijk haul down the Dutch flag. Rather than surrender his ship, he fired a pistol into a barrel of gunpowder in the ship's magazine. According to legend, he shouted "Dan liever de lucht in". The number of Belgians killed is unknown, though it probably numbered in the dozens. Twenty-eight of his 31 crewmen also perished in the blast.

Legacy

Eight days after Van Speijk's death, the Netherlands declared a period of mourning. His remains were buried in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, where the remains of Dutch naval hero Michiel de Ruyter also are interred.
Van Speijk is regarded as a naval hero in the Netherlands. This resulted in a royal decree issued by King William I pronouncing that as long as the Dutch Navy exists there will always be a ship named 'Van Speijk' to preserve his memory. Seven ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy ships have carried this name, the latest being of 1994, a. Her predecessor, the frigate, launched in 1965, was the lead ship of her own class. The mast of Van Speijk's ship is preserved at the Koninklijk Instituut voor de Marine.
For his actions as captain of Gunboat Number 2, Jan van Speijk was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Order of William.
A national memorial in his honour is located at the J.C.J. van Speijk Lighthouse in Egmond aan Zee.