Editing Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony) (section)

===Voyage===

[[File:Het vertrek van de Pilgrims uit Delfshaven, 1620. A. Willaerts.jpg|thumb|Contemporary depiction of the Pilgrims leaving Delfthaven aboard the Speedwell by [[Adam Willaerts]]. {{circa|1620}}]]

The ''[[Speedwell (1577 ship)|Speedwell]]'' was originally named ''Swiftsure''. It was built in 1577 at 60 tons and was part of the English fleet that defeated the Spanish Armada. It departed [[Delfshaven]] in July 1620 with the Leiden colonists, after a canal ride from Leyden of about seven hours.<ref>Brown, John (1895). The Pilgrim Fathers of New England and their Puritan Successors. Reprinted: 1970. Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications. pp. 185.
</ref> It reached [[Southampton]], [[Hampshire]], and met with the ''[[Mayflower]]'' and the additional colonists hired by the investors. With final arrangements made, the two vessels set out on August 5 ([[Old Style]])/August 15 (New Style).<ref name="bradford_1_7" />
[[File:17th-century-merchantman.jpg|thumb|Model of a typical [[Cargo ship|merchantman]] of the period, showing the cramped conditions that had to be endured]] 
Soon after, the ''Speedwell'' crew reported that their ship was taking on water, so both were diverted to [[Dartmouth, Devon]]. The crew inspected ''Speedwell'' for leaks and sealed them, but their second attempt to depart got them only as far as [[Plymouth]], [[Devon]]. The crew decided that ''Speedwell'' was untrustworthy, and her owners sold her; the ship's master and some of the crew transferred to the ''Mayflower'' for the trip. [[William Bradford (Plymouth Colony governor)|William Bradford]] observed that the ''Speedwell'' seemed "overmasted", thus putting a strain on the hull; and he expressed suspicions that crew members might have deliberately caused it, allowing them to abandon their year-long commitments. Passenger Robert Cushman wrote that the leaking was caused by a loose board.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/w/captcha/question/|title=Project Gutenberg|website=Project Gutenberg|access-date=2016-09-12}}</ref>

====Atlantic crossing====
Of the 120 combined passengers on the two ships, 102 were chosen to travel on the ship with the supplies consolidated. Of these, about half had come by way of Leiden, and about 30 of the adults were members of the congregation.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.histarch.uiuc.edu/plymouth/Maysource.html
|title=Passengers on the Mayflower: Ages & Occupations, Origins & Connections
|last1=Deetz
|first1=Patricia Scott
|work=The Plymouth Colony Archive Project
|first2=James F.
|last2=Deetz
|access-date=November 10, 2008
}}</ref>
The reduced party finally sailed successfully on September 6 ([[Old Style]])/September 16 (New Style), 1620.

Initially the trip went smoothly, but under way they were met with strong winds and storms. One of these caused a main beam to crack, and the possibility was considered of turning back, even though they were more than halfway to their destination. However, they repaired the ship sufficiently to continue by using a "great iron screw" brought along by the colonists (probably a jack to be used for either house construction or a cider press).<ref>{{cite journal
|last=Bangs
|first=Jeremy Dupertuis
|date=Winter 2003
|title=Pilgrim Life: Two Myths – Ancient and Modern
|journal=New England Ancestors
|volume=4
|issue=1
|pages=52–55
|publisher=New England Historic Genealogical Society
|location=Boston
|issn=1527-9405
|oclc=43146397
}}</ref> Passenger [[John Howland]] was washed overboard in the storm, but he caught a top-sail halyard trailing in the water and was pulled back on board.

One crew member and one passenger died before they reached land. A child was born at sea and named [[Oceanus Hopkins|Oceanus]].<ref name="bradford_1_8-9">{{harvnb|Bradford|(1898)|loc=Book 1, Chapters 8–9.|Ref=Bradford_1898}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Fleming|first=Thomas|title=One Small Candle|year=1963|publisher=W.W. Norton|location=New York|pages=89–90}}</ref>