Mines
Mines model 1907
These mines were made under license in the Netherlands, based on a design from Sautter Harlé. They were layed in series, which meant they were connected by a chain. Since these mines were so old, they had to be maintenanced after a period of time, for which task some old river gunboats were rebuilt. The Dutch Navy in Holland possessed 1406 of these mines in 1939. The detonation occured through the shock of the ship hitting the mine, which would cause a triggering device to be unlocked and the mine to explode.
| Specifications | |
| Type | Contact mine |
| Year | 1907 |
| Charge | 80 kg gun-cotton or trotyl |
| Horns | - |
| Diameter | 90 cm |
Mines model 1918
These were originally German mines, meant to be layed by U-boats in the First World War. They had an electrical detonation device and although a U-boatmine, these types could also be layed by surface units, since they were adapted in 1935. They were layed independently and didn't need maintenance like the Model 1907 did. The Dutch had 165 of this type in storage in 1939.
| Specifications | |
| Type | German U-boatmine |
| Year | 1918 |
| Horns | 4 led Hertz chromic acid filled |
| Dimensions | 86 x 91 cm |
| Charge | 123 kg trotyl |
Mines model 1921
These mines were the most modern type the Dutch navy had when the war started in september 1939. The Rijkswerf Willemsoord managed to built 400 more mines during neutrality.They were also layed independently. Comparing several sources of info, I concluded that this type is probably the Vickers Mk T 2 mine. It had an egg-shaped form with horns and had an electrical detonation system. The specifications can be found below. The Dutch navy had 1351 mines of this type in Holland in 1939.
| Specifications | |
| Type | Vickers Mk T 2 |
| Year | 1921 |
| Detonation | Contact |
| Horns | Led Hertz chromic acid filled |
| Charge | 441 lbs ( 200 kg ) trotyl |
| Diameter | 104 cm |
| Total weight | 2061 lbs ( 935 kg ) |
| Mooring wire | 82 fathoms ( 150 m ) |
Vickers Mark H 2
This minetype was delivered from the Naval Stores in Singapore, especially for the defence of the Riouw Archipelago, an islandgroup which lies in the Singapore Approaches. The British have always been interested in this part of the Dutch Indies. One shipment of 300 mines was expected on February 5 1941, another of 260 mines on February 20 1941. They were shipped from the UK in november and december 1940.
| Specifications | ||
| Type | Vickers Mark H 2 | |
| Year | WW I - design | |
| Detonation | Contact | |
| Horns | 6 Hertz acid filled | |
| Charge | 320 lbs ( 144 kg ) | |
| Diameter | 38 inches ( 97 cm ) | |
| Mooring wire | 60 fathoms ( 110 m ) | |
| 200 fathoms ( 365 m ) | ||
| Anchors | On smalltrack | |
| Sinker | Mark 8 | |
| Weight | Mine | 710 lbs |
| Sinker | 1005 lbs | |
Mark XIV
This type was part of a stock the Naval Authorities of Singapore wanted to form there. They were just like the Mark H 2 meant to be layed in the Riouw Archipelago. The Dutch received 500 mines of this type in early 1941. Just like the H 2, it's unknown to me if they were actually used in the Riouw Archipelago. This type was later developed into the Mark XVII.
| Specifications | ||
| Type | Mark XIV | |
| Year | 1920's | |
| Detonation | Contact | |
| Sinker | Mark 14 | |
| Horns | Hertz acid filled | |
| Charge | 320 lbs ( 144 kg ) | |
| 500 lbs ( 225 kg ) | ||
| Weight | Mine | 1200 lbs |
| Sinker | 1288 lbs | |
American antenna mine
1000 of these were ordered in the United States before February 1941. Apparently, none were delivered.
Australian Mine Type
This type was delivered to the Dutch Indies in 1941 or 1942, and used in the defence of Ambon. Not exactly is known how much the Dutch received in total, but the passengership Boissevain departed Melbourne in January 1942 with about 300 mines of this type on board. There were originally 2000 ordered in October 1941. In Ambon, they caused the destruction of a Japanese minesweeper, with two others damaged. A Japanese merchant vessel was possibly also hit by one of these mines.
British Magnetic Mine
These mines were originally meant for the defence of Singapore, but as things went downhill there, they were rerouted to the Dutch Indies. After successful testing in Soerabaja by MLD-catalina's, 8 of these mines were layed by Cats in Moesi River ( near Palembang ) and 16 in Banka Strait. The Dutch received a total of 96 mines, but administrative hesitation was the cause that about 70 were never layed. A Catalina or Dornier Do 24 K could lay 4 of these mines at once.
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