Jan van Speijk

Born in Amsterdam in the Batavian Commonwealth on 13 January 1802, van Speijk was orphaned at the age of 10. When he was 18 years old, he joined the Royal Netherlands Navy and served in the Dutch East Indies from 1823 to 1825. He engaged in anti-piracy operations in Bangka Island and Java, which earned him the nickname "Terror of the Bandits" (Dutch: Schrik der Roovers). Van Speijk also served in the First Bone War while in the East Indies.^{[citation needed]}

When the Belgian Revolution began, van Speijk was given command of Gunboat No. 2. Van Speijk despised the Belgian independence movement, and he said he would rather die "than become an infamous Brabander". On 5 February 1831, a gale blew his gunboat into the quay at the port of Antwerp. The Belgians quickly stormed his ship, demanding van Speijk haul down the Dutch flag. Rather than surrender his ship, he fired a pistol (some versions say he threw a lighted cigar) into a barrel of gunpowder in the ship's magazine. According to legend^{[citation needed]} he shouted, "I'd rather be blown up then". The number of Belgians killed is unknown, though it probably numbered in the dozens. Twenty-eight of his 31 crewmen also perished in the blast.^[1]

Eight days after van Speijk's death, the Netherlands declared a period of mourning. His remains were buried in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, where the remains of Dutch naval hero Michiel de Ruyter are also interred.^{[citation needed]} Van Speijk is regarded as a naval hero in the Netherlands. This resulted in a royal decree (Koninklijk Besluit number 81, 11 February 1833) issued by King William I pronouncing that as long as the Dutch Navy exists there will always be a ship named van Speijk to preserve his memory.

Seven ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy ships have carried this name, the latest being van Speijk (F828) of 1994, a Karel Doorman-class frigate. Her predecessor, the frigate van Speijk (F802), launched in 1965, was the lead ship of her own class. The mast of van Speijk's ship is preserved at the Royal Netherlands Naval College.^{[citation needed]} For his actions related to the bombardment of Antwerp, as captain of Gunboat Number 2, van Speijk was decorated with the Knight's Cross (4th class) of the Military Order of William. A national memorial in his honour is located at the J.C.J. van Speijk Lighthouse in Egmond aan Zee.^{[citation needed]}