Jan van Brakel
| Jan van Brakel was very similar to the earlier Nautilus; she also doubled as fisher inspection cruiser. Jan van Brakel was used for a variety of services throughout her career. |
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| Jan van Brakel in 1936, probably during her trials |
| Construction details | |
| Name | Jan van Brakel |
| Dockyard | Koninklijke Mij "De Schelde", Vlissingen |
| Dockyardnumber | 201 |
| Ordered | November 19, 1934 |
| Laid down | May 23, 1935 |
| Launched | February 8, 1936 |
| Commissioned | June 25, 1936 * |
| Pennant | M-24 (WW II) M-80 (WW II) PE-1 (15 June 1946) P-5 (21 January 1947) F-816 (1952) A-906 (post August 1957) |
| * Some sources mention June 20, 1936 (Cageling/De Jong) | |
| Specifications | |
| Displacement | 715 Washington tons |
| Crew | 65 |
| Dimensions | 54.80 (pp) 58.70 (oa) x 10,01 x 3,28 (min) 4,0 (max) m |
| Armament* | 2 x 75 mm No.2 1 x 37 mm** 4 x .50 MG (2x2) |
| Added AA during WW II | 2 x 75 mm*** 4 x .50 mm Colt MG**** |
| Mines | 60 |
| ASW | Asdic submarine detection gear depthcharges |
| Radar | Type 286-M added 1941 Replaced by Type 271 Mk III in late 1942 |
| * Van Brakel was rebuilt as frigate in 1952 with armament of 1 x 105 mm, 1 x 40 mm, 4 x 20 mm ** Apparently removed during WW II *** These were British-built 12-pounders, which in turn were replaced by two American 75 mm guns in 1943 **** Replaced by six 20 mm Oerlikons in November 1943. |
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| Propulsion details | |
| Boilers | 2 Yarrow 3 drum |
| Machinery | 2 Triple-expansion-engines |
| Performance | 1600 IHP |
| Shafts | 2 |
| Bunkerage | 72 tons oil |
| Max Speed | 15 knots* |
| * later with all the additional weight from guns and equipment, speed was reduced to 13,5 knots. | |
| History | |
| Employed as minelayer during 1939-1940. Strafed by German aircraft on May 14, 1940 (1 killed). Escaped to the United Kingdom on May 14, 1940 and subsequently served as a convoy escort on the eastern coast. Sent to the Dutch West Indies in April, 1942 where she was employed as escort ship for the GAT-TAG-convoys as part of B-5 escort group. On June 9, 1942, she rescued the 34 survivors of the US freighter Franklin K. Lane, torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-502 in convoy TA-5. Returned to the UK in november, 1944, where she was converted to a mothership for the 126-feet class minesweepers of the 203rd minesweeper flotilla. Left for the Netherlands East Indies on October 10, 1945 and served there as a mothership for the minesweepers. Reclassified frigate in 1950, and employed as a survey vessel. Stricken August 1, 1957 and expended as a target ship off Biak, New Guinea. | |
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) F.C. Backer Dirks "De Gouvernements Marine in het voormalige Nederlands-Indie 1861-1949, volume 3 (1986) Chr. Mark "Schepen van de Koninklijke Marine in W.O. II" (1997) M.A. Cageling/P. de Jong "Onze strijdmacht ter zee" (1938) Related links (please report any broken links) Navsource.org - photo page of destroyer tender Altair with a photo of Jan van Brakel (dated October, 1942) Acknowledgements Thanks to Gerard Horneman for providing additional details. |
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| May 31, 2006 | Revised data |
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