Danish ship Færøe

The Færøe was a frigate constructed in the Netherlands in 1653 as the Agathe and purchased and renamed by the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy in 1666.[1] Although the vessel was named for Norway's (and now Denmark's) Faroe Islands, it is often erroneously "translated" as Pharaoh (Danish: Farao).[2]

History
Dutch Republic
Name: Agathe
Launched: 1653
Fate: sold 1666
Denmark-Norway
Acquired: 1666
Renamed: Færøe (1667)
General characteristics
Length: 119 ft (36 m)
Beam: 27 ft (8.2 m)
Propulsion: sail
Complement: 197
Armament: 40–42 cannon
Notes: [1]

In 1671 and 1672, Færøe was the vessel used for the colonization of Sankt Thomas, the first surviving settlement in the Danish West Indies. Under the command of Captain Zacharias Bang,[3] it was forced to put in for repairs at Bergen in Norway. The delay caused its support ship, the Den forgyldte Krone, to return to Copenhagen without meeting it. Færøe arrived and established its settlement on Skt. Thomas on May 25, 1672. From an original contingent of 190, – 12 officials, 116 company "employees" (indentured servants), and 62 felons and former prostitutes, – only 104 remained, 9 having escaped at Bergen and 77 having died in transit. Another 75 died within the first year, leaving only 29 to carry on the colony under Governor Jørgen Iversen Dyppel.[4]

References
  1. Orlogsmuseet. "Færøe ex-Agathe (1653)".
  2. It has also been spelled variously as Færø, Faero, and Ferö.
  3. Erritsøs Historie. "Zacharias Hansen Bang (1633-1695)". (in Danish)
  4. Dookhan, Isaac. A History of the Virgin Islands of the United States. Canoe Press, 1974. ISBN 9768125055.


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