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The King, Prime Minister Rob Jetten and State Secretary Eric van der Burg will visit Sint Eustatius on 16 November to commemorate the 250th anniversary of The First Salute: the gun salute with which the island greeted an American ship in 1776.
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The commemoration will take place on Monday morning, 16 November 2026. Alongside the King, Prime Minister Rob Jetten and Eric van der Burg, State Secretary for Kingdom Relations and Effective Government, are expected to attend. Rijksoverheid has announced their participation. [1]
Exactly 250 years earlier, on 16 November 1776, Fort Oranje on Sint Eustatius fired a gun salute in response to the salute from the American ship Andrew Doria. According to Rijksoverheid, this marked the first recognition of the United States by a foreign power. The government announcement does not explain the formal or diplomatic status of that recognition. [1]
The island commemorates The First Salute every year on Statia Day, the public holiday of Sint Eustatius. The anniversary commemoration falls in the year in which the United States also marks 250 years of independence. [1]
A celebration will be held at Fort Oranje on Sunday evening, 15 November, ahead of the commemoration. The announcement does not say whether the three visitors will also attend. [1]
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