HNLMS K XVI
 HNLMS K XVI in the Dutch East Indies, circa 1939, shortly before the outbreak of World War II. | |
| Career (Netherlands) |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | 30 May 1929 |
| Awarded: | 31 May 1930 |
| Builder: | Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij |
| Laid down: | 8 April 1933 |
| Commissioned: | 31 January 1934 |
| Fate: | Sunk on 25 December 1941 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | K XIV class submarine |
| Displacement: | 865 tons surfaced 1045 tons submerged |
| Length: | 73.64 m (241 ft 7 in) |
| Beam: | 6.51 m (21 ft 4 in) |
| Draught: | 3.93 m (12 ft 11 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × 1,600 bhp (1,193 kW) diesel engines 2 × 430 bhp (321 kW) electric motors |
| Speed: | 17 kn (31 km/h; 20 mph) surfaced 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph) submerged |
| Range: | 10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) on the surface 26 nmi (48 km; 30 mi) at 8.5 kn (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) submerged |
| Complement: | 38 |
| Armament: | 4 × 21 inch bow torpedo tubes 2 × 21 inch stern torpedo tubes 2 x 21 inch (1x2) external-traversing forward of conning tower |
HNLMS K XVI was one of five K XIV class submarines built for the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNN). Entering service in 1934, the submarine was deployed to the Netherlands East Indies. On 24 December 1941, K XVI torpedoed and sank the Japanese destroyer Sagiri; the first Allied submarine to sink a Japanese warship. A day later, the Dutch submarine was torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-66 off Borneo, with all aboard killed. The wreck of K XVI was rediscovered in October 2011 by a group of recreational divers.
Construction
She was ordered from Rotterdam-based shipbuilder Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij on 30 May 1929, and was laid down on 31 May 1930.[1] The submarine was launched on 8 April 1933, and commissioned into the RNN on 31 January 1934.[1]
Operational history
In January 1935, the boat was deployed to the Netherlands East Indies.[1] She remained in this area after the start of World War II.[1]
On 24 December 1941, approximately 35 nautical miles (65 km) off Kuching, the submarine torpedoed and sank the Japanese destroyer Sagiri.[2][3][4] The destroyer's aft magazine caught fire and exploded, sinking the ship at 01°34′N 110°21′E / 1.567°N 110.350°E with 121 of the 241 personnel aboard killed.[3][4] Later that evening, the submarine attempted to attack Japanese destroyer Murakumo, but was fended off by depth charges.[1]
K XVI was torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-66 a day later, and sank with all 36 aboard.[1][2] The boat was one of seven Dutch submarines lost during World War II.[2]
On 25 October 2011, the Dutch Ministry of Defence announced that the wreck of K XVI had been found by Australian and Singaporean recreational divers off the northern coast of Borneo.[2]
Citations
References
- Books
- Brown, David (1990). Warship Losses of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-914-X.
- D'Albas, Andrieu (1965). Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II. Devin-Adair Pub. ISBN 0-8159-5302-X.
- News articles
- Agence France-Presse (25 October 2011). "Missing Dutch WWII sub found off Borneo". The Australian. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
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