Delft Blue plate commemorating the First Salute (Walter Hellebrand Collection).
Part of the short summary of St. Eustatius’ history that local historian Walter Hellebrand gave to the visiting members of the Netherlands’ Second Chamber Committee for Kingdom Relations was a reminder that in only eight years, it will be the 250th anniversary of the famous “First Salute” that took place on the island on November 16, 1776.
A proposal by member of parliament Ronald van Raak, seconded by André Bosman, to try to have the king of the Netherlands and president of the USA both present on the island for this occasion has been adopted by a majority of the Second Chamber.
What is this ‘First Salute’ all about?
We asked Hellebrand, secretary of the St. Eustatius Historical Foundation and Monuments Director of the island:
“When I was asked a few years ago by the National Office for the Caribbean Netherlands (RCN) if I could give them a short history of St. Eustatius, I put something together using ‘watershed dates’ to organise the story.
“Watershed dates to me are moments that have a distinct ‘before’ and ‘after’ that are completely different from each other. July 1, 1863, is such a date: The abolition of slavery. October 10, 2010, is such a date: the Netherlands Antilles ceased to exist and Statia became a ‘public entity’ of the Netherlands.
“But I did not list November 16, 1776, the day of the First Salute, as one of those dates. Something very special – even unique! – happened on that day, yes, but life on Statia continued the next days, weeks, months and even years without any change.
“So now that I have explained what the First Salute is not, let me describe why it has become a significant date on Statia’s calendar. First the context: The North Americans were eager and very welcome customers in Statia’s bustling port in the 1770’s. They came to appreciate the island as the one-stop shop where they could find anything from anywhere in the world – and at a better price than if they would go out to get it themselves.
“As the commercial hub of the Caribbean, the island also became the staple port for enslaved Africans. While I appreciate very much how Fort Oranje is being restored; unfortunately, the place where the enslaved Africans spent their first nights on the island after their horrendous transatlantic crossing is being seriously threatened by erosion and will disappear if nothing is done.
“In 1775, the North-Americans started their Revolutionary War against Great-Britain and on July 4, 1776, declared their independence. To a large extent, they now depended on our tiny island for all imports, including the ones they needed to beat the British: Guns, cannons, gunpowder, bullets, etc.
“Then on November 16, 1776, the Andrew Doria, one of the first ships of the newly created US navy, entered Statia’s anchorage. It was flying the new flag of the fledgling nation. Its captain Isaiah Robinson fired an official salute to the Dutch flag hanging from the flagpole inside Fort Oranje.
“Statia’s Governor Johannes de Graaff, a second generation Statian, gave orders to fire a salute to the new flag in return. So the commander of Fort Oranje, third generation Statian Abraham Ravené, let the cannons of Fort Oranje roar.
“For the Americans hankering for recognition of their independence by a major power, it was just what they needed. They were quick to interpret the salute by Statia’s Governor, a representative of the Dutch government, as the first recognition of their sovereignty. For them, the firing of Fort Oranje’s cannons was one of the birth pangs of their nation.
“The British protested and De Graaff was summoned to the Netherlands to account for his actions. These included facilitating the trade in arms and ammunition with the American ‘rebels’ and abetting American privateers.
“It was this episode of the whole story that was chosen as the background for the tapestry with the coat-of-arms of Statia that now hangs in the ‘Ridderzaal,’ the medieval Knights Hall that is the annual setting for the opening of the Dutch parliamentary year. It displays a resolution of the Estates of Holland relating to De Graaff’s conduct. It was chosen because it is a part of history that is unique to Statia.
“De Graaff received a formal warning from his superiors in the Netherlands, sailed back to Statia, and everything continued as before. Finally, the British had enough of it and in 1780 declared war on the Netherlands. Their admiral Rodney sailed to the island to punish it for its support of the Americans.
Hellebrand observes: “Stories abound about Rodney’s destruction on Statia and how it ended the island’s prosperity. So, there are people who wonder why we should celebrate an event that caused our downfall. But those stories have no basis in fact. Rodney did plunder and rob, but he did not destroy. And the British were already chased off the island after nine months. Trade resumed as before.
“With the First Salute, Statia has a unique opportunity to seek the spotlight. It provides a podium that – once secured – can be used to tell all the other stories of the island. This was recognised before: from the 1960’s the First Salute was regularly re-enacted.
“The late Christine Flanders, who initiated many cultural activities on Statia, was a driving force behind these. Even then, the dark side of the events was not forgotten and slaves tending to the fields were part of the historical re-enactment.
“American presidents in the past have recognised the crucial role of little Statia in the first struggling years of their nation. On the occasion of the 185th anniversary, US president John F. Kennedy sent an appreciative telegram to then Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and I still have the letter he sent to my father to thank him for the special First Edition envelope with the stamp that was issued for the occasion.
“The most explicit acknowledgement is from Franklin Delano Roosevelt who visited Statia’s anchorage in 1939. The plaque he presented to the island reads: ‘Here the sovereignty of the United States of America was first recognised to a national vessel by a foreign official.’”
