History
Requisitioned for war service
Coast guard vessel Hr.Ms. BV 34 was built as a tugboat in 1927 and had the name Noordzee. In her working life as a tugboat the ship was probably mostly deployed in and around the port of Rotterdam.
On August 24th, 1939, the ship was requisitioned by the Dutch Royal Navy as a coast guard vessel because of the war threat and renamed BV 34.
Marhisdata
The BV 34 in her war colours. Photographer unknown.
Demise
On May 14th, 1940, the ship had picked up a life raft of a Norwegian ship in the sea-lane near Deurlo (the Netherlands) during a patrol. This raft was to be delivered at the junction buoy Deurlo-Oostgat in the Oosterschelde river near Zoutelande. When she arrived there, she struck a magnetic mine and sank. Two victims were fished from the water by a British destroyer and the bodies of two others washed up on the shore of the island of Walcheren. The other 16 crewmen died and were not found again.
Description
Type: tugboat and coast guard vessel
Yard: L Smit & Zn. Kinderdijk
Yard number: 829
Owner: L. Smit & Co. Sleepdienst, Rotterdam
Propulsion: triple-expansion steam engine
Armament: 1x 50 mm gun
Marhisdata
The BV 34 in her days as the tugboat the Noordzee. Photographer unknown.
| Power | 550 hp |
|---|---|
| Speed | 10 knots ~ 12 mph (19 km/h) |
| Length | 118.1 feet (36 m) |
| Width | 22.6 feet (6.9 m) |
| Draft | 13.1 feet (4 m) |
| Displacement | 260 ton |
Status
The wreck has been designated as a war grave.
References
- Stichting Maritiem Historische Databank.
Noordzee. - Databank Oorlogsslachtoffers Zeeland.