HNLMS Stoomloodsvaartuig no. 14

History
Netherlands
NameStoomloodsvaartuig no. 14
OperatorRoyal Netherlands Navy
BuilderP. Smit Jr., Netherlands
Launched1915
Commissioned1917
FateHit a British mine on 15 February 1918 near Westkapelle and sank
General characteristics
Type
Displacement460 t (450 long tons)
Length42.3 m (138 ft 9 in)
Beam7.3 m (23 ft 11 in)
Draught4.55 m (14 ft 11 in)
Propulsion
  • 525 ihp (391 kW)
  • triple-expansion steam engine
  • coal-fired boiler
Speed11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)

HNLMS Stoomloodsvaartuig no. 14 was a pilot vessel built in the Netherlands originally for the Loodswezen.[1] In 1917 she was militarized and put into service of the Royal Netherlands Navy as an auxiliary minelayer.[1][2][3] The following year, on 15 February 1918, she sunk after hitting a British mine near Westkapelle.[4]

Design and construction

Stoomloodsvaartuig no. 14 was built between 1915 and 1917 for the Loodswezen at the shipyard of P. Smit Jr. in the Netherlands.[5][6][7] She had a steel hull and a displacement of 460 tons.[8][2] When it came to measurements, Stoomloodsvaartuig no. 14 had a length of 42.3 metres (138 ft 9 in), a beam of 7.3 metres (23 ft 11 in) and a draught of 4.55 metres (14 ft 11 in).[2] Furthermore, she was equipped with a triple-expansion steam engine and a coal-fired boiler that could produce 391 kilowatts (525 ihp).[9][2] This allowed her to reach a maximum speed of 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph).[9]

Service history

In 1917 Stoomloodsvaartuig no. 14 was militarized and put into service of the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN), as a result of the Dutch mobilization during the First World War.[1][3] During her service in the RNLN she served as auxiliary minelayer and was stationed at Vlissingen.[3][1] In her role as a minelayer Stoomloodsvaartuig no. 14 replenished and inspected naval mine barriers that were deployed for the purpose of maintaining Dutch neutrality.[3] Her callsign at the time was GRSU.[10]

While being part of the investigative service (Dutch: Onderzoekingsdienst) in the Southern frontier Stoomloodsvaartuig no. 14 hit a British mine on 15 February 1918 near Westkapelle.[11][4] At the time she was searching for a mine that the fishing vessel Arnemuiden 16 had caught earlier that day in her fishing net.[12] While searching for the mine, which she did together with the fishing vessel, they hit a mine and both ships blew up and sank.[13] A total of eight persons lost their lives, of which five were part of the crew of Stoomloodsvaartuig no. 14.[14][11]

After Stoomloodsvaartuig no. 14 blew up and sank an investigation was launched.[15] This led to several mines being found and either recovered or detonated.[16] The recovered mines indicated that they were of British origin.[16] After formal complaints, the British government admitted that the mines were theirs and provided compensation for the ship and victims.[17][18] The mines were located 3 nautical miles outside a location announced in 1916, which the British government attributed to a navigation error.[19][16]

The shipwreck of Stoomloodsvaartuig no. 14 is protected by law.[2]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d Rademaker, L.A. (1922). Wat onze marine in den oorlogstijd heeft gedaan en wat ons volk thans moet doen (in Dutch). Hoofdcomité voor een Marine-rampenfonds en een Marine-monument. p. 55.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Stoomloodsvaartuig no. 14". MaSS. Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed. 8 June 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Roetering (1997), p. 14.
  4. ^ a b de Bas, W.G., ed. (1923). Gedenkboek 1898-1923 (in Dutch). Voorschoten: H.H. Fongers & Co. p. 86.
  5. ^ van Dam (1943), p. 99.
  6. ^ Departement van Marine, ed. (1919). "Overzicht der verrichtingen bij het Marine-Etablissement te Amsterdam, gedurende het jaar 1917". Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Marine, 1917-1918 (in Dutch). The Hague: De Gebroeders van Cleef. p. 143.
  7. ^ te Winkel, G.J.; Schorer, G.L.; Seret, A.; Schokking, J.C.S.; Vos, A.; Rühl, C., eds. (1916). "Bijlage G." Marineblad. Vol. 30. Den Helder: C. de Boer Jr. p. 218.
  8. ^ van Dam (1943), pp. 98-99.
  9. ^ a b van Dam (1943), p. 98.
  10. ^ "Call signs of Dutch pilot ships and coast lightning ships in 1917". Warshipsresearch. 26 July 2012.
  11. ^ a b van Sandick, R.A., ed. (1919). "Uittreksel uit het Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Marine 1917-1918". De Ingenieur (in Dutch). Vol. 34, no. 31. The Hague: De Vereeniging van Burgerlijke Ingenieurs. p. 572.
  12. ^ "Loodsboot op een mijn". Scheepvaart (in Dutch). 16 February 1918.
  13. ^ "Nederland en de Oorlog". Arnhemsche Courant (in Dutch). 16 February 1918.
  14. ^ van Hengel, A. (1920). "II. De mobilisatie van de zeemacht". In Brugmans, H. (ed.). Nederland in den oorlogstijd (in Dutch). Amsterdam: Elsevier. p. 60.
  15. ^ "Mijnen". Scheepsvaart (in Dutch). 27 February 1918.
  16. ^ a b c van Heteren, G. (1918). "De oorlog ter zee". Het Nederlandsche Zeewezen (in Dutch). Vol. 17. The Hague: Mouton & Co. p. 161.
  17. ^ "De ondergang van de Loodsboot No. 14". Het Vaderland (in Dutch). 14 June 1918.
  18. ^ Roosenburg, L.; van der Mieden van Opmeer, J.P.F.; Sachse, P.W., eds. (1918). "Verontschuldigingen en schadeloosstelling aangeboden". De Zee (in Dutch). Vol. 40. Den Helder: C. de Boer Jr. p. 485.
  19. ^ "Nederland en de Oorlog". De Nieuwe Courant. 14 June 1918.

Bibliography

  • van Dam, C. (1943). "Van zeilloodsvaartuigen tot motorloodsvaartuigen". Schip en Werf (in Dutch). Vol. 10, no. 13. Rotterdam: N.V. Dukkerij Wyt & Zonen.
  • Roetering, B., ed. (1997). Mijnendienst 1907-1997 90 jaar: feiten, verhalen en anekdotes uit het negentigjarig bestaan van de Mijnendienst van de Koninklijke Marine (in Dutch). ISBN 90-90-10528-X.
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