an old acquaintance
For 180 years the wreck of DE DELFT remains in the dead calm deep and dark water of the North Sea. Until one late summer afternoon in 1977, when fisherman Maarten Letsch from Scheveningen goes out fishing on his cutter. At about 22 miles northeast of Scheveningen he drags his two funnel-shaped nets across the bottom of the sea at both sides of the ship. Suddenly he feels a shock on one of the nets. He slackens speed and pulls in the net.
Except for some fish and crabs he discovers a strange catch: in the net he finds a heavy, rusty round cannonball and a piece of wreckage.

There are no two ways about it: on the bottom of the sea is an unknown derelict. Letsch notes the position and intends to return to the spot.

diving
Back in Scheveningen, Letsch contacts the diving association 'Noordzee Duikvereniging Sirene' in The Hague. He informs them of his find and asks if they are interested in diving at the indicated spot. After inquiries at several organizations it seems that nobody knows about a possible shipwreck. But the curiosity of the members of Sirene is aroused enough to go and take a look. Which happens a short time later when they travel on board at the cutter of captain Letsch to the spot of the surmised wreck. There even the boldest expectations are exceeded: at a depth of about 25 meters the divers indeed find a wreck and later they succeed in bringing up a bronze cannon. The cannon is reported to the receiver of wrecks of Scheveningen, who in his turn reports it to the higher Dutch authorities.

These finds and the following investigations of J.F. Fischer Fzn, who determinated the identity of the wreck in 1993, have ultimately lead to a second life for ship-o'-war DELFT.