HNLMS Queen Wilhelmina (1942)

HNLMS Queen Wilhelmina
History
Netherlands
Name	Queen Wilhelmina
Namesake	Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Builder	George Lawley & Sons, Neponset, Massachusetts
Laid down	1 January 1942
Launched	30 April 1942
Commissioned	6 August 1942
Nickname(s)	Queen of the Caribbean
Fate	Sold to Nigeria
Nigeria
Name	NSS Ogoja
Acquired	1963
General characteristics
Class and type	PC-461-class submarine chaser
Displacement	450 tons
Length	173 ft 8 in (52.93 m)
Beam	23 ft 0 in (7.01 m)
Draft	6 ft 2.5 in (1.892 m)
Propulsion	2 × 1,440  bhp (1,070 kW) Fairbanks Morse diesel engines 2 × shafts
Speed	20.2 knots (37.4 km/h; 23.2 mph)
Range	3,000 nmi (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement	55
Armament	1 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 cal. High Angle-Low Angle Mk22 gun 1 × 40 mm Bofors gun 5 × single 20 mm cannons 2 × K-guns 2 × depth charge racks

HNLMS Queen Wilhelmina was a PC 461 class submarine chaser of the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN). ^[1] The ship was built in the United States as PC 468 and originally meant to be commissioned into the United States Navy. On 30 April 1942, however, the vessel was gifted by the President of the United States to the Netherlands and soon after named Queen Wilhelmina. ^[2] It served in the RNLN between 1942 and 1963. ^[3] In 1963 the Queen Wilhemina was loaned to the Nigerian Navy and named Ogoja. ^[4] Two years later, in 1965, this loan was turned into a gift. ^[5]

Design and construction

Queen Wilhelmina was built at George Lawley & Son in the United States. ^[2] The ship was laid down originally as PC 468 for the United States Navy on 1 January 1942 and belonged as submarine chaser to the PC 461 class. ^[3] On 30 April 1942 PC 468 was launched and gifted to the Netherlands by the American President Roosevelt. ^{[2] [6]} A few months later, on 6 August 1942, the ship was officially handed over to the Royal Netherlands Navy by the American government and commissioned as Queen Wilhelmina. ^[7] The ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard was attended by many officials, including Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and President Roosevelt. ^[8]

Service history

After Queen Wilhelmina was transferred on 6 August 1942 to the Royal Netherlands Navy, it was immediately put under American operational command. ^[9] The ship was based at Key West and operated during the Second World War in the Caribbean. ^{[9] [8] [10]} On 11 October 1942 Queen Wilhelmina arrived at Curaçao and began escorting convoys. ^[11] As a result of distinguishing itself by successfully escorting several convoys in the West Indies the ship was nicknamed Queen of the Caribbean. ^[12]

After the end of the Second World War the Queen Wilhelmina patrolled for some time the waters of the Dutch provinces Zeeland and South-Holland to inspect Dutch fishers and prevent Belgian fishers from fishing in Dutch territorial waters. ^{[13] [14]}

In 1953 the ship was put into reserve. ^[15]

Citations

1. Raven (1988), p. 188.
2. van Amstel (1991), p. 43.
3. Mark (1997), pp. 56-57.
4. "Nederland leent Nigeria schip". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 26 June 1963.
5. "Nigeria krijgt Nederlands patrouillevaartuig". Twentsch Dagblad Tubantia (in Dutch). 16 September 1965.
6. Raven (1988), p. 93.
7. Bosscher (1990), p. 156.
8. von Münching (1978), p. 63.
9. Mark (1997), p. 57.
10. Huug A. Corsten (29 June 1945). "Curaçao krijgde voor Nederland: „Duizenden inwoners van deze eilanden dienen in de Schutterij... die de toets der vergelijking met hun soortgenoten kunnen doorstaan"". Amigoe di Curaçao (in Dutch).
11. Rozenburg (2014), p. 90.
12. "„Queen Wilhelmina" te Vlissingen". Algemeen Handelsblad (in Dutch). 26 February 1946.
13. "Nieuw visserij-inspectievaartuig voor Waddenzee overbodig: Bouw van vaartuig wordt op twee ton geschat". Het Vaderland (in Dutch). 23 September 1958.
14. "Een dringende waarschuwing". De Visserijwereld. 9 (6): 147. 10 February 1950.
15. "Historische primeur: Nederlandse marine leent schip uit". De Volkskrant (in Dutch). 1 July 1963.

Bibliography

• van Amstel, W.H.E. (1991). De schepen van de Koninklijke Marine vanaf 1945 (in Dutch). Alkmaar: De Alk. ISBN   90-6013-997-6.
• Bosscher, Ph.M. (1990). De Koninklijke Marine in de Tweede Wereldoorlog (in Dutch). Vol. 3. Franeker: Van Wijnen. ISBN   90-5194-022-X.
• Mark, Chris (1997). Schepen van de Koninklijke Marine in W.O. II (in Dutch). Alkmaar: De Alk. ISBN   90-6013-522-9.
• Raven, G.J.A., ed. (1988). De kroon op het anker: 175 jaar Koninklijke Marine (in Dutch). Amsterdam: De Bataafsche Leeuw. ISBN   90-6707-200-1.
• Rozenburg, Jos (2014). De Antillen in de Tweede Wereldoorlog (in Dutch). Voorburg: U2pi. ISBN   978-90-8759-430-5.
• von Münching, L.L. (1978). Schepen van de Koninklijke Marine in de Tweede Wereldoorlog (in Dutch). Alkmaar: De Alk. ISBN   90-6013-903-8.