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RicksFilmRestoration Leidschendam, Nederland |
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| The adventures and tragic sinking of the Dutch destroyer Hr.Ms. Isaac Sweers during WW-II in color! | ||||
| This video involves the period from 15 May 1940 and 13 November 1942 | ||||
| This is a continuation of my two previous
films about the time that my father spent in the Dutch Navy before and during the whole of
WW-II. Both films addressed his period on the Hr.Ms. Johan Maurits van Nassau. This ship
played an important role in the defence of the Afsluitdijk when the Germans invaded the
Netherlands on the 10th of May 1940. Sadly the Johan Maurits was bombed by a German Stuka
and sank of the coast of North Holland when part of the Dutch Navy made efforts to escape
to England. For some unknown reason my father was transferred from the Johan Maurits to the Hr.Ms. Jan van Brakel, just days before it sunk. He was part of the rescue operation to save the crew of the Johan Maurits. The Jan van Brakel and about half a dozen other ships managed to escape to England. My father briefly served on the Mr.Ms Westerland, the depot of mine layers, Hr.Ms.Medusa and the Hr.Ms. Douwe Aukes before being transfered to the brand new Hr.Ms. Isaac Sweers on 1 May 1941. The Hr.Ms. Isaac Sweers was built as one of four destroyers ships (torpedojager in Dutch) in the new "Callenburg class" by the Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde at Vlissingen. Its keel was layed on 26 November 1938 and launched on 16 March 1940 as seen here. On that date the Isaac Sweers was not much more than a hull. In order not to let this valuable asset fall in the hands of the enemy, it was decided to tow the Isaac Sweers to England. Its engines were not in a ready state to do so on its own power. The large tug Zwarte Zee managed to couple to its hull on 11 March 1940. Despite being attacked by German aircraft, both ships reached the Inner Downs at Deal Bank on the following day. Subsequently the Isaac Sweers was towed further West via Spithead to Portsmouth. Some time later it is towed to a warfe in Southamption in order to be completed as a destroyer. After completion, the Isaac Sweers was equiped with four Bofors 40mm machine guns, four 12.7mm machine guns, two quad 53cm torpedo launch tubes, four depth charge bombers and four British made 10.2 cm guns. The ship is also equiped with three radar installations. The crew would consist of 194 heads. Eventually the ship is commissioned on the 29th of May 1941. After sea trials and trainings near the English coast in June, the Isaac Sweers is placed on convoy escort duty in the following months, mainly North and West of Ireland. In late September the Isaac Sweers departs for Gibratar in order to be part of Operation 'Halberd' aimed and ensuring the provision of goods to Malta, i.e. the well known "Malta convoys". Malta was of extreme strategic value to the allied forces in order to serve as the base for the supply of goods, including weapons to the Mediterranean fleet and airforces. Military presence in the Mediterranean was of extreme importance to hinder the German supply lines to their forces and Luftwaffe in North Africa. The Isaac Sweers becomes part of "Force-A". Other ships that participated in this convoy were among other the British HMS Nelson, HMS Hermione and famous aircraft carrier HMS Arc Royal. Two Italian aircraft drop their torpedos; only only marginally misses the Isaac Sweers at only 30 in front of its stern. I can remember my farther telling how scary it was to watch the torpedo's bubble lane getting closer and closer. Subsequently a fierce battle between three waves of attacking aircraft and the fleet takes place during which HMS Nelson and the Isaac Sweers get damaged. Convoy duties continue well into December 1941 and extend to Gibraltar. Many more details about this period can be found in a book about the Isaac Sweers by Van Soeren publishers in Amsterdam. The convoys extend to the East of the Mediterranean whereby the Isaac Sweers visits Alexandria and Port Said in Egypt, here on archive footage. It is difficult to imagine what life was like on board. There was ofcourse the constant fear of being attacked by enemy aircraft or German U-boats, being fired upon from enemy ships or bombarded by enemy aircraft. I was amazed to hear my father's story that the crew did not sleep in ordinary beds but bunked in hammocks strung among munition and other war gear. Daily life followed a regular pattern to best ability according to the circumstances. There was amusement on board as well and as I recall my father telling me, that the food on board was always good. The crew sometimes got the opportunity to go ashore in foreign harbours. Most of them went straight to the local bars, but my father had a different attitude and tried to visit the town including points of interest and historic sites. He once tried to rent a car without a driving license, but only with some driving practice in a friend's car. It was quite apparent that he had great dificulties and the car rental guys thus followed him and stood in the middle of the road with waving arms to stop him. The Isaac Sweers escorted the important Allied convoy MW 8B to Malta in January 1942. During this mission the British destroyer HMS 'Gurkha' was torpedoed on 12 January 1942. The crew of the Isaac Sweers managed to drag the 'Gurkha' out of the burning oil and take all 240 survivors on board. These photographs, taken by my father are the only existing images of this event. The 'Isaac Sweers' landed the British crew at Tobruk and was so fast that on 18 January it was able to rejoin the convoy that managed to reach the port of Valletta safely. On January 23, 1942, the Isaac Sweers was sent from Alexandria to the Dutch East Indies. They feared a Japanese invasion of Java and Sumatra. After arriving in Colombo, Ceylon on February 8, the ship was first placed in dry dock for 20 days for repairs. After that it was too late to send the ship to the Dutch East Indies waters. The Allied-Dutch fleet stationed there was defeated in the Battle of the Java Sea on 27 and 28 February 1942, and Batavia capitulated on 8 March 1942. On April 15, the ship, now attached to the British fleet in the Indian Ocean, docked at Addu Atoll where it was taking up fuel. The squadron was tasked with finding the Japanese aircraft carriers that had attacked Colombo and Trincomalee. However, that did not work and the Japanese managed to escape. On April 14, the Isaac Sweers moored in Bombay. On April 30 she sailed to the Seychelles and was then anchored at Mombasa on the African coast until May 22. On 23 May 1942, the Isaac Sweers departed from Mombassa on the East coast of Kenia for a long journey round South Africa via the West coast of Africa up North to Gibraltar, on the way passing Durban, Simonstown just south of Capetown and Freetown in Sierra Leone. The ship arrived on 16 June in Gibraltar, only to depart one day later for Southampton where it stayed for 3 months to undergo large maintenance. Once back into service, it was part of various events, among other the escort of famous aircraft carrier HMS Furious to Gibraltar. The ship also participated in Operation Torch but remains close to Gibraltar. On the 12th of November 1942, the Isaac Sweers leaves Gibraltar to rejoin with Force H. The next day at 05:15 in the morning, the fate of the Isaac Sweers is sealed as it gets attacked by a German U-boot. Two torpedos hit the ship, the second killing most of the officers who were asleep. The ship immediately starts to list and sink by its stern. Next it capsizes over stern while breaking in half. If I recall correctly, my father was blown overboard due to the blasts. After about 3 hours in the water he got finally rescued by British ships. He was very lucky because 119 of the 194 crew members were killed! What exactly happened to my father in the days after the tragedy is unknown to me. Ten days after he was stationed on the Hr.Ms. Oranje Nassau, to be transfered on 5 December to "Rol London" followed by a short 9 day stay at Enys House, a training facility for officers. On the 10th of November he returned to London to serve at the Dutch Navy's HQ in London, in the C&A building at Marble Arch until the end of the war when he returned to his family in The Netherlands on 13 July. His period in London during Wartime will be the subject of one of my next videos. Thanks for watching and listening! |
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RicksFilmRestoration Leidschendam Nederland E-mail: ricksfilmrestoration@gmail.com Wij communiceren alleen per E-mail. We only communicate by E-mail. |
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