Tugboat enlisted as warship

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 they saw the Lady of the Isles explode, and she sank 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. it quickly sank with almost all on board perishing.

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.

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.

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

MarHisData

The Lauwerzee at sea, photographer and date unknown.

Perished 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)

See the website of the war grave foundation.

• marhisdata ID 3632.
• Haersolte J.W.J. (red.) (1947).
  Scheepsrampen in oorlogstijd ,nr. 41.