HNLMS K XVI

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HNMS K-XVI.jpg
HNLMS K XVI in the Dutch East Indies, circa 1939, shortly before the outbreak of World War II.
History
Naval Jack of the Netherlands.svgNetherlands
NameHNLMS K XVI
Ordered30 May 1929
Awarded31 May 1930
Builder Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij
Yard numberRDM-169 [1]
Laid down8 April 1933
Commissioned31 January 1934
FateSunk on 25 December 1941
General characteristics
Class and type K XIV-class submarine
Displacement
  • 865 tons surfaced
  • 1045 tons submerged
Length73.64 m (241 ft 7 in)
Beam6.51 m (21 ft 4 in)
Draught3.93 m (12 ft 11 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 17  kn (31 km/h; 20 mph) surfaced
  • 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph) submerged
Range
  • 10,000  nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) on the surface
  • 26  nmi (48 km; 30 mi) at 8.5 kn (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) submerged
Complement38
Armament
  • 4 × 21 inch bow torpedo tubes
  • 2 × 21 inch stern torpedo tubes
  • 2 × 21 inch external-traversing torpedo tubes forward of the conning tower
  • 1 x 88 mm gun
  • 2 x 40 mm guns

HNLMS K XVI was one of five K XIV-class submarines built for the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNN). Entering service in 1934, the submarine was deployed to the Netherlands East Indies. On 24 December 1941, K XVI torpedoed and sank the Sagiri; the first Allied submarine to sink a Japanese warship. A day later, the Dutch submarine was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-66 (later renumbered to be I-166) off Borneo, with all aboard killed. The wreck of K XVI was rediscovered in October 2011 by a group of recreational divers and has since been illegally salvaged.

Contents

Construction

K XVI was ordered from Rotterdam-based shipbuilder Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij on 30 May 1929, and was laid down on 31 May 1930. [2] The submarine was launched on 8 April 1933, and commissioned into the RNN on 31 January 1934. [2]

Operational history

In January 1935, the boat was deployed to the Netherlands East Indies. [2] She remained in this area after the start of World War II. [2]

On 24 December 1941, approximately 35 nautical miles (65 km; 40 mi) off Kuching at 02°30′N109°50′E / 2.500°N 109.833°E / 2.500; 109.833 , the submarine torpedoed and sank the Sagiri. [3] [4] [5] The destroyer's aft magazine caught fire and exploded, sinking the ship with 121 of the 241 personnel aboard killed. [4] [5] Later that evening, the submarine attempted to attack the destroyer Murakumo, but was fended off by depth charges. [2]

K XVI was torpedoed by the I-66 a day later, and sank with all 36 aboard. [2] [3] The boat was one of seven Dutch submarines lost during World War II. [3]

On 25 October 2011, the Dutch Ministry of Defence announced that the wreck of K XVI had been found by Australian and Singaporean recreational divers off the northern coast of Borneo. [3] In July 2024 it was reported that the wreck of K XVI had been illegally salvaged. [6] [7]

Citations

  1. "Bouwnummer RDM-169, Hr. Ms. "K XVI", 1934, onderzeeboot". RDM-archief (in Dutch).
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The submarine K XVI". DutchSubmarines.com. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Agence France-Presse, Missing Dutch WWII sub found off Borneo
  4. 1 2 D'Albas, Death of a Navy, [ page needed ]
  5. 1 2 Brown, Warship Losses of World War II, [ page needed ]
  6. Jaime Karremann (5 July 2024). "Wrak Nederlandse onderzeeboot K XVI geroofd". Marineschepen.nl (in Dutch).
  7. Mariska Buitendijk (8 July 2024). "Sunken Dutch submarines in Malaysia investigated". SWZ|Maritime.

References

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News articles

Further reading