400 years Netherlands-Australia: Allies: Operations: Navy

Commander J.F. van Dulm on board one of the Dutch submarines, November 1941.

Navy

The ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy that continued the fight against the Japanese aggressors operated mainly from the West Australian port of Fremantle near Perth. The Navy took over several of the cities’ buildings as offices and warehouses. American and Australian facilities were used for repair, maintenance and supply purposes.

The three Dutch submarines, K VIII, K IX and K XII, which arrived in Fremantle after the evacuation from the Dutch East Indies, met with little success. The K VIII was in such a poor state that it was decommissioned within two months. The K IX left for the eastern states in April 1942, where it was damaged during a Japanese midget-submarine attack in Sydney harbour on 1 June. Later that month it was decommissioned and transferred to the Royal Australian Navy for training purposes.

The K XII did see active service. In 1942 it carried out several patrols near Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. Later that year it was used in secret operations for the Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS). It made several landings on the coast of Java, where secret agents were put ashore to gather information. In March 1944 it left for Sydney where it was used for exercises until the end of the war.

The three auxiliary minesweepers Rindjani, Merbaboe and Smeroe, and the Abraham Crijnssen, which arrived in Australia in early 1942, were placed under the operational command of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The three minesweepers were used to search waters near Fremantle for enemy mines. They performed this task until they were moved to Merauke on the south coast of Dutch New Guinea in March 1944. The Abraham Crijnssen carried out operations in Bass Strait, and remained under the command of the RAN until May 1943.

In October 1942, the Heemskerck, Van Galen and Tjerk Hiddes were sent from Colombo to Fremantle to perform escort services with the Tromp, which was already there. The ships were assigned to the US 7th Fleet and served mainly as convoy ships. They made several journeys to Albany, Cape Leeuwin and Darwin to protect coastal freight ships. Escort services were also provided to tankers, freighters and troop ships, often from Colombo and Mombasa.

The Heemskerck quickly acquired the nickname ‘AIF’, which in this case did not stand for ‘Australian Imperial Force’ but for ‘Always in Fremantle’. The cruiser rarely left the port of Fremantle because it was used as part of the city’s air defences.

In late 1944, the K XIV and K XV moored in Fremantle. After their journey from the Dutch East Indies in March 1942, and repair work in Philadelphia and Dundee, the ships could finally be deployed in battle. Both were assigned to the US 7th Fleet and, like the K XII earlier, were used for secret NEFIS operations.

Later that year the O19 and the Zwaardvis arrived in Fremantle as part of the British 8th Submarine Flotilla. These submarines relied on the facilities of the British depot ships, and, unlike the other Dutch submarines in Fremantle, made no use of US facilities. They were used for patrols, mainly in the Java Sea, Malacca Strait and the South China Sea. The patrols of both ships were highly successful. Various vessels were sunk, including a Japanese tanker, the German submarine U-16 and the Japanese merchant ship Kaiyo Maru.

In April 1945 another two Dutch submarines, the O21 and O24, arrived in Fremantle. They carried out routine patrols during the remaining months of the war. The O19 was less successful. On 8 July it ran aground on the Ladd Reef, halfway between Indochina and British North Borneo. The crew was taken on board the US submarine Cod, after which the O19 was blown up.

One month before the O21 and O24 arrived, another Dutch submarine, the K XI, arrived in Fremantle from Trincomalee. Due to its poor condition, it was immediately taken out of service and sold to a scrap dealer.

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	Commander J.F. van Dulm on board one of the Dutch submarines, November 1941. Navy The ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy that continued the fight against the Japanese aggressors operated mainly from the West Australian port of Fremantle near Perth. The Navy took over several of the cities’ buildings as offices and warehouses. American and Australian facilities were used for repair, maintenance and supply purposes. The three Dutch submarines, K VIII, K IX and K XII, which arrived in Fremantle after the evacuation from the Dutch East Indies, met with little success. The K VIII was in such a poor state that it was decommissioned within two months. The K IX left for the eastern states in April 1942, where it was damaged during a Japanese midget-submarine attack in Sydney harbour on 1 June. Later that month it was decommissioned and transferred to the Royal Australian Navy for training purposes. The K XII did see active service. In 1942 it carried out several patrols near Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. Later that year it was used in secret operations for the Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS). It made several landings on the coast of Java, where secret agents were put ashore to gather information. In March 1944 it left for Sydney where it was used for exercises until the end of the war. The three auxiliary minesweepers Rindjani, Merbaboe and Smeroe, and the Abraham Crijnssen, which arrived in Australia in early 1942, were placed under the operational command of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The three minesweepers were used to search waters near Fremantle for enemy mines. They performed this task until they were moved to Merauke on the south coast of Dutch New Guinea in March 1944. The Abraham Crijnssen carried out operations in Bass Strait, and remained under the command of the RAN until May 1943. In October 1942, the Heemskerck, Van Galen and Tjerk Hiddes were sent from Colombo to Fremantle to perform escort services with the Tromp, which was already there. The ships were assigned to the US 7th Fleet and served mainly as convoy ships. They made several journeys to Albany, Cape Leeuwin and Darwin to protect coastal freight ships. Escort services were also provided to tankers, freighters and troop ships, often from Colombo and Mombasa. The Heemskerck quickly acquired the nickname ‘AIF’, which in this case did not stand for ‘Australian Imperial Force’ but for ‘Always in Fremantle’. The cruiser rarely left the port of Fremantle because it was used as part of the city’s air defences. In late 1944, the K XIV and K XV moored in Fremantle. After their journey from the Dutch East Indies in March 1942, and repair work in Philadelphia and Dundee, the ships could finally be deployed in battle. Both were assigned to the US 7th Fleet and, like the K XII earlier, were used for secret NEFIS operations. Later that year the O19 and the Zwaardvis arrived in Fremantle as part of the British 8th Submarine Flotilla. These submarines relied on the facilities of the British depot ships, and, unlike the other Dutch submarines in Fremantle, made no use of US facilities. They were used for patrols, mainly in the Java Sea, Malacca Strait and the South China Sea. The patrols of both ships were highly successful. Various vessels were sunk, including a Japanese tanker, the German submarine U-16 and the Japanese merchant ship Kaiyo Maru. In April 1945 another two Dutch submarines, the O21 and O24, arrived in Fremantle. They carried out routine patrols during the remaining months of the war. The O19 was less successful. On 8 July it ran aground on the Ladd Reef, halfway between Indochina and British North Borneo. The crew was taken on board the US submarine Cod, after which the O19 was blown up. One month before the O21 and O24 arrived, another Dutch submarine, the K XI, arrived in Fremantle from Trincomalee. Due to its poor condition, it was immediately taken out of service and sold to a scrap dealer.



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