HNLMS Soemenep

History
Netherlands
Name	Soemenep
Builder	Droogdok Mij, Surabaya
Laid down	1930
Launched	1931
Acquired	1940
Commissioned	17 June 1941
Decommissioned	2 March 1942
Renamed	HNLMS RS 101 (1945–1946) HNLMS A 871 (1946–1950)
Fate	Scuttled 2 March 1942, raised by Japanese forces, sold in 1950 to Indonesian Navy
General characteristics
Type	Minelayer
Displacement	227  t (223 long tons) standard
Length	35.86 m (117 ft 8 in)
Beam	8.11 m (26 ft 7 in)
Draught	2.82 m (9 ft 3 in)
Installed power	400  hp (300 kW)
Propulsion	1 x triple expansion engine
Speed	10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	26
Armament	2 x 12.7 mm (0.50 in) machine guns 26 Mines

HNLMS Soemenep was a Royal Netherlands Navy minelayer. Originally constructed as a tugboat, the ship was commandeered in 1940 and rebuilt as a minelayer. Once the reconstruction was completed on 17 June 1941 the ship was commissioned. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Service history

Soemenep laid multiple minefields off the coast of eastern Borneo in the first days of the war in the Pacific. When Japanese forces captured Balikpapan, Soemenep quickly made its way to Surabaya harbor. It was in this harbor that on 2 March 1942 the crew realized they would be unable to escape to Australia following the ABDA loss at the Battle of the Java Sea, causing the crew to scuttle the ship.

Soemenep was discovered and raised by Japanese forces which employed the vessel as a tug for the duration of the war. Once the war ended, the ship was returned to the Royal Netherlands Navy and resumed service. The ship continued to serve as a tug until its transfer to the new Indonesian Navy in 1950. ^[4]

Citations

1. Mark, Chris (1997). Schepen van de Koninklijke Marine in W.O. II. Alkmaar: De Alk. ISBN 978-90-6013-522-8.
2. Von Münching, L.L. (1978). Schepen van de Koninklijke Marine in de 2e wereldoorlog Alkmaar: De Alk. ISBN 9060139038.
3. Helfrich, Conrad Emile Lambert (1950). Memoires van Admiraal Helfrich Amsterdam: Elsevier.
4. Bezemer, K.W.L. (1967). Verdreven doch niet verslagen Hilversum: Uitgeversmaatschappij W. de Haan N.V. ISBN 9026920415.