Global Terror on Aceh Seas

“Espantodel Mundo!” The Portuguese upon seeing the Cakra Donya, the warship that the Aceh Darussalam sultanate sent to fight them in Malacca in 1629, shouted this expression, which literally means global terror.

The warship was 100 meters long. Three masts were installed on the deck and 100 cannons were seen on both sides.

“How majestic, how strong! How beautiful, how rich! Despite our eyes having grown tired from seeing too much beauty in the world, they were wide open upon seeing this ship,” wrote Spanish historian Manuel de Faria y Sousa (1590-1649) of the Cakra Donya in Asia Portuguesa.

In Chik Pantee Geulima’s Hikayat Malem Dagang (The Tale of Malem   Dagang), he told tales of Acehnese Sultan Iskandar Muda’s (1607-1636) journey to defeat the Portuguese in Malacca, the Cakra Donya was also mentioned. Cakra means weapon and donya means world.

The Cakra Donya was formidable and massive. It had three giant bells that were gifted by Chinese traders to Aceh in the early 15^th century. One of these bells is currently housed at the Aceh Museum in Banda Aceh.

Tales of Aceh’s maritime magnificence do not stop here. Denys Lombard’s book Kerajaan Aceh: Zaman Sultan Iskandar Muda (Aceh Kingdom: the Times of Sultan Iskandar Muda) tells of how Admiral de Beaulieu admired Aceh forces.

The French seaman and trader was fascinated by the huge number of massive war ships owned by the Aceh Darussalam Sultanate under Sultan Alauddin Riayat Syah al-Qahhar (1537-1571). Among these ships were ones that could carry up to 400 seamen.

When the Aceh Darussalam Sultanate was ruled by Sultan Iskandar Muda (1607-1636), Beaulieu saw an even greater maritime armada in Aceh. He said that, in 1621, about 100 warships were docked in three of Aceh’s major war harbors, namely Aceh, Daya and Pidir. Each of the ships could carry between 600 and 800 seamen. A third of these ships were much larger than any ships any European nation had ever built.

“Under Iskandar Muda, the Aceh Kingdom was the strongest in the seas,” Beaulieu said.

British seaman Peter Mundy, who arrived in Aceh in 1637, also saw the same thing. He even said that Aceh owned 200 massive warships, not to mention the busy traffic of smaller boats on Aceh’s waters.

Such achievements were inseparable from Aceh’s position as one of the most important harbors in the Malacca Strait in the 16^th and 17^th century. This occurred especially after the Portuguese conquered Malacca in 1511, resulting in traders, especially Muslims, to move to Aceh.

Aceh then became a gateway for western traders from Europe, the Middle East and India to go eastward, including to China, and vice versa. This was the most important trade route at the time.

Upon traversing the waters under the sultanate’s rule, the ships had to dock at Aceh’s harbor. They then needed to pay a fee to obtain trade licenses.

Many foreign ships docked in Aceh’s harbor, Aceh’s local crops, such as pepper, became increasingly famous all over the world.

Back then, a flotilla of Aceh trade ships set sail to many parts of the world, including the Red Sea in the Middle East. Amirul Hadi wrote in his book Aceh: Sejarah, Budayadan Tradisi (Aceh: History, Cultures and Tradition) that the trade armada brought in an abundant income. Aceh could gain between three and four million ducats of gold each year from exporting between 30,000 quintals and 40,000 quintals of pepper, spices and other goods.

Such conditions highlighted the expertise and persistence of Aceh’s seamen in journeying across the seas. They were of equal caliber and status as seamen from Europe, the Middle East, India and China.

The combination of crops and trade enabled Aceh to have strong finances to develop its maritime armada.

The knowledge to build ships, especially massive warships like Cakra Donya, was gained from a trade cooperation with Turkey in the 16^th century, according to Syiah Kuala University historian Husaini Ibrahim.

“Back then, Aceh faced threats from the Portuguese and thus, the sultanate asked for Turkey’s help. As both were Islamic kingdoms with Portugal being their common enemy, Turkey sent its help, including in the form of expert shipbuilders,” Husaini said.

History

After the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda ended, Aceh’s maritime power declined. Upon the Dutch’s military aggression and trade monopoly in Aceh in the 19^th and early 20^th century, the power deteriorated even further.

Even after Indonesian independence, all signs show that Aceh’s maritime renaissance is still far away. Currently, there are only a few shipbuilders on the shores of Aceh.

They can only build ships up to 100 tons. Ships like these are often merely 20 m long and used by fisherfolk. They can only carry up to 15 crewmembers.

The secretary of Aceh Sea Command, the customary association for Acehnese fisherfolk, Miftachuddin Cut Adek said that it was becoming increasingly difficult to find high-quality wood to build ships in Aceh.

Gampong Dayah Geulumpang shipbuilder Mardani, 31, shared this sentiment: Due to the difficulties in finding high-quality wood, it could take up to a year to build a 20-ton boat. If raw materials were easier to find, building these ships should need no longer than three months. Difficulties in procuring raw materials also increased shipbuilding costs. Ships 50 tons in size, for instance, can cost up to Rp 4 billion (US$300,356).

As many Acehnese fisherfolk do not have this amount of money, many have resorted to working as labors on other people’s ships. They have small incomes as they have to split fishing hauls with the ship owners. This condition is made worse because many of them use traditional fishing means.

Acehnese sailors can no longer traverse the oceans like their ancestors. Nowadays, many Acehnese sailors merely dabble in coastal fishing. Fisherfolk in Gampong Lamteh, Peukan Bada, Aceh Besar, Sofianto, 35, for instance, usually only goes 20 nautical miles (37.04 kilometers) out to sea.

At sea, they often see foreign boats, such as those from Thailand, with more expansive cruising ranges and more modern equipment entering Aceh waters.

The maritime power of Aceh and Indonesia seem to be nothing more than a distant memory.