Jan van Brakel
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History | |
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Netherlands | |
Name | Jan van Brakel |
Namesake | Jan van Brakel |
Operator | Royal Netherlands Navy |
Builder | Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde, Vlissingen |
Yard number | 201 |
Laid down | 23 May 1935 |
Launched | 8 February 1936 |
Commissioned | 25 June 1936 |
Decommissioned | 1 August 1957 |
Fate | Expended as a target ship near Biak in 1957 |
General characteristics [1] | |
Type | Minelayer and patrol vessel |
Displacement |
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Length | 58.70 m (192 ft 7 in) |
Beam | 10 m (32 ft 10 in) |
Draught | 3.45 m (11 ft 4 in) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
Crew | 65 |
Armament |
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HNLMS Jan van Brakel was a minelayer and patrol vessel [a] of the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNN). [2] She was built in the Netherlands and served in the RNN between 1936 and 1957. [3]
Jan van Brakel was built at the Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde and assigned yard number 201. [1] The ship was laid down on 23 May 1935, launched on 8 February 1936 and commissioned into the Royal Netherlands Navy on 25 June 1936. [3] Jan van Brakel was designed to function as both a minelayer and patrol vessel. [2]
The ship was named after Jan van Brakel, a famous Dutch captain from the 17th century who took part in the Raid on the Medway. [4]
The ship had two Yarrow steam boilers that could deliver 800 hp each, for a total of 1600 hp. [5] [6] This allowed Jan van Brakel to reach a speed of 15 kn. [7]
When it came to armaments Jan van Brakel was equipped with two 7.5 cm cannons, a single 3.7 cm cannon and four 12.7 mm machine guns. [1] In addition, it could carry 60 mines. [7]
As patrol vessel Jan van Brakel monitored fisheries in the North Sea. [1] [6]
On 12 May 1940 the ship laid 80 mines in the waters west of Haaksgronden. [8] Two days later, on 14 May 1940, Jan van Brakel left for England. [7] There the ship was made ready in Portsmouth to be able to lay British mines. [9]
On 1 June 1940 Jan van Brakel left Portsmouth for the River Tyne to lay mines if needed. [9] Later it also performed escorting duties for allied convoys in British waters. [7] In April 1942 the ship left for Curaçao to escort allied convoys in the waters of the Caribbean. [1] After two years of being active in the West Indies, Jan van Brakel returned at the end of 1944 to England and was rebuilt as a mother ship for minesweepers. [7]
After the Netherlands was liberated Jan van Brakel functioned as mother ship for other minesweepers and was stationed at Terschelling. [10] However, this was only for a short duration as the ship left on 14 October 1945 for the Dutch East Indies together with eight minesweepers. [11] On 28 January 1946 they arrived and began clearing minefields that were still present in the territorial waters of the Dutch East Indies. [12] Later Jan van Brakel was also used as hydrographic survey vessel. [13] [14]
In 1951 the ship returned to the Netherlands and was rebuilt as a small frigate. [14] After being taken back into service in April 1953 it fulfilled the same duties as it did before the Second World War. [15]
In June 1955 the ship left for Dutch New Guinea and performed patrol duties. [14]
On 1 August 1957 Jan van Brakel was decommissioned and afterwards used as target ship near Biak. [3]