SS Batavier II (1897)
SS Batavier II, as she appeared from 1897 to 1909
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History | |
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Name | SS Batavier II |
Owner | William Müller & Co.[2] |
Operator | Batavier Line[2] |
Port of registry | Rotterdam[1] |
Route | Rotterdam–London[2] |
Builder | Gourlay Brothers, Dundee, Scotland[1] |
Yard number | 176[1] |
Launched | 17 August 1897[1] |
Completed | October 1897[1] |
Captured | seized as prize by UB-6, 24 September 1916[2] |
Fate | Shelled and sunk by HMS E55, 27 July 1917[3] |
General characteristics | |
Type | steam packet |
Tonnage | |
Length | |
Beam | 10.2 m (33 ft 6 in)[1] |
Propulsion | 1 × 4-cylinder, triple-expansion steam engine,[1] 2,000 ihp (1,500 kW) |
Speed | 13 to 14 knots (24–26 km/h)[2][1] |
Capacity |
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SS Batavier II was a
During World War I, the Batavier Line attempted to maintain service, but in September 1916, Batavier II was seized as a prize by German submarine UB-6 and sailed into Zeebrugge and retained. Ten months later, Batavier II was shelled by British submarine E55 and sank near Texel.
Career
Batavier II and her sister ship
Upon completion in October 1897, she joined the 683-ton Batavier I in packet service between Rotterdam and London. The pair were joined by Batavier III after her completion in November.
After the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, the Batavier Line continued service on the Rotterdam–London route. In December 1914, Batavier II made news when porters handling what was identified as a 750-pound (340 kg) crate of Swedish matches discovered an escaped
In June 1915, passengers on Batavier II witnessed an attack by two German airplanes against a British steamship between the Galloper and the North Hinder Lightships. The attack was broken off when two British airplanes arrived over the ship to engage the German aircraft; none of the airplanes were destroyed, and the ship was unscathed.[8]
On 24 September 1916, after Batavier II had departed from Rotterdam, the ship was stopped by the German submarine
Batavier II's whereabouts and activities over the next ten months are uncertain. She remained under German control for a time,[13] but how long is not clear from sources. Batavier II was back under Dutch control by late July 1917.[14]
On 27 July 1917, Batavier II was shelled by British submarine E55 just outside Dutch territorial waters.[2][14][Note 1] Damaged by E55's gunfire, Batavier II's crew steered her back into Dutch territorial waters. E55 then sent a prize crew on board Batavier II and sailed her back outside Dutch waters. By the time a Dutch torpedo boat arrived on the scene, Batavier II was taking on water and had drifted back into Dutch territory. The torpedo boat sent the message "respect neutrality" to E55 which retrieved her prize crew and departed. Despite efforts to stem the flow of water,[15] Batavier II sank 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) from the Molengat North Buoy, off Texel.[1]
Notes
- ^ Sources alternately identify the submarine as HMS L55, upon which construction had not yet begun in July 1917; or "C55"', never used by a British submarine. See: "Capture of Dutch ship by submarine". The Christian Science Monitor. 1 August 1917. p. 1. Also see: "How Batavier II was sunk". The New York Times. 1 August 1917. p. 2.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Batavier II (5600938)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 17 March 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Batavier Line". Simplon Postcards: The Passenger Ship Website. Ian Boyle. Retrieved 17 March 2009.
- ^ a b "Batavier Line". The Ships List. 9 March 2007. Archived from the original on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2009.
- ^ "Batavier III (5600939)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 17 March 2009.
- ^ van Ysselsteyn, p. 222.
- OCLC 49480751.
- ^ "Find German officer hidden in a big box" (PDF). The New York Times. 13 December 1914. p. 2. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
- OCLC 6674288.
- ^ "Another Dutch ship seized by Germans" (PDF). The New York Times. 25 September 1916. p. 1. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Ships hit by UB 6". U-Boat War in World War I. Uboat.net. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
- ^ "Germans hold New Yorker". The Washington Post. 27 September 1916. p. 3.
- ^ "May have to join army" (PDF). The New York Times. 1 October 1916. p. 5. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Batavier Ii (p.)". U-Boat War in World War I. Uboat.net. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
- ^ a b "How Batavier II was sunk". The New York Times. 1 August 1917. p. 2.
- ^ "Capture of Dutch ship by submarine". The Christian Science Monitor. 1 August 1917. p. 1.
Bibliography
- van Ysselsteyn, Hendrik Albert (1908). The Port of Rotterdam (3d ed.). Rotterdam: Nijgh & Van Ditmar's Publishing Co. OCLC 60983381.