The Melckmeyt (“milkmaid”) is known as the Dutch smuggler’s shipwreck. It was a 33-metre-long (108 feet) Dutch fluyt but flew a Danish flag because, at the time of its sinking in October 1659, it was illegal for the Netherlands to trade with Iceland (which was then ruled by Denmark). Icelandic commerce was controlled strictly by the Danes, but the Dutch saw an opportunity to provide Icelanders with the goods they desired, such as grain and ceramics. The Dutch sailors of the Melckmeyt posed as Danish crew.
The fluyt (three-masted ship) was the favoured vessel of the Dutch East and West India Companies because it was built exclusively for trade, lightly constructed, and swift on the oceans. It could not outrun a terrible storm on 16 October 1659, however, and the ship sank off the remote Icelandic island of Flatey.
The Melckmeyt is Iceland’s oldest shipwreck, and it was discovered in 1992, impressively preserved thanks to Iceland’s icy waters. A digital reconstruction of the ship is available for anyone to explore and includes Johannes Vermeer’s (1632-1675) famous painting, Milkmaid, on the stern. It can be viewed by using a virtual reality headset such as Google Cardboard or on a computer or smartphone. Users can click and drag to move around the shipwreck.
Source: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1731/top-5-deep-dive-virtual-shipwrecks/