Table of Early Ship Visits
Compiled by Albert J. Beintema, 7th July 2022
Adapted from The Remotest Island (New Generation Publishers, 2022)
The table below lists all ships and/or their captains that are thought to have visited the Tristan da Cunha islands or Gough Island before 1800. Wherever possible, I have checked the original accounts, including Portuguese and Dutch ships' logs. Consquently, some reports turned out to be mistaken or incorrect.
![]() |
![]() |
Pictures from 16th century Portuguese pilot books showing Tristão da Cunha's ships and the loss of the Sam João at Tristan. |
The struck through entries below are for ships & captains that have been listed by various authors as having visited Tristan, but which to my best judgment either never saw the islands or did not even exist (e.g. Capitão Mor and Vlaming).
Year | Ship(s) | Captain | From | To | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1503 | L'Espoir | De Gonneville | France | Tristan? | Perrone-Moisés (1992) |
1505 | [Unnamed ship] | Gonçalo Alvares | Portugal | Gough | Headland (1992) |
1506 | Espirito Santo | Tristão da Cunha | Portugal | Tristan | Brander (1940, 1952), Gray Birch (1875) |
1506 | Flor de la Mar | Afonso de Albuquerque | Portugal | Tristan | Brander (1940, 1952), Gray Birch (1875) |
1506 | Capitão Mor | Portugal | Tristan? | Mackay (1963) | |
1508 | Sam João | Jorge de Aguiar (shipwrecked!) | Portugal | Tristan | Soeiro de Brito et al (1992). |
1520 | Sam Rafael | Rui Vaz Pereira | Portugal | Tristan? | Faustini (undated), |
1535 | Espera | Fernão Peres de Andrade | Portugal | Tristan | Malhão Pereira (2001) |
1537 | [Unnamed ship] | André Vaz | Portugal | Tristan? | Malhão Pereira (2001) |
1557 | Santa Maria da Craça | Luis Fernandes Vasconcelos | Portugal | Tristan? | Faustini (undated), |
1583 | [Unnamed fleet] | Portugal | Tristan? | Smith (1991) | |
1598 | Van Neck | Netherlands | Tristan? | Faustini (undated), | |
1601 | Bruinvis | Willem van Westzanen | Netherlands | Tristan | Brander (1940, 1952) |
1610 | Globe | Britain | Tristan? | ||
1618 (1619) | Bontekoe | Netherlands | Tristan? | Brander (1940, 1952) | |
1620 | Montmorancy, Esperance, and Hermitage | Beaulieu | France | Tristan | Faustini (undated), |
1626 | Dutch fleet | Netherlands | Tristan? | Smith (1991) | |
1629 | Hollandia, Der Goes, Westzaenen, and Oostzaenen | Jacob Speckx | Netherlands | Tristan | Coolhaas (1964) |
1630 | Deventer, Middelburg, and Hof van Holland | Artus Gijsels | Netherlands | Tristan | Coolhaas (1964) |
1643 | Heemstede | Claes Gerritsz. Bierenbroodspot | Netherlands | Tristan | Brander (1940, 1952) |
1646 | Witte Olifant | Klass Bot | Netherlands | Tristan? | Bruijn et al. (1979) |
1646 | Koning David | Reiner Egbertz | Netherlands | Tristan? | Bruijn et al. (1979) |
1646 | Witte Paard | Netherlands | Tristan? | Bruijn et al. (1979) | |
1656 | 't Nachtglas | Jan Jacobsz | Netherlands | Tristan | Brander (1940, 1952) |
1657 | Orangie | Rijklof van Goens | Netherlands | Gough | Stapel (1927) |
1658 | Elburg | Pereboom | Netherlands | Tristan? | Bruijn et al. (1979) |
1659 | Graveland | Netherlands | Tristan | Brander (1940, 1952) | |
1666 | [Unnamed ship] | Marquis de Mondevergne | France | Tristan | Faustini (undated), |
1669 | Grundel | Gerritz. Riddermuis | Netherlands | Tristan | Brander (1940, 1952) |
1675 | [Unnamed ship] | Antoine de la Roche | Britain | Gough? | Headland (1992) |
1676 | Vautour | France | Tristan | Headland (1992) | |
1681 | Ternate | Jan Gerritz | Netherlands | Tristan | Bruijn et al. (1979) |
1684 | Tonquin Merchant | Knox | Britain | Tristan? | Faustini (undated), |
1685 | Welfare, Kent, Rainbow | Britain | Tristan | Headland (1992) | |
1690 | Hirondelle | Valleau, François Leguat | Netherlands | Tristan | Headland (1992), Oliver (1891) |
1696 | Geelvinck, Nijptang, and t'Wezeltje | Willem de Vlaming | Netherlands | Tristan | Brander (1940, 1952) |
1697 | Vlaming | Francis Cheyne | Britain | Tristan? | Schaffer (2010) |
1700 | Paramore | Edmund Halley | Britain | Tristan | Headland (1992) |
1708 | St. Louis | France | Tristan? | Headland (1992) | |
1711 | l'Adelaide, l'Eclatant, and le Fendant | Housfaije, le Chevalier | France | Tristan | D'Après de Mannevillette (1775) |
1732 | Richmond | Gough | Britain | Gough | Headland (1992) |
1755 | Le Rouillé | Joran | France | Tristan | D'Après de Mannevillette (1775), Faustini (undated), |
1758 | Osterly | Vincent | Britain | Gough | Headland (1992) |
1760 | [Unnamed ship] | Gamiel Nightingale | Britain | Tristan | Brander (1940, 1952) |
1767 | Etoile du Matin, and l'Heure du Berger | d'Etchevery, Sieur Donat | France | Tristan | Brander (1940, 1952) |
1775 | Joseph et Thérèse | Bolts | Austria | Tristan | Brander (1940, 1952) |
1775 | D'Après de Mannevillette | France | Tristan? | Mackay (1963) | |
1777 | Cormorant, Rippon | Vernon | Britain | Tristan | Headland (1992) |
1790 | Betsy | Colquhoun | United States of America | Tristan | Milner & Brierly (1869) |
1790 | Industry | Patten | United States of America | Tristan | Brander (1940, 1952) |
1791 | Philadelphia | Cahoone | United States of America | Tristan | Headland (1992) |
1791 | Warren | Smith | United States of America | Tristan | Headland (1992) |
1792 | Grand Turk | Hodges | United States of America | Tristan | Headland (1992) |
1792 | Lion, Hindostan, and Jackal | Gower | Britain | Tristan | Brander (1940, 1952), Headland (1992) |
1792 | General Elliott | Britain | Tristan | Smith (1991) | |
1793 | Le Courier | Le Gars | France | Tristan | Brander (1940, 1952), Headland (1992) |
1794 | Essex | Britain | Tristan | Smith (1991) | |
1795 | Providence | Broughton | Britain? | Tristan | Purdy (1816) |
1799 | Sally | Péron | France | Tristan | Headland (1992) |