A-class minesweepers
| These small minesweepers were the first purpose-built minesweepers of the Royal Netherlands Navy, based upon the German "FM"-design of World War I-vintage. These ships arrived in Soerabaja on October 20, 1930 towed by the tugboats Friesland and Vlaanderen. All minesweepers were in Soerabaja in early March 1942 and scuttled there. |
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| Minesweeper B |
| Construction details | ||||
| Name | A | B | C | D |
| Dockyard | Rijkswerf Willemsoord, Den Helder | Rijkswerf Willemsoord, Den Helder | Rijkswerf Willemsoord, Den Helder | Rijkswerf Willemsoord, Den Helder |
| Laid down | September 13, 1928 | September 22, 1928 | April 19, 1929 | 1928 |
| Launched | April 19, 1929 | September 24, 1929 | late 1929 | 1929 |
| Commissioned | August 4, 1930 | August 4, 1930 | August 4, 1930 | August 4, 1930 |
| Dockyard number | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Pennants | A | B | C | D |
| Specifications | ||
| Dutch Navy | Japanese Navy | |
| Displacement (Washington tons) | 179 tons | 179 tons |
| Crew | 30 | 30 |
| Dimensions | 42,80 x 6 x 1,5 m | |
| Armament | 2 x 12.7 mm machine guns | 1 x 47 mm 3 x 25 mm 1 x 13 mm |
| ASW | - | 8 depthcharges |
| Radar | - | |
| Propulsion details | |
| Boilers * | 1 watertube boiler |
| Machinery * | 2 triple expansion engines |
| Shafts | 2 |
| Range | |
| Bunkerage | 40 tons oil |
| Performance | 700 ihp |
| Max Speed | 14,5 knots |
| * Machinery was built by J. & K. Smit in Kinderdijk | |
| Histories | |
| A * | Damaged on February 28, 1942 during an air attack. Scuttled by own crew in Soerabaja March 1, 1942 but raised and repaired by IJN. Completed on January 17, 1943 as the auxiliary submarinechaser Cha 113, but sunk by USS Hardhead on June 23, 1945 off Talembau, Java. (Position 114.16 E - 05.44 S) |
| B * | Scuttled by own crew in Soerabaja March 2, 1942, but raised and repaired by Japanese Navy. Completed on December 20, 1942 as Cha 112. Sunk June 4, 1945 off Laut Ketjil, Java by B-24 Liberators from the 13th Airforce in position 116.04 E - 05 S. |
| C | Scuttled in Soerabaja on March 6, 1942 but raised and salvaged by Japanese Navy. Completed on April 8, 1943 as Cha 116, but sunk by American carrier-based aircraft of TF-38 on November 13, 1944, 20 miles west of Cavite, Manila Bay. (Position 120.45 E - 14.30 N) |
| D | Destroyed at Soerabaja March 2, 1942. She was apparently not salved by the Japanese navy. What happened to the wreck is not known. |
| * It is not entirely which of A and B was Cha 112 and which was Cha 113. | |
Sources and related links |
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Sources F. Bertijn "Voor een veilige zee" (1982) F. Bertijn "60 jaar mijnendienst" (1966) A.J. Vermeulen "De schepen van de Koninklijke Marine en die der gouvernementsmarine 1814-1962 (1962) Chr. Mark "Schepen van de Koninklijke Marine in W.O. II" (1997) L.L. von Münching "Schepen van de Kon. Marine in de 2e Wereldoorlog" (1978) M.A. Cageling/P. de Jong "Onze strijdmacht ter zee" (1938) Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Marine 1929-1930 Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Marine 1930-1931 Related links (please report any broken links) German-navy.de // FM-class minesweepers The official chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II - July, 1945 |
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| May 31, 2006 | Revised data |
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