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]
Design and construction
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]
Propulsion
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]
Armament
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]
Service history
As patrol vessel Jan van Brakel monitored fisheries in the North Sea.[1][6]
Second World War
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]
Netherlands
Royal Netherlands Navy
