Captured Dutch ships

[Orlunu 6,863]

Now, in my readings I've come across various references to raised Dutch ships and boats in use by the Japanese.  In the end, with these being so common and with having come across a claim that there were 30 used as submarine chasers alone, I've decided to try and dig up the details as far as I can.  Most were very little things, and lightly armed, but there are a few of destroyer size, a very decent submarine, and even a coastal defence ship (poor man's battleship).

 

I think I've found enough to present it now, and hopefully I'll be updating as I find out more (and maybe someone with access to better sources chips in).

 

 

So, to the types:

 

+++++

 

Submarine chasers:

 

B class patrol boat

[spoiler]

That's a 50mm front gun, a 25mm at the back, and the bridge gun was a 13mm/76.  Nothing to excite anyone, but enough to ward off aircraft, PT boats and the like and seriously hurt surfaced subs.  It's main armament was in the 32 depth charges carried.  Top speed of 20kts in Japanese use (engines were replaced), and a displacement of 130t.

 

The Japanese captured at least 7 of the 16 made, being commissioned as submarine chasers Cha 103 / 105 / 106 / 107 / 108 / 114 / 115[/spoiler]

 

Cha 117 (Ex-Bantam)

[spoiler]

The guns have gotten smaller, but the ship's a little bigger.  This one carries a 47mm, a 13mm, and a 7..7, in the same placement as the B class, and is 15t heavier and 8kts slower.  The depth charge count remains the same, but this ship really does feel the pain from being a minesweeper conversion rather than a patrol boat conversion.[/spoiler]

 

Cha 101 or 118 (confused sources) (Ex-Tjerimai)

[spoiler]

The least military looking of the lot, she was small (80t), slow (10kts), and weakly defended (two 13mms).  Another minesweeper conversion, but this time from an auxiliary.[/spoiler]

 

+++++

 

Minesweepers:

 

DEFG class minesweepers

[spoiler]

Eventually the Japanese decided to use minesweepers as minesweepers, and these were the ones they converted.  Each augmented by a triple 25mm emplacement, a 13mm MG, and 6 depth charges, they weren't entirely defenceless and small packs of these 175t boats could operate pretty much autonomously.

 

The Japanese captured seven, given the designations Wa 101 - 107, with at least Wa 107 (Ex-Enggano) receiving a name, Hiro or Hino Maru.[/spoiler]

 

+++++

 

Patrol boats (where the combat capability starts):

 

PB 104 / 108 (Ex-Valk / Ex-Arend)

[spoiler]

They weren't warships under the Dutch, so this is the best image I can do you for.  With a pair of 75mm AAA cannon, eight 25mms, and a pair of fiddies, these boats start to present a serious threat to aircraft.  Its 48 depth charges and its floatplane give it that little extra flexibility and at 18kts it's not as lumbering as the boats it'd guard.  About the smallest class that could be considered a leading ship for a pack of small boats.[/spoiler]

 

PB 106 (Ex-Banckert)

[spoiler]

ZOMG actual photo.  A converted Admiralen class destroyer, this is one of the more powerful combat ships captured by the Japanese from the Dutch East Indies.  With 4 120mm cannon and 6 21" torpedo tubes for surface combat, this can really start to take an actively aggressive role, and its single 75mm and 4 40mm cannon will give it the air cover it needs to make up for its size.  Again, it comes with its own float plane and depth charges, and its 34kt speed marks it out as by far the nippiest on this list.[/spoiler]

 

PB 109 (Ex-Fazant)

[spoiler]

Converted into a seaplane tender, captured by the Japanese then used to carry 4 dozen depth charges around.  It's not really set up for fighting, but was given a 75mm gun and a 7.7mm MG to defend itself if it had to.[/spoiler]

 

 

Nankai (Ex-Regulus) & Nanshin (Ex-Ram)

[spoiler]

Drawing of the Nanshin.  Both ships were converted from Regulus class minelayers, which displaced over 2000t each and could shift at 20kts on a good day.The Nanshin was intended to have 3 80mm cannon and a quad 25mm emplacement, but was never completed as she was repeatedly cannibalised for parts.  The Nankai, however, was completed with a set up of 4 120mm cannon and eight 25mm barrels in unknown configuration.  This is enough to make it a very heavy gunboat, but it has neither the speed nor torpedoes to be considered a true destroyer.[/spoiler]

 

Rigel

[spoiler]

Yet another minelayer, Rigel was not fully repaired by the Japanese by the end of the war, nor was she renamed.  A shame for the Japanese, as her ASDIC could have proved very useful, whilst her armament of 2 75mms and 2 .50s probably wouldn't have.[/spoiler]

 

+++++

 

Battery ship:

 

Soerabaja (Unknown name in Japanese use)

[spoiler]

Sunk in shallow water in her eponymous home port by G4M bombers, Soerabaja was raised by the Japanese and used as a battery defence ship for the port.  I've been able to find very little about her service with the Japanese, but if she retained the same armament, then she would remain a fearsome beast, and heavily armoured with her plating reaching 250mm on her turrets.[/spoiler]

 

+++++

 

Submarine:

[spoiler]

Just as unknown as the Soerabaja, in terms of state after capture.  The K XVIII was a fairly modern sub, and heavily enough armed.  After scuttling and capture it was, however, used in an air-detection picket, which suggests that its combat capabilities had been compromised and not sufficiently repaired.  Like the Soerabaja, I'm still looking for more data to decide this.[/spoiler]

 

 

So, that's 25 ships in the count so far, and I'm sure I haven't caught them all yet.  A good dozen combat vessels, which I find a remarkable number, given how few captured ships the Japanese operated and how few Dutch vessels there were.

 

[Azumazi 2,848]

The issue with all of these is that they are far too small to be in game except for Soerabaja. The smallest vessel that really should be in game is a Destroyer Escort. As they at least have the ability to defend themselves against larger vessel's. The other's really don't have any place, as for tier 1 vessels, most of them should be the inner-war period destroyers and 1920's Cruisers like the early light cruisers that Japan produced as well as the Omaha class of USN and other's.

 

Now, some captured vessel's I would expect to see would be such the likes of Ioshima and Yasoshima, as they were produced in Japan for China but later captured and put to use in the IJN. Their armament of only two 12cm guns is under that of a Destroyer in common use at the time, but they at least are armored to some extent and had quite a bit of AA. Some other ships that Japan could operated that were captured and put to general use.

 

HMS Thracian which was an S Class Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Moth which is a bit small, but armed with two 6'' guns and an assortment of AA.

USS Stewart which is a Clemson class Destroyer

 

One that is a bit of an odd one is the La Motte-Picquet, as it was interned and taken into possession by the Japanese but not much records that I can find of it being actually used other than remaining in Harbor. Although considered it remained with them from 1941 to 1945 before it was sunk, that one is really up to Gaijin if they want to allow the Japanese to use it, because to my better knowledge it was disarmed after the first 3 months and left as a training barge.

[Orlunu 6,863]

...

This was more a historical interest thing than anything else.  I wasn't looking to get them in game.

 

For suitable ships, though, the Banckert and the Nankai should certainly fit in as a good and a poor destroyer.