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stepping stones of maritime history

History

The tugboat Lauwerzee sailed as coast guard vessel BV 39 for the Dutch Royal Navy. Many Dutch ships had fled ot the UK at the outbreak of the Second World War and were deployed there in various ways by the Dutch government in exile.

The Lauwerzee departed from Falmouth on October 3rd 1940 with the British cable ship Lady of the Isles in tow. After about an hour at sea, the crew of the Lauwerzee heard a heavy explosion and the say the Lady of the Isles blow apart and sink a few minutes after that.

The towing line was taken in and the Lauwerzee was ordered to head for Plymouth. Just before taking her course, there was a heavy explosion in the foreship. The front mast and the chimney flew overboard, while the tugboat started to list heavily. In all likelihood, the ship had run on a mine.

Sailor Arie Visser, the only survivor, was sucked down into the depths but resurfaced and was picked up after a while by the lifeboat of the Surprise, that was part of the convoy of the Lauwerzee.

Dit is een gedenkplaat voor alle in de tweede wereldoorlog omgekomen bemanningsleden van de sleepdienst L. Smit & Co. Deze gedenkplaat hing oorspronkelijk in het kantoor van de maatschappij, maar is met het opgaan van de maatschappij in andere, grotere verbanden uit dat gebouw gered en aan het Nationaal Sleepvaart Museum te Maassluis geschonken en heeft daar een prominente plaats gevonden. Op deze gedenkplaat is ook J. Berkhout vermeld als omgekomen op de Lauwerzee.

Nationaal Sleepvaart Museum Maassluis

The memorial plaque in the Nationaal Sleepvaart Museum ('National Tugboat Museum') on which all the crew members of L. Smits & Co. that died in WWII are mentioned.

Description

Yard: J. & K. Smit's Scheepswerven N.V., Kinderdijk
Owner: originally L. Smit & Co.'s Sleepdienst N.V., Rotterdam, during WWII the Dutch Royal Navy

Zeeopname van de Lauwerzee, fotograaf onbekend

MarHisData

The Lauwerzee at sea, photographer and date unknown.

MasterG. S. Weltevrede
People on board13
Length117.5 feet (35.8 m)
Width23 feet (7 m)
Draft13.5 feet (4.1 m)
Tonnage262 ton

Status

Died crew members:

G. S. Weltevrede, master
J. Breederveld, stoker
J. Berkhout, first mate
C. M. de Vreede, stoker
T. J. Mellema, 1st engineer
K. Oosterlee, trimmer
P. van 't Hof, 2nd engineer
G. v.d. Star, ordinary sailor
A. Jol, sailor
D. Jenkins, stoker (English)
A. Wijgerse, cook
J. Watson, stoker (English)

Also see the website of the war grave foundation.

References

Down on 6 October

New in MaSS

Wrecks of Flevoland

Burgzand Noord

13 Provinces