Willem van der Zaan History

January 18, 1936	Keel is laid
December 15, 1938	The ship is launched
August 21, 1939	Willem van der Zaan is commissioned, with Lt. Cdr. H.D. Lindner in command.
September 3, 1939	Willem van der Zaan lays 98 mines near Den Helder. The minefield is designated "Schulpengat Buiten"
September 22, 1939	A new row of 97 mines is added to the minefield started on September 3
May 7, 1940	The minelayer takes part in laying a minefield in the Boomkersdiep (27 mines) and "Zuider Stortemelk" (68 mines), in addition, she also lays the "Tactical barrage Northwest Vlieland (13 mines) and Southwest Vlieland (12 mines)
May 10, 1940	German attacks Holland. In the next few days, Willem van der Zaan helps fight off the Luftwaffe attacks.
May 12, 1940	With the minelayers Jan van Brakel and Nautilus, a the tactical barrage "Middelrug-Haaks" is laid, totalling 240 mines. After completing the assignment, she returns to Den Helder
May 13, 1940	The ship evacuates to the UK, and arrives safely in Portsmouth in the morning of May 14. From Den Helder, she takes a cargo of 10 torpedoes and other equipment for the cruiser Sumatra with her. In addition, four downed German aviators were embarked.
June 10, 1940	To enable the ship to lay British mines, a period of rebuilding is required. On this date, she is towed to Basin No.2 of the Naval Yard in Portsmouth.
June 27, 1940	Rebuild is completed. To test the new minerails, two dummymines are laid.
June 28, 1940	Willem van der Zaan takes on fuel and ammunition for her trials. During the day, she lays 12 dummymines off Spithead, while the new paravanes and the smokemaker are also tested.
July 1, 1940	The ship is now under command of the Senior Officer Minelayers in Immingham
July 5/6, 1940	During the night, Willem van der Zaan, accompanied by the minelayer HMS Plover, lays a minefield designated AW south of the Doggerbank
July 6/7, 1940	Same mission and place as the night before. The minefield now totals 250 mines
July 12/13, 1940	With HMS Plover, a minefield is laid within 8 miles of the German occupied coast, near Dover.
July 13, 1940	HMS Plover and Willem van der Zaan lay minefield MN in the Straits of Dover. The minelayers are escorted by four MTBs and depart Dover at 2215 hours.
July 29/30, 1940	Minefield BS-29 is laid with minelayer HMS Plover and destroyers Esk, Intrepid and Impulsive of the 20th Destroyer Flotilla.
August 1, 1940	Minefield BS-32 is laid with minelayer HMS Plover and destroyers Esk, Intrepid, Impulsive, Express, Icarus and Ivanhoe. The ships sailed from Immingham at 2200 hours.
August 2, 1940	Minefield BS-30 is laid with minelayer HMS Plover and destroyers Esk, Intrepid, Impulsive, Express and Icarus.
August 13, 1940	Minefield BS-31 is laid with minelayer HMS Plover and destroyers HMS Intrepid and Impulsive.
August 20, 1940	Minefield BS-33 is laid together with auxiliary minelayer HMS Teviotbank, minelayer HMS Plover and destroyers HMS Impulsive and Icarus.
August 25, 1940	Minefield BS-34 is laid together with auxiliary minelayer HMS Teviotbank, minelayer HMS Plover and destroyers HMS Impulsive, Icarus and Esk.
August 28, 1940	Minefield BS-36 is laid together minelayer HMS Plover and destroyers HMS Intrepid and Icarus.
September 26, 1940	Willem van der Zaan and HMS Plover depart Immingham for Sheerness and arrive at 1200 hrs. At 2200 hrs, the minelayers depart Sheerness to lay minefield "MU". En route, both minelayers ran aground. Tugboat Lady Brassey refloats both, and the ships arrive back in Sheerness at 0600 hours on the 27th without having laid "MU".
September 27/28, 1940	Minelaying operation, further details unknown.
October 3, 1940	After completing 8 missions and laying 2.198 mines, Van der Zaan goes into King George's Drydock in Hull for repairs.
October 14, 1940	The repairs are completed.
November 3, 1940	The minelayer joins a northbound convoy, to arrive in Methil (Firth of Forth) on the 4th.
November 5, 1940	Van der Zaan joins a northbound convoy, from which she is detached in the Pentland Forth. She arrives in Londonderry on November 7th.
November 13, 1940	Willem van der Zaan leaves Britain for the Netherlands East Indies. Her route takes her to Freetown via Ponta Delgada.
November 19, 1940	Two men jump overboard and try to desert as the ship leaves Ponta Delgada. One makes it to occupied Holland, the other drowns.
November 27, 1940	Arrival in Freetown. After some delay, the ship continues her route via St. Helena to Capetown, where she arrives on December 13th.
December 22, 1940	Departure for Tandjong Priok via Durban and Port Louis. She arrives in Priok on January 14.
January 30, 1941	Lt. Cdr. H.D. Lindner is relieved by the executive officer, Lt. A. van Miert. Willem van der Zaan probably goes into overhaul.
April 1, 1941	Lt. Cdr. G.P. Küller assumes command.
April 2, 1941	Willem van der Zaan is stationed in the Riouw Archipelago near Singapore, ready to lay additional minefields.
December 8, 1941	War with Japan. Van der Zaan lays the planned minefields until December 19.
December 11, 1941	Her log reports a torpedo, apparently fired by a Japanese submarine, missed.
Around 20 December 1941	Willem van der Zaan intercepts a few native boats. One Japanese officer aboard one of them is captured.
December 23, 1941	The minelayer starts escorting merchants
December 27, 1941	In overhaul at Soerabja until January 1
January 7, 1942	The steamer Van Rees is escorted for a while near Tjilatjap. Van Rees is sunk the next day by the Japanese submarine I-56.
January 9, 1942	Willem van der Zaan picks up 24 survivors from the KPM-steamer Van Riebeeck, sunk by the Japanese submarine I-56 the same day.
January 10, 1942	The ship attacks an asdic-contact at 05.47 with depthcharges. Although the submarine is reported as destroyed, no submarines are lost on this date.
January 15, 1942	Her log reports a torpedo, apparently fired by a Japanese submarine, missed.
January 19, 1942	The minelayers makes an anti-submarine sweep for the submarine (I-56), which had attacked the Duch merchant ship Japara that same day. Japara fought the submarine off with her deck gun and arrived at her destination safely. Van der Zaan's search is unsuccessful.
February 21, 1942	Willem van der Zaan escorts an important convoy until the 24th.
February 26, 1942	Rendez-vous with the American seaplanemothership USS Langley (AV-3). Due to leaking boilertubes, the ship has to be detached. The American destroyers USS Whipple (DD-217) and USS Edsall (DD-219) take over the role of escort. Langley is sunk next day by Japanese aircraft.
March 1, 1942	While the situation on Javadeteriorates rapidly, Willem van der Zaan escapes to Colombo unscathed. Many other ships are not so lucky. She arrives in Colombo on the 9th. In Colombo, the Willem van der Zaan becomes part of the Royal Navy's East Indies Station.
April 22, 1942	Departure from Colombo for Bombay, India for repairs. The Dutch submarine K-14 left this day for Bombay as well, presumably in company with Willem van der Zaan.
April 26, 1942	Arrival in Bombay.
May 12, 1942	Repairs until June 2
June 2, 1942	Willem van der Zaan departs Bombay, escorting convoy BM-20 to Colombo. The convoy consists of the British merchant ship Ikauna (built 1941, 6793 grt) of the British India Steam Navigation Co.
June 6, 1942	Arrival in Colombo with convoy BM-20.
June 15, 1942	Departure from Colombo, escorting a convoy of local defence vessels to the Seychelles. Willem van der Zaan left the convoy at 71 degrees East.
October 17, 1942	Repairs in Bombay until the 24th.
December 3, 1942	Willem van der Zaan arrives at Bombay escorting convoy PB-14. Also escorting the convoy is the sloop HMS Falmouth.
December 16, 1942	Willem van der Zaan departs Khasab Bay escorting convoy PB-17. Also escorting the convoy is the Indian Navy's sloop HMIS Sutlej. Khasab Bay is located in Oman in the Persian Gulf.
December 23, 1942	Repairs in Bombay until the 31st.
January 11, 1943	Departs Hormuz escorting convoy PB-21 in company with the Indian Navy's minesweeper HMIS Madras. Hormuz is a small island in the Persian Gulf.
January 17, 1943	Arrival in Bombay escorting convoy PB-21 with HMIS Madras.
January 21, 1943	Repairs in Bombay until April 12.
May 21, 1943	Willem van der Zaan patrols in the vicinity of the American tanker Edward F. Johnson until the 25th, which was afloat near the Chagos Islands (midway between Diego Garcia and the Seychelles) with a broken crankshaft. Edward F. Johnson is eventually towed to Kilinidini by HMS Bold.
May 30, 1943	Willem van der Zaan arrives in Bombay from Addu Atoll.
May 31, 1943	Willem van der Zaan departs Bombay for Addu Atoll.
June 3, 1943	Arrival at Addu Atoll, with one merchant ship in company [name not known].
June 4, 1943	Departure from Addu Atoll for Diego Suarez with 1 motor ship and 1 tanker in company. Diego Suarez is an important port on the island of Madagascar.
June 28, 1943	Departure from Colombo for Bombay escorting convoy MB.39.
October 18, 1943	Departure from Colombo for Bombay escorting convoy MB-51A. The convoy consists of the British Landing Ships Infantry (Large) Ascania and Circassia, the troopships Ascanius, City of London and Winchester Castle. Also escorting the convoy is the Australian minesweeper HMAS Launceston.
October 22, 1943	Arrival of convoy MB-51A in Bombay.
November 23, 1943	Repairs in Bombay until early December.
February 2, 1944	In Durban and Port Elizabeth area until May 25
June 5, 1944	Departed Kilindini for Aden with convoy CM-54. The convoy consists of the British merchant ships Aronda, City of Paris, Empire Woodlark and Orduna and the Polish merchant ship Kosciuszko. Also escorting the convoy are the corvettes HMS Freesia and Jasmine, the destroyer HMS Rocket and the sloops HMS Totland and Sennen. Willem van der Zaan and Rocket were the only ships to escort this convoy for the entire voyage.
June 11, 1944	Arrival in Aden.
October 12, 1944	Departure from Colombo for Bombay, where she arrives on the 15th. From there, she steamed to Port Said via Aden and Suez.
November 9, 1944	Arrival in Gibraltar. Willem van der Zaan leaves on the 11th for the UK.
November 16, 1944	Arrival on the Thames. From December 8 1944, the ship had steamed 152.750 miles and she ecorted 2.148.835 gross weight worth of shipping.
November 17, 1944	The ship goes into drydock (Eastern Dock of the London Docks, Shadwell Basin) for repairs and maintenance.
January 8, 1945	Towed to Albert Dock Basin for repairs, which lasted until March 3.
January 15, 1945	Lt. Cdr. A. van Miert takes over command from Lt. Cdr. G.P. Küller.
March 1945	The minelayer takes part in operation "Buttermilk", which aims at closing the British coastal waters for German submarines, which are very active during early 1945. The operation continues until May 7 1945, when Germany unconditionnally surrendered.
March 6, 1945	Arrival in Portsmouth for the final preparations. Willem van der Zaan lays 16 barrages of 100 mines each between March 19 and May 5.
May 5, 1945.	Willem van der Zaan lays her last minefield, 102 mines bearing 300 degrees of position 50.31 N - 00.15 W. She was escorted by the corvette HMS Convulvulus during this operation. After completion, Willem van der Zaan remains in Portsmouth until May 23.
May 24, 1945	In Shadwell Basin until May 28
May 29, 1945	Willem van der Zaan arrives in Oostende with three LCI's.
May 30, 1945	Arrival in Rotterdam, Holland, where she remains until August 6.
August 6, 1945	Willem van der Zaan leaves for Shadwell Basin, to be prepared for detachment to the Netherlands East Indies.
September 2, 1945	Departure for the NEI via Gibraltar, Port Said, Suez, Aden and Colombo. She eventually arrives in Tandjong Priok on October 8. Her NEI-period emphasized patrolling the waters and sealanes, helping the native population and transporting former POW's.
April 22, 1946	Departure for Holland, via Colombo, Bombay, Aden, Suez, Port Said and Gibraltar. She arrives in Rotterdam on June 7
April 26, 1946	Lt. Cdr. A. van Miert is relieved by ???
March 20, 1947	Departure for the NEI. The ship returns to Holland on July 1, 1948. Afterwards, she was stationed in the Dutch West Indies until January 2, 1950.
November 13, 1950	Rebuilt and commissioned as a frigate
Early 1961	To Vlissingen for service as accommodation- and repairship for minesweepers.
September 1963	Willem van der Zaan is declared immobile
February 27, 1970	Stricken
October 6, 1970	Sold for scrap for fl. 205.510 to Stolk's Handelsonderneming in Hendrik Ido Ambacht.

Sources
Chr. Mark "Schepen van de Koninklijke Marine in W.O. II"
Ph.M. Bosscher "De Koninklijke Marine in de Tweede Wereldoorlog", 3 volumes
K.W.L. Bezemer "Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse Koopvaardij in de Tweede Wereldoorlog", 2 volumes
Peter C. Smith "Into the Minefields: British destroyer minelaying 1916-1960", 2005.
Naval-History.net - various pages
Convoyweb.org.uk

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