SS Kota Inten

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Het passagiersschip Kota Inten met militairen wordt de haven binnengesleept, Bestanddeelnr 11629.jpg
The SS Kota Inten in 1947
History
Flag of the Netherlands.svgNetherlands
NameKota Inten
Builder Fijenoord
Launched14 May 1927
Completed25 October 1927
Decommissioned1957
In service1927–1957
Refit1951 (converted to cargo only; reduced accommodation)
HomeportRotterdam
IdentificationCall sign: PHRS (later PFLQ)
FateScrapped in Hong Kong, 1957
NotesOperated by Royal Rotterdam Lloyd
General characteristics Technical characteristics
TypeCargo and passenger ship
Tonnage7,211 GRT [1] [1]
Length141.67 m LOA [1]
Beam18.54 m [1]
Depth9.04 m [1]
Decks3
Installed power5,200 BHP diesel
Propulsion1 × diesel engine, single screw
Speed14 knots
NotesOriginally 28 passengers; up to ~1,800 pilgrims with temporary decks

SS Kota Inten was a Dutch cargo and passenger ship operated by Royal Rotterdam Lloyd. Built in 1927, the vessel served in commercial, wartime, and post-war transport roles. It is best known for its role in the 1951 transportation of Ambonese (Moluccan) former KNIL soldiers and their families from Indonesia to the Netherlands, an event of lasting historical significance in Dutch migration history. [2]

Contents

Construction and early service

Kota Inten was built by the Fijenoord in Rotterdam and launched on 14 May 1927 for service with Rotterdamsche Lloyd, a major Dutch shipping line operating routes between Europe and Southeast Asia. [3] The ship was designed primarily as a cargo vessel with accommodation for passengers, a common configuration for long-distance colonial routes in the interwar period.

Second World War

During the Second World War, Kota Inten was requisitioned for wartime service and used as a troop and transport vessel under Allied control. [4] After the war, the ship was returned to Dutch service.

Post-war transport and migration

In 1951, Kota Inten made multiple voyages transporting Ambonese soldiers of the former KNIL and their families from Indonesia to the Netherlands. [2] These voyages formed part of a larger and politically sensitive post-colonial migration, following the dissolution of the KNIL after Indonesian independence.

The arrival of the Kota Inten and similar vessels is widely regarded as a defining moment in the formation of the Moluccan community in the Netherlands. Contemporary Dutch newspapers reported on the ship’s arrivals and the disembarkation of passengers at Rotterdam. [5]

Later years and fate

After completing its post-war transport duties, Kota Inten returned briefly to commercial service before being withdrawn. The ship was scrapped in 1957. [6]

Archival material

Photographs of Kota Inten are preserved in the collections of the Nationaal Archief in the Netherlands and the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. [7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Kota Inten (ship, 1927) – technical data". Wiki Raamsdonks Erfgoed. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Transportschepen Molukken 1951". Nationaal Archief. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  3. ↑ British and European Passenger Ships. Maritime Historical Publications. 1970.
  4. ↑ Dutch Merchant Shipping in World War II. Netherlands Institute for Military History. 1988.
  5. ↑ "Kota Inten zet Ambonezen aan wal". Algemeen Dagblad. 22 March 1951.
  6. ↑ Rotterdamsche Lloyd: Schepen en Geschiedenis. De Boer Maritiem. 1995.
  7. ↑ "Kota Inten". Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
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