See full version: The Flying Dutchman facts for kids
Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) is an opera by Richard Wagner. Wagner wrote the libretto himself. The story comes from the legend of the Flying Dutchman, which is about the captain of a ship. It is his fate that he has keep sailing the sea, without ever going on to land, until Judgment Day.
Disney's Flying Dutchman prop used in Pirates of the Caribbean moored at Castaway Cay cruise ship terminal
View of Table Bay (overlooked by Kaapstad, Dutch Cape Colony) with ships of the Dutch East India Company, c. 1683. In the 17th century, the size of the Dutch merchant fleet probably exceeded the combined fleets of England, France, Spain, Portugal, and Germany. [links]
The Flying Dutchman leading Cutler Beckett's armada. more
According to legends and lore, the Flying Dutchman was given to Davy Jones by his love, the sea goddess Calypso, who gave Jones the duty of ferrying the souls who died at sea into the next world. After ten years, Jones would be free to come ashore to be with Calypso. But whenever Davy Jones came ashore, Calypso was nowhere to be found. This ultimately resulted in Jones carving out his own heart, and locking it in the Dead Man's Chest. Jones abandoned his duty, instead wreaking havoc on the seas and unleashing the Kraken upon many vessels. He also preyed on wayward sailors lost at sea who wished to avoid death and final judgment, press-ganging them into his crew, eventually becoming part of the Dutchman itself.
According to the famed legend, command of the Flying Dutchman was originally given to Davy Jones by the sea goddess Calypso. Because the two were in love, Jones was charged with the sacred task of collecting all the souls who died at sea, and ferrying them to the worlds beyond. The dimension these souls passed through became known as Davy Jones' Locker, and the Flying Dutchman could pass through it accompanied by the green flash. Because of that love, Davy Jones agreed to set foot on dry land once every ten years. But when Davy Jones came ashore, on the first day after his ten year duty, he was forsaken by Calypso, who was nowhere to be found. Heartbroken and bitter, Jones refused to continue with the duty. [6]
The Dutchman's main armament consists of twenty 36-pound cannons and eighteen 24-pound cannons, supplemented by 3-pounders on the quarterdeck and forecastle, making her capable of delivering a 588 lb. broadside. This overwhelmingly heavy broadside proves on multiple occasions to be a destructive, if not fatal, blow to any ship that is at range of this powerful ship. It also carries two large triple rotating bow chasers.
For a long, long time nothing was heard about the ghost ship. It didn’t moore in any harbors and it didn’t return home. So people just assumed it had shipwrecked, but no shipwreck was ever found. The ghost ship was forgotten about until something strange happened. A ship that was one the way back to Holland saw a ship with fiery red sails and a burned hull at the Cape of Good Hope. There was no movement on the ship, but still it sailed with great speed. When the crew of the other ship started telling this story back home, nobody believed them. [links]
As soon as the final order of the captain was carried out, something strange happened. All the sailors were dumbfounded and stood in silence. Also the boatswain and even the captain remained in place. But even though no one was moving, the ship did start moving and sailed away from the harbor. The people in the harbor were stunned as they watched the ship sail off. The last words of the captain were repeated by the crowd. “Even if we have to sail until eternity, we’re going!” There was something sinister about these words and everybody stood nervously watching the ship getting smaller and smaller on the horizon. Suddenly the white sails turned fiery red and the hull looked as if it was burned. “The ship has turned into a ghost ship,” the people whispered to each other as they returned home. [links]
The captain walked to his crew and roared, “Tomorrow we sail, rain or shine!” And although the crew trusted its captain, this sounded dangerous to them. But nobody dared to speak up. Only the boatswain cleared his throat and said “Ehm captain? Tomorrow is Easter and we’re not allowed to set off?” The captain hesitated for a minute, but then he hit the table with his fist and yelled, “I will decide when we depart! No storm or Easter day will decide that for me! Make sure everything is ready for departure first thing tomorrow.” And he retreated to his cabin cussing.
The next morning the storm was raging even more, but the captain was determined to sail off. His crew had its doubts, but they also trusted their captain. They set up the sails and brought the anchor in. Another captain came over to ask if they were really this mad to set off during a storm and Easter. The captain responded, “I decide when we depart and we depart now! Even if we have to sail until eternity, we’re going!” And with that the final word was said. more
The storm was raging in the harbor. The high waves were crashing into the only ship that was moored at the dock. The entire crew went below deck to try and keep safe. Only the tough, large captain was on deck. He was angry, very very angry. He already had to put off the departure for a couple of days and now a storm was going to prevent him from leaving the harbor again? He didn’t think so! He had sailed the seas under much worse conditions.
But over the next months, more and more reports came in on this remarkable ship. Captains were afraid to sail near the Cape of Good Hope and the crew was hard to find. Until one brave captain went out to explore the situation. And indeed, at the Cape of Good Hope he saw the ghost ship. He couldn’t believe his eyes and tried to convince himself that it was just a myth. Then the ghost ship started sailing straight at him! The crew started crying in despair, but it was too late. This ghost ship sailed right through them. But all the crew noticed was an ice cold gust of wind.
However, the legend tends to be exaggerated, so some of the facts are debatable. Decken eventually died on Fish-Man Island, and his descendants would go on to pilot the Flying Dutchman, with the current captain being the eighth generation grandson of the original Decken. [2] here
The Flying Dutchman is the stereotypical representation of a ghost ship: old and worn from time. The sails are torn and tattered, moss and barnacles are growing out from various spots of the ship, and the mast is similar to a clock tower in design. On the bottom front sail is the name "FLYING DUTCHMAN", and the top one bears the crew's Jolly Roger, a fanged skull with cutlasses, their blades pointing down in place of crossbones. The ship's figurehead bears the same skull and swords. The Flying Dutchman is one of the largest ships to appear in the series, being as large as Wadatsumi, a sea giant who dwarfs other giant characters such as Shirahoshi.
When the Straw Hat Pirates entered the Deep Sea with their coated ship, the Thousand Sunny, they eventually met the Flying Dutchman at 7000 meters below the surface. The haunted ship and its crew attacked the Sunny in an attempt to steal the treasure on board, but were impeded by underwater volcanic activity. Ankoro and Wadatsumi, serving as "advanced sea navigation", dragged the ship away, only to be blown away by the explosion. [links]
The Flying Dutchman is described as a ship that is unable to make port, and must wander the endless sea forever. This was due to the ship's deranged captain committing atrocious crimes. He brought about God's wrath, who then punished him and cursed the ship. It is a bad omen when the ship does appear. The captain of the "Flying Dutchman", in both sailing lore and in One Piece is named Vander Decken (although the spelling tends to vary in the real life lore). [2] here
The ship is not coated with resin since the crew can survive the underwater environment due to their physiology, The vessel can also withstand the underwater pressure of 10000 feet below sea level due to already being full of holes that equalize the water pressure inside and outside the hull. Only a small portion on the deck is coated for their captain to reside in.