Barry McNamara  |  Published November 11, 2019

Recounting the Battle of Tobago

Nov. 14 archaeology lecture to explore ‘The Battle of Tobago 1677: In Search of the Dutch Men-of-War.’

MONMOUTH, Ill. – Nearly 350 years ago, a battle in the Caribbean between two European nations left 12 ships at the bottom of a bay.

KROUM BATCHVAROV: Talk will recount 1677 naval battle in the Caribbean between French and Dutch.  KROUM BATCHVAROV: Talk will recount 1677 naval battle in the Caribbean between French and Dutch. The next Archaeology Lecture at Monmouth College will recount that maritime conflict between France and the Netherlands, as well as the efforts to recover the lone surviving vessel.

University of Connecticut maritime archaeology professor Kroum Batchvarov will deliver the lecture 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 in Pattee Auditorium in the Center for Science and Business. Titled “The Battle of Tobago 1677: In Search of the Dutch Men-of-War,” his talk is free and open to the public.

“The talk’s setting in the worlds of sea battles, shipwrecks and underwater archaeological excavations should appeal to a broad audience,” said Monmouth classics professor Bob Simmons.

After more than a two-week desultory campaign, on March 3, 1677, French Vice-Admiral Jean d’Estrees launched an attack on an inferior Dutch squadron anchored in Rockley Bay in the island nation of Tobago, commanded by the experienced and competent Jakob Binckes. Two years earlier, Binckes had recaptured New York for the Netherlands. The French attack was beaten off, but a total of 12 ships were lost during the battle.

Batchvarov is the project director and principal investigator for the Rockley Bay Project, which is supported by the University of Connecticut and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology. The project has located and tentatively identified the only one of the vessels to survive the modernization of the port of Scarborough Harbour.

Batchvarov has a number of ongoing archaeological projects in addition to the Rockley Bay Project, including the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project (as co-principal investigator) and the Vasa Project, which involves the analysis of construction and documentation of a 17th-century Dutch-built man-of-war). He also serves as co-principal investigator for the Ropotamo inundated Chalcolithic settlement excavation off the Bulgarian coast, which is part of the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project.

The Archaeological Institute of America’s McCann/Taggart Lecturer for 2019-20, Batchvarov recently began work on the wreck of the Danish royal ship Gribshunden, which sank in 1495. His talk at Monmouth is sponsored by the AIA’s Western Illinois Society.

Back to News & Events

Did you know?

  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> 99% of Monmouth students received some type of scholarship or financial assistance.</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/offices/student-financial-planning/types-of-aid/scholarships/" target="_blank">Scholarships</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> 98% of Monmouth graduates were employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation.</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/wackerle-center/career-services/" target="_blank">Career Preparation</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> We’re no stranger to winning. Last year the Fighting Scots won Midwest Conference championships in Football, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Basketball and Men’s Track and Field. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_urls"><a href="https://monmouthscots.com/" target="_blank">Fighting Scots</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College is proudly test optional. Applicants may choose whether or to submit SAT or ACT scores for admission and scholarship consideration. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/admission/apply/test-optional/" target="_blank">Test Optional</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College has an active Pipe & Drum Band. Each year on Scholar’s Day in April the bagpipers wake students up at 6:00 a.m. by playing in the residence halls!</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/music/pipe-band/" target="_blank">Pipe Band</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p><strong>Monmouth College is the birthplace of the women’s fraternity movement. Pi Beta Phi, the first such collegiate women’s organization, was founded at Monmouth in 1867. It was followed three years later by Kappa Kappa Gamma. The two pioneering organizations today boast a total of 275 active chapters nationwide.</strong></p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/student-life/sororities-fraternities/" target="_blank">Sororities & Fraternities</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College offers several international trips each year during 2-week Scots Terms in January and May. Recently students have traveled to Botswana, Greece, Scotland, Japan, and more. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_urls"><a href="https://monmouthcollege.edu/offices/global-engagement/" target="_blank">Scots Term</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College offers unique academic minors in Global Public Health and Global Food Security for students who want to use their education to address global challenges. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/global-public-health/" target="_blank">Global Public Health</a></li><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/global-food-security/" target="_blank">Global Food Security</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College has an educational garden and 6.7 acre farm. Students grow and harvest fruits and vegetables to sell at the local farmer’s market. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_urls"><a href="https://monmouthcollege.edu/academics/only-at-monmouth/educational-garden-farm/" target="_blank">Garden & Farm</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> We offer a certified Peace Corps Preparation program that gives Peace Corps bound graduates a leg up in the application process.</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/peace-corps-prep/" target="_blank">Peace Corps Prep</a></li></ul></div></aside>
  • <aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College covers the cost for all current students to get a U.S. passport. Unlock access to over 198 different countries! We’ll even help with the paperwork :)</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/study-abroad/" target="_blank">Study Abroad</a></li></ul></div></aside>