The Coffee was Paid for Dearly: Shipwreck BZN4 and the Frigate’t Hart

The Burgzand, located east of the Dutch island of Texel, has a rich maritime history. This area served as a part of the Texel roadstead, offering ships ample deep water and a sheltered anchorage. Despite its assumed safety, the Burgzand witnessed numerous shipwrecks, including the Burgzand Noord 4 (BZN4). Since 1999, archaeological expeditions have been conducted on the shipwreck, but this research has not yet led to an identification of the wreck. However, new research into the marks on casks found in the wreck, combining insights from other archaeological findings and textual sources, has revealed a very strong candidate for identification: the two-deck frigate<i>'t Hart</i>. Thus far, the West Indiaman BZN4, representative of the ships of the trans-Atlantic trade in sugar, coffee, and cocoa, is the only such ship discovered in Dutch waters. Identifying BZN4 as <i>'t Hart</i>, which is the main objective of this paper, would offer a unique opportunity to explore trade and shipping between the Dutch Republic and its South American colonies.