HNLMS Pollux (1922)
HNLMS Pollux was a steamship of the Dienst der Bebakening en kustverlichting.[3][4] She was built in the Netherlands and used as lightship and beacon ship (Dutch: bebakeningsvaartuig).[1][2] In 1939 the ship was militarized and taken into service of the Royal Netherlands Navy.[3]
| History | |
|---|---|
 Netherlands | |
| Name | Pollux |
| Operator |  Royal Netherlands Navy |
| Builder | Verschure & Co., Amsterdam |
| Launched | August 1922 |
| Commissioned | 1923 |
| Fate | Scrapped or sunk after August 1945 |
| General characteristics [1][2] | |
| Type | Steamship |
| Displacement | 1,012 t (996 long tons) |
| Length | 55.64 m (182 ft 7 in) |
| Beam | 9.55 m (31 ft 4 in) |
| Draught | 3.18 m (10 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) |
| Capacity | 800 m3 (28,000 cu ft) gas storage |
| Crew | 49 |
| Armament | 1 x 7.5 cm cannon |
Design and construction
Pollux was built at the shipyard Verschure & Co. in Amsterdam.[5][6] In August 1922 the ship was launched and in December 1922 it left Amsterdam for Hellevoetsluis where it would perform its sea trials.[7][8] The next year, in 1923, Pollux was commissioned into the Dienst der Bebakening en kustverlichting.[2] The costs of building the Pollux was estimated to be 939.000 Dutch guilders.[2]
The design of the Pollux was based on that of the Hoofdinspecteur Zeeman but with several modifications.[2]
After being militarized the ship got equipped with a single 7.5 cm cannon on its front deck.[9]
Service history
In March 1929 Pollux was involved in the construction of a new beacon in Soerabaja which would mark the area that contained the Queen Olga reef.[10]
Second World War
During the Second World War Pollux continued her lighting and beacon duties, which included making sure minefields were properly marked in the waters of the Dutch East Indies.[9]
On 2 March 1942 the ship was scuttled by its own crew in Soerabaja.[1] A year later, on 13 February 1943, Pollux was lifted by the Japanese and rebuild as the survey vessel Korai Maru.[3] Later the ship was renamed Hoyo.[1]
After the war, in August 1945, the ship was found damaged in Soerabaja.[3] It was later either scrapped or sunk.[1]
Notes
Citations
- Mark (1997), p. 172.
- Backer Dirks (1986), p. 74.
- von Münching (1978), p. 164.
- "Te water lating van de „Pollux"". De Amsterdammer (in Dutch). 16 August 1922.
- "Scheepsbouw". Algemeen Handelsblad (in Dutch). 18 March 1923.
- "Geslaagde proeftocht". De Standaard (in Dutch). 3 January 1923.
- "Tewaterlating". De Standaard (in Dutch). 15 August 1922.
- "Scheepsberichten". Scheepvaart (in Dutch). 28 December 1922.
- Backer Dirks (1986), p. 176.
- "Nieuw baken". Soerabaijasch handelsblad (in Dutch). 2 March 1929.
References
- Mark, Chris (1997). Schepen van de Koninklijke Marine in W.O. II (in Dutch). Alkmaar: De Alk. ISBN 90-6013-522-9.
- von Münching, L.L. (1978). Schepen van de Koninklijke Marine in de Tweede Wereldoorlog (in Dutch). Alkmaar: Alk. ISBN 90-6013-903-8.
- Backer Dirks, F.C. (1986). De Gouvernements marine in het voormalige Nederlands-Indië in haar verschillende tijdsperioden geschetst: 1861-1949 (in Dutch). Vol. III. Houten: De Boer Maritiem. ISBN 90-228-1884-5.