Dutch East Indies Squadron

Dutch East Indies Squadron
Active1899 –
CountryNetherlands
BranchRoyal Netherlands Navy
TypeNaval squadron
RoleDefend the Dutch East Indies
EngagementsBattle of the Java Sea

The Dutch East Indies Squadron (Dutch: Nederlandsch Eskader in Oost-Indië, or shortened Nederlandsch Eskader) was a squadron of the Royal Netherlands Navy that was stationed in the Dutch East Indies.[1][2] It was established in 1899 as Java division (Dutch: Java-divisie) before being renamed on 1 April 1905.[3][4] The squadron operated in the waters of the Dutch East Indies and had as primary task to defend the colony against any potential enemy who might attempt to conquer it.[5]

History

During the 1890s the Auxiliary Squadron (Dutch: Auxiliair Eskader) of the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) was deemed incapable of defending Java against a possible attack by an enemy that had the intend to conquer the Dutch East Indies.[3] However, at the same time this possibility had to be taken in account after the balance of power in the Pacific had changed as a result of the Royal Navy withdrawing its naval forces to Europe.[3] To deter a possible attack it was decided to create two divisions that would consist of warships drawn from both the Auxiliary Squadron and the Indies Military Navy (Dutch: Indische Militaire Marine).[6] These two divisions were named Java Division (Dutch: Java-divisie) and Aceh Division (Dutch: Atjeh-divisie).[6]

Java Division

HNLMS De Ruyter

The Java Division was established in 1899 and was tasked with defending Java against any attack by potential enemies who might want to conquer the Dutch East Indies.[3][7] It consisted of large, modern and fast Dutch warships that were stationed in the colony.[8][9] The creation and naming of this division showed the importance of Java and also indicated where the defence of the Dutch East Indies would be concentrated in case of war.[10][3] During its first years the Java Division performed numerous exercises.[11][12] It also escorted Prins Hendrik der Nederlanden to Soerabaja after it experienced issues with its boilers while out at sea.[13] At the time the Java Division consisted of Holland, Friesland, Piet Hein, Sumatra, Borneo and Cerberus.[7] Some ships joined latter, including the De Ruyter in 1937 under the command of Admiral Karel Doorman.[14]: 87 

During the Russo-Japanese War several Russian warships visited the harbour in Sabang while they sailed to the Far East.[15] The RNLN responded by stationing the Java Division for eleven months at the harbour to uphold Dutch neutrality and sent at the same time more coastal defence ships and protected cruisers to the Dutch East Indies.[15][6][16] This experience showed that the RNLN had to be capable to uphold its neutrality in the whole archipelago instead of concentrating on defending Java.[8] As a result, the Java Division was renamed Dutch East Indies Squadron (Dutch: Nederlandsch Eskader in Oost-Indië) on 1 April 1905 to better reflect this purpose.[8][1]

In 1906 several ships of the Dutch East Indies Squadron took part in the Dutch intervention in Bali.[17]

Second World War

The Dutch East Indies Squadron was part of the naval component of ABDACOM during the Pacific War.[2]

Citations

  1. ^ a b Bauduin (1920), p. 22.
  2. ^ a b Jeffrey R. Cox. "A Turn Too Far: Reconstructing the End of the Battle of the Java Sea". MilitaryHistoryOnline.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e Raven (1988), p. 66.
  4. ^ "Leger en vloot". De Courant (in Dutch). 29 April 1905.
  5. ^ Rapport van de Staatscommissie voor de verdediging van Nederlandsch-Indië (Report) (in Dutch). The Hague: Js. Bootsma. 1913. p. 12.
  6. ^ a b c Kooiman and Snijders (1915), p. 605.
  7. ^ a b Cohen Stuart (1937), p. 111.
  8. ^ a b c Rinkes, van Zalinge and de Roever (1925), p. 166.
  9. ^ Marine-Sociëteit "Modderlust": 1867-1917 (in Dutch). Van Heteren. 1917. p. 33.
  10. ^ Mollema (1939), p. 351.
  11. ^ Cohen Stuart (1937), p. 112.
  12. ^ Macleod, N. (1908). De Indische marine, beschouwingen naar aanleiding van het Rapport der Marinecommissie, benoemd bij Koninklijk besluit van 3 Augustus 1906, no. 39 (in Dutch). p. 23.
  13. ^ Departement van Marine (1900). Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zeemacht: 1898-1899 (in Dutch). The Hague: Gebroeders Van Cleef. p. 401.
  14. ^ van Oosten, F. C. (1 January 1974). Warship Profile 40: Her Netherlands Majesty's Ship De Ruyter. Profile Publications. ISBN 9780853830627.
  15. ^ a b de Boer (1924), p. 29.
  16. ^ Mollema (1942), p. 116.
  17. ^ De verrichtingen van de intendance op Bali tijdens de expeditie van 1906 (in Dutch). Batavia: G. Kolff & Co. 1908. p. 21.

Bibliography

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