Smeroe-class auxiliary minesweepers

Built as small ships to transport people and small amounts of cargo for the government, were built with the idea to convert them back to merchantile service during peacetime. Two escaped to Australia in March 1942 and one was completed as anti-submarinevessel for the Japanese navy.

Smeroe

Construction details
Name	Dockyard	Completed	Pennant
Rindjani	Soerabaja Drydock Co.	1941	HMV 11
Merbaboe	Soerabaja Drydock Co	1941	HMV 10
Smeroe	Soerabaja Drydock Co	1941	HMV 12
Merapi	Verenigde Prauwenveren, Batavia	1942
Slamat	Verenigde Prauwenveren, Batavia	1942
Tjerimai	Verenigde Prauwenveren, Batavia	1942

Specifications
	Dutch Navy	Cha 101 (ex-Tjerimai)
Displacement	60 tons / 80 tons
Crew	14	15
Dimensions	22,7 x 4,35 x 1,52 m
Armament	2 x .30 Lewis MG*	2 x 13 mm MG
* Some sources also mention an extra .50 MG

Propulsion details
Boilers	-
Machinery	1 Caterpillar diesel
Shafts	1
Bunkerage
Performance	135 hp
Max Speed	10 knots

Histories
Rindjani	Escaped to Australia March 3 to 10 1942 to Broom. Made anti-mine patrols from Fremantle and returned to the NEI postwar as a tugboat.
Merbaboe	Escaped to Australia March 3 to 10 1942 to Broome. Operated from Fremantle and returned to the NEI postwar.
Smeroe	Escaped to Australia March 3 to 10 1942 to Broome. Operated from Fremantle and returned to the NEI postwar.
Merapi	Destroyed at dockyard, March 1942
Slamat	Destroyed at dockyard, March 1942
Tjerimai	Completed on August 4 1942 as Japanese vessel Cha 101. Sunk April 8 1945 SE of Celebes ( Sulawesi ) by American aircraft. Other sources say she was commissioned as Cha 118 ( launched and completed on November 15 1943 and June 15 1944 respectively ) and heavily damaged on November 6 1944 by an air attack of 18 squadron RAAF in Waingapoe. Found in 1945 and used as a floating pier in Tandjong Priok.

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