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SS Van Heemskerk

January 01, 1970

SS Van Heemskerk was a passenger steamship that was launched in the Netherlands in 1909 and sunk by enemy action off New Guinea in 1943. She spent most of her career with Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij (KPM, the "Royal Packet Navigation Company"), based in the Dutch East Indies.

Van Heemskerk off Gorontalo, about 1910
History
NameVan Heemskerk
Owner
Operator1918: British India SN Co
Port of registry
BuilderNederlandsche SM, Amsterdam
Yard number100
Laid down5 April 1909
Launched31 August 1909
Completed29 October 1909
Identification
FateSunk by air attack, 1943
General characteristics
Typepassenger ship
Tonnage2,996 GRT, 1,896 NRT, 4,377 DWT
Length325.5 ft (99.2 m)
Beam43.8 ft (13.4 m)
Depth25.0 ft (7.6 m)
Decks3
Installed power233 NHP, 1,300 ihp
Propulsion
Speed10+1⁄2 knots (19.4 km/h)
Capacity
  • passengers: 26 × 1st class, 29 × 2nd class, 941 × steerage
  • cargo: 164,000 cubic feet (4,600 m3) grain, 140,000 cubic feet (4,000 m3) bale
Armament1942: DEMS
Notesone of several sister ships

In the First World War the United Kingdom seized her under angary. In the Second World War she escaped the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies, and became part of the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) command's permanent local fleet. A Japanese air attack sank her on 26 June 1943.

Building edit

Between 1907 and 1914, KPM took delivery of a set of sister ships from different Dutch shipyards. Maatschappij voor Scheeps- en Werktuigbouw Fijenoord in Rotterdam completed 's Jacob in 1907, Le Maire and Van Spilbergen in 1908, Van der Hagen in 1909, Van Waerwijck in 1910, and Sloet van de Beele and Van Imhoff in 1914.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Maatschappij (NSM) in Amsterdam completed Van Heemskerk in 1909, Van Linschoten in 1910, and Van Neck in 1912.[8][9][10] Rijkee & Co in Rotterdam completed Van Rees in 1913.[11]

NSM built Van Heemskerk as yard number 100. She was launched on 9 December 1909 and completed in February 1910.[8] Her registered length was 325.5 ft (99.2 m), her beam was 443.8 ft (135.3 m) and her depth was 25 ft (7.6 m). Her tonnages were 2,996 GRT, 1,896 NRT,[12] and 4,377 DWT. She had berths for 996 passengers: 26 in first class, 29 in second class, and 941 in steerage. Her holds had capacity for 164,000 cubic feet (4,600 m3) of grain, or 140,000 cubic feet (4,000 m3) of baled cargo.[8]

The ship had a single screw, driven by a three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine. It was rated at 233 NHP[12] or 1,300 ihp, and gave her a speed of 10+1⁄2 knots (19.4 km/h).[8]

KPM registered Van Heemskerk at Batavia in the Dutch East Indies. Her code letters were TJKG.[12]

Career until 1941 edit

 
Van Heemskerk in Sanana, about 1921–22

On 20 March 1918 President Woodrow Wilson issued Proclamation 1436, authorising the seizure under angary of Dutch ships in US ports. The UK also seized Dutch ships in ports of the British Isles and the British Empire. Van Heemskerk was seized in Singapore. She was vested in the UK Shipping Controller, who appointed the British India Steam Navigation Company to manage her. She was registered in Singapore, with the UK official number 140132 and code letters TWMK.[13] The ship was returned to her owners in February 1919.[8]

In 1925 Van Heemskerk's code letters were changed to TJDF.[14] In 1934 the call sign PKEH superseded her code letters.[15]

Second World War edit

On 8 December 1941 Japan invaded the Dutch East Indies. On 1 March 1942 Japanese forces landed on Java. Van Heemskerk was one of 21 KPM ships that reached Australian ports after the fall of Java.

Dutch officials asked that the KPM ships be put into Allied war service.[16] On 26 March 1942 the Chief Quartermaster, US Army Forces in Australia (USAFIA) chartered Van Heemskerk and other KPM ships, with long term details to be negotiated at higher levels, to become part of the United States Army's local fleet. She was crewed by her KPM officers and men, without being given an Army local fleet "X" number.[17]

Van Heemskerk was one of four Dutch ships of Convoy ZK8, which left Sydney on 18 May 1942. The others were Bantam, Bontekoe and Van Heutsz, escorted by HMAS Arunta and HNLMS Tromp. The convoy took 4,735 troops of the Australian 14th Brigade to Port Moresby.[18]

Van Heemskerk continued ferrying troops and materiel between Queensland and New Guinea during the reinforcement and build-up in New Guinea.[19] She sailed with Convoy A2, which left Brisbane on 7 August and went to Fall River; and Convoy PQ3/1, which she joined from Cairns on 6 September and which went to Port Moresby.[20]

Van Heemskerk and Japara, escorted by Arunta, were due in Milne Bay on the evening of 11 September, days after the surface raid that had sunk Anshun. Reports of another possible surface raid developing caused the convoy to hold until the morning of 12 September when it entered Milne Bay at about 06:00 hrs.[21] The ships finished unloading, and on 15 September left for Townsville escorted by Arunta and HMAS Stuart.[22]

Van Heemskerk sailed on Convoy E, which left Townsville on 21 October and went to Fall River, and Convoy K, which left Townsville on 22 November and went to Port Moresby.[20] On December 26 and 27, while she was at Merauke, New Guinea, a Japanese float plane bombed her, causing seven casualties.[23]

 
The area of Operation Lilliput

Logistical support of Allied operations on the north coast of New Guinea by sea required establishment of a port west of Milne Bay at Oro Bay, and a route by which large ships could pass through the largely uncharted and hazardous waters between.[24] Small vessels transporting supplies in the early stages and survey vessels found that route and convoys code named Operation Lilliput were put into place to run two large ships under escort of one or two corvettes to Oro Bay in what were termed "flights" and given numbers.[25] Van Heemskerk took part in a simultaneous, specialized operation code named Accountant that took the United States Army 162nd Regiment, 41st Division, from Australia to the Buna-Gona operations area.[26] She was then to join the regular Lilliput convoy system as flight number 28.[27]

Loss edit

Van Heemskerk Bontekoe, and the motor ship Balikpapan, escorted by the destroyer HMAS Vendetta, formed Convoy TN67, which left Townsville on 6 April 1943.[20] Van Heemskerk and Balikpapan, escorted by HMAS Kapunda, reached Milne Bay on 14 April 1943 just as the twenty-fourth air raid on that port was developing, and after being diverted from Port Moresby due to air raids there.[28] Van Heemskerk disembarked her troops, but had cargo of ammunition and fuel to be unloaded, and not enough time to clear the bay.[29]

 
HMAS Wagga

The US troop commander left an improvised defense of 20 US soldiers. They put a Jeep with mounted .50 caliber machine gun on each cargo hatch for anti-aircraft cover. They survived four masthead-level attacks, but then a hit in a hold containing ammunition and fuel destroyed the Jeeps and their crews.[30] HMAS Wagga and her crew tried to control the fire, until at about 17:00 hrs Van Heemskerk exploded. Four people were killed; the last casualties of Lilliput.[28][31] Loss of Van Heemskerk caused the only cancellation of a Lilliput flight. 39 out of 40 were completed.[26]

References edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ "s'Jacob – ID 8558". Stichting Maritiem-Historische Databank (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Le Maire – ID 3634". Stichting Maritiem-Historische Databank (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Van Spilbergen – ID 6910". Stichting Maritiem-Historische Databank (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  4. ^ "Van der Hagen – ID 6869". Stichting Maritiem-Historische Databank (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Van Waerwijck – ID 6915". Stichting Maritiem-Historische Databank (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  6. ^ "Sloet van de Beele – ID 5957". Stichting Maritiem-Historische Databank (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Van Imhoff – ID 6890". Stichting Maritiem-Historische Databank (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Van Heemskerk – ID 6883". Stichting Maritiem-Historische Databank (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Van Linschoten – ID 6892". Stichting Maritiem-Historische Databank (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Van Neck – ID 6895". Stichting Maritiem-Historische Databank (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  11. ^ "Van Rees – ID 6902". Stichting Maritiem-Historische Databank (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  12. ^ a b c Lloyd's Register 1911, VAL–VAN.
  13. ^ Mercantile Navy List 1919, p. 582.
  14. ^ Lloyd's Register 1926, VAN.
  15. ^ Lloyd's Register 1934, VAN.
  16. ^ Masterson 1949, pp. 321–322.
  17. ^ Masterson 1949, pp. 321–322, Appendix 30, p. 3.
  18. ^ Gill 1968, p. 63.
  19. ^ Gill 1968, p. 162, fn8.
  20. ^ a b c Hague, Arnold. "Port Arrivals / Departures". Arnold Hague Ports Database. Don Kindell, Convoyweb. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  21. ^ Gill 1968, pp. 172–174.
  22. ^ Gill 1968, p. 174.
  23. ^ Gill 1968, p. 264.
  24. ^ Gill 1968, pp. 266–268.
  25. ^ Gill 1968, p. 240.
  26. ^ a b Gill 1968, p. 269.
  27. ^ Gill 1968, p. 282.
  28. ^ a b Gill 1968, p. 281.
  29. ^ Morison 2010, p. 126.
  30. ^ Morison 2010, p. 127.
  31. ^ Visser, Jan. "Cargo for the Jungle". Royal Netherlands Navy Warships of World War II. Retrieved 27 December 2014.

Bibliography edit

  • Gill, G. Hermon (1968). Royal Australian Navy 1939–1942. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 2 – Navy. Vol. 2. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  • Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping. Vol. II.–Steamers. London: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1911 – via Internet Archive.
  • Lloyd's Register of Shipping. Vol. II.–Steamers and Motorships. London: Lloyd's Register. 1926 – via Internet Archive.
  • Lloyd's Register of Shipping (PDF). Vol. II.–Steamers and Motorships of 300 Tons Gross and Over. London: Lloyd's Register. 1934 – via Southampton City Council.
  • Masterson, Dr. James R. (1949). U.S. Army Transportation In The Southwest Pacific Area 1941–1947. Washington, DC: Transportation Unit, Historical Division, Special Staff, U.S. Army.
  • Mercantile Navy List. London. 1919 – via Crew List Index Project.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Morison, Samuel Eliot (2010) [Boston—Little, Brown1947-62]. Breaking the Bismarcks barrier, 22 July 1942 – 1 May 1944. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. 6. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1591145523. LCCN 2009052288.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Van Heemskerk (ship, 1909).
  • "De werf van de Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Maatschappij, Conradstraat 151". Gemeente Amsterdam Stadsarchief. – photo of Van Heemskerk being built
  • "Tewaterlating van het vrachtpassagiersschip ss. Van Heemskerk". Gemeente Amsterdam Stadsarchief. – photo of Van Heemskerk on the slipway, waiting to be launched

January 01, 1970
heemskerk, passenger, steamship, that, launched, netherlands, 1909, sunk, enemy, action, guinea, 1943, spent, most, career, with, koninklijke, paketvaart, maatschappij, royal, packet, navigation, company, based, dutch, east, indies, heemskerk, gorontalo, about. SS Van Heemskerk was a passenger steamship that was launched in the Netherlands in 1909 and sunk by enemy action off New Guinea in 1943 She spent most of her career with Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij KPM the Royal Packet Navigation Company based in the Dutch East Indies Van Heemskerk off Gorontalo about 1910History NameVan Heemskerk Owner1909 Koninklijke Paketvaart Mij 1918 Shipping Controller 1919 Koninklijke Paketvaart Mij Operator1918 British India SN Co Port of registry1909 Batavia 1918 Singapore 1919 Batavia BuilderNederlandsche SM Amsterdam Yard number100 Laid down5 April 1909 Launched31 August 1909 Completed29 October 1909 Identification1909 code letters TJKG 1918 UK official number 140132 1918 code letters TWMK by 1926 code letters TJDF by 1934 call sign PKEH FateSunk by air attack 1943 General characteristics Typepassenger ship Tonnage2 996 GRT 1 896 NRT 4 377 DWT Length325 5 ft 99 2 m Beam43 8 ft 13 4 m Depth25 0 ft 7 6 m Decks3 Installed power233 NHP 1 300 ihp Propulsion1 screw 1 triple expansion engine Speed10 1 2 knots 19 4 km h Capacitypassengers 26 1st class 29 2nd class 941 steerage cargo 164 000 cubic feet 4 600 m3 grain 140 000 cubic feet 4 000 m3 bale Armament1942 DEMS Notesone of several sister ships In the First World War the United Kingdom seized her under angary In the Second World War she escaped the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies and became part of the Southwest Pacific Area SWPA command s permanent local fleet A Japanese air attack sank her on 26 June 1943 Contents 1 Building 2 Career until 1941 3 Second World War 4 Loss 5 References 5 1 Notes 5 2 Bibliography 6 External linksBuilding editBetween 1907 and 1914 KPM took delivery of a set of sister ships from different Dutch shipyards Maatschappij voor Scheeps en Werktuigbouw Fijenoord in Rotterdam completed s Jacob in 1907 Le Maire and Van Spilbergen in 1908 Van der Hagen in 1909 Van Waerwijck in 1910 and Sloet van de Beele and Van Imhoff in 1914 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Maatschappij NSM in Amsterdam completed Van Heemskerk in 1909 Van Linschoten in 1910 and Van Neck in 1912 8 9 10 Rijkee amp Co in Rotterdam completed Van Rees in 1913 11 NSM built Van Heemskerk as yard number 100 She was launched on 9 December 1909 and completed in February 1910 8 Her registered length was 325 5 ft 99 2 m her beam was 443 8 ft 135 3 m and her depth was 25 ft 7 6 m Her tonnages were 2 996 GRT 1 896 NRT 12 and 4 377 DWT She had berths for 996 passengers 26 in first class 29 in second class and 941 in steerage Her holds had capacity for 164 000 cubic feet 4 600 m3 of grain or 140 000 cubic feet 4 000 m3 of baled cargo 8 The ship had a single screw driven by a three cylinder triple expansion steam engine It was rated at 233 NHP 12 or 1 300 ihp and gave her a speed of 10 1 2 knots 19 4 km h 8 KPM registered Van Heemskerk at Batavia in the Dutch East Indies Her code letters were TJKG 12 Career until 1941 edit nbsp Van Heemskerk in Sanana about 1921 22 On 20 March 1918 President Woodrow Wilson issued Proclamation 1436 authorising the seizure under angary of Dutch ships in US ports The UK also seized Dutch ships in ports of the British Isles and the British Empire Van Heemskerk was seized in Singapore She was vested in the UK Shipping Controller who appointed the British India Steam Navigation Company to manage her She was registered in Singapore with the UK official number 140132 and code letters TWMK 13 The ship was returned to her owners in February 1919 8 In 1925 Van Heemskerk s code letters were changed to TJDF 14 In 1934 the call sign PKEH superseded her code letters 15 Second World War editOn 8 December 1941 Japan invaded the Dutch East Indies On 1 March 1942 Japanese forces landed on Java Van Heemskerk was one of 21 KPM ships that reached Australian ports after the fall of Java Dutch officials asked that the KPM ships be put into Allied war service 16 On 26 March 1942 the Chief Quartermaster US Army Forces in Australia USAFIA chartered Van Heemskerk and other KPM ships with long term details to be negotiated at higher levels to become part of the United States Army s local fleet She was crewed by her KPM officers and men without being given an Army local fleet X number 17 Van Heemskerk was one of four Dutch ships of Convoy ZK8 which left Sydney on 18 May 1942 The others were Bantam Bontekoe and Van Heutsz escorted by HMAS Arunta and HNLMS Tromp The convoy took 4 735 troops of the Australian 14th Brigade to Port Moresby 18 Van Heemskerk continued ferrying troops and materiel between Queensland and New Guinea during the reinforcement and build up in New Guinea 19 She sailed with Convoy A2 which left Brisbane on 7 August and went to Fall River and Convoy PQ3 1 which she joined from Cairns on 6 September and which went to Port Moresby 20 Van Heemskerk and Japara escorted by Arunta were due in Milne Bay on the evening of 11 September days after the surface raid that had sunk Anshun Reports of another possible surface raid developing caused the convoy to hold until the morning of 12 September when it entered Milne Bay at about 06 00 hrs 21 The ships finished unloading and on 15 September left for Townsville escorted by Arunta and HMAS Stuart 22 Van Heemskerk sailed on Convoy E which left Townsville on 21 October and went to Fall River and Convoy K which left Townsville on 22 November and went to Port Moresby 20 On December 26 and 27 while she was at Merauke New Guinea a Japanese float plane bombed her causing seven casualties 23 nbsp The area of Operation Lilliput Logistical support of Allied operations on the north coast of New Guinea by sea required establishment of a port west of Milne Bay at Oro Bay and a route by which large ships could pass through the largely uncharted and hazardous waters between 24 Small vessels transporting supplies in the early stages and survey vessels found that route and convoys code named Operation Lilliput were put into place to run two large ships under escort of one or two corvettes to Oro Bay in what were termed flights and given numbers 25 Van Heemskerk took part in a simultaneous specialized operation code named Accountant that took the United States Army 162nd Regiment 41st Division from Australia to the Buna Gona operations area 26 She was then to join the regular Lilliput convoy system as flight number 28 27 Loss editVan Heemskerk Bontekoe and the motor ship Balikpapan escorted by the destroyer HMAS Vendetta formed Convoy TN67 which left Townsville on 6 April 1943 20 Van Heemskerk and Balikpapan escorted by HMAS Kapunda reached Milne Bay on 14 April 1943 just as the twenty fourth air raid on that port was developing and after being diverted from Port Moresby due to air raids there 28 Van Heemskerk disembarked her troops but had cargo of ammunition and fuel to be unloaded and not enough time to clear the bay 29 nbsp HMAS Wagga The US troop commander left an improvised defense of 20 US soldiers They put a Jeep with mounted 50 caliber machine gun on each cargo hatch for anti aircraft cover They survived four masthead level attacks but then a hit in a hold containing ammunition and fuel destroyed the Jeeps and their crews 30 HMAS Wagga and her crew tried to control the fire until at about 17 00 hrs Van Heemskerk exploded Four people were killed the last casualties of Lilliput 28 31 Loss of Van Heemskerk caused the only cancellation of a Lilliput flight 39 out of 40 were completed 26 References editNotes edit s Jacob ID 8558 Stichting Maritiem Historische Databank in Dutch Retrieved 13 July 2023 Le Maire ID 3634 Stichting Maritiem Historische Databank in Dutch Retrieved 13 July 2023 Van Spilbergen ID 6910 Stichting Maritiem Historische Databank in Dutch Retrieved 13 July 2023 Van der Hagen ID 6869 Stichting Maritiem Historische Databank in Dutch Retrieved 13 July 2023 Van Waerwijck ID 6915 Stichting Maritiem Historische Databank in Dutch Retrieved 13 July 2023 Sloet van de Beele ID 5957 Stichting Maritiem Historische Databank in Dutch Retrieved 13 July 2023 Van Imhoff ID 6890 Stichting Maritiem Historische Databank in Dutch Retrieved 13 July 2023 a b c d e Van Heemskerk ID 6883 Stichting Maritiem Historische Databank in Dutch Retrieved 13 July 2023 Van Linschoten ID 6892 Stichting Maritiem Historische Databank in Dutch Retrieved 13 July 2023 Van Neck ID 6895 Stichting Maritiem Historische Databank in Dutch Retrieved 13 July 2023 Van Rees ID 6902 Stichting Maritiem Historische Databank in Dutch Retrieved 13 July 2023 a b c Lloyd s Register 1911 VAL VAN Mercantile Navy List 1919 p 582 Lloyd s Register 1926 VAN Lloyd s Register 1934 VAN Masterson 1949 pp 321 322 Masterson 1949 pp 321 322 Appendix 30 p 3 Gill 1968 p 63 Gill 1968 p 162 fn8 a b c Hague Arnold Port Arrivals Departures Arnold Hague Ports Database Don Kindell Convoyweb Retrieved 13 July 2023 Gill 1968 pp 172 174 Gill 1968 p 174 Gill 1968 p 264 Gill 1968 pp 266 268 Gill 1968 p 240 a b Gill 1968 p 269 Gill 1968 p 282 a b Gill 1968 p 281 Morison 2010 p 126 Morison 2010 p 127 Visser Jan Cargo for the Jungle Royal Netherlands Navy Warships of World War II Retrieved 27 December 2014 Bibliography edit Gill G Hermon 1968 Royal Australian Navy 1939 1942 Australia in the War of 1939 1945 Series 2 Navy Vol 2 Canberra Australian War Memorial Retrieved 27 December 2014 Lloyd s Register of British and Foreign Shipping Vol II Steamers London Lloyd s Register of Shipping 1911 via Internet Archive Lloyd s Register of Shipping Vol II Steamers and Motorships London Lloyd s Register 1926 via Internet Archive Lloyd s Register of Shipping PDF Vol II Steamers and Motorships of 300 Tons Gross and Over London Lloyd s Register 1934 via Southampton City Council Masterson Dr James R 1949 U S Army Transportation In The Southwest Pacific Area 1941 1947 Washington DC Transportation Unit Historical Division Special Staff U S Army Mercantile Navy List London 1919 via Crew List Index Project a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Morison Samuel Eliot 2010 Boston Little Brown1947 62 Breaking the Bismarcks barrier 22 July 1942 1 May 1944 History of United States Naval Operations in World War II Vol 6 Annapolis MD Naval Institute Press ISBN 978 1591145523 LCCN 2009052288 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Van Heemskerk ship 1909 De werf van de Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Maatschappij Conradstraat 151 Gemeente Amsterdam Stadsarchief photo of Van Heemskerk being built Tewaterlating van het vrachtpassagiersschip ss Van Heemskerk Gemeente Amsterdam Stadsarchief photo of Van Heemskerk on the slipway waiting to be launched Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title SS Van Heemskerk amp oldid 1167047001, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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