| Navy | The Royal Dutch Navy |
| Type | Sloop |
| Class | Flores |
| Pennant | T 199 |
| Built by | Feijenoord (Schiedam, Holland) |
| Ordered | |
| Laid down | 24 Dec 1924 |
| Launched | 24 Aug 1925 |
| Commissioned | 12 Apr 1926 |
| End service | |
| History | Sold to be broken up for scrap in June/July 1985. For more information on the wartime service of HrMs Soemba see this website (offsite link). |
Commands listed for HNMS Soemba (T 199)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | |
| 1 | kapitein-luitenant ter zee (Cdr.) Johan Christiaan Cornelis, RNN | 25 Apr 1940 | 17 Jan 1941 |
| 2 | luitenant ter zee 1e klasse (Lt.Cdr.) Prof. Petrus Johannes Gerrit Huijer, RNN | 17 Jan 1941 | 25 Apr 1943 |
| 3 | kapitein-luitenant ter zee (Cdr.) Joseph Johan Matthijs Sterkenberg, RNN | 25 Apr 1943 | 5 Aug 1943 (+) |
| 4 | luitenant ter zee 1e klasse (Lt.Cdr.) Anthonie van Miert, RNN | 5 Aug 1943 | Sep 1943 |
| 5 | luitenant ter zee 1e klasse (Lt.Cdr.) Pieter Atzo de Boer, RNN | 1 Sep 1943 | 28 Oct 1943 |
| 6 | luitenant ter zee 1e klasse (Lt.Cdr.) Henri Herman Laurens Pröpper, RNN | 28 Oct 1943 | 26 Aug 1944 |
| 7 | luitenant ter zee 1e klasse (Lt.Cdr.) Theodoor Brunsting, RNN | 26 Aug 1944 | 22 Oct 1944 |
| 8 | luitenant ter zee 1e klasse (Lt.Cdr.) Sako Lambertus de Jong, RNN | 22 Oct 1944 | 6 Aug 1945 |
| 9 | luitenant ter zee 2e klasse (Lt.) Hendrik Anthonius van Oorde, RNN | 6 Aug 1945 | 19 Aug 1945 |
| 10 | luitenant ter zee 1e klasse (Lt.Cdr.) Jacobus Johannes Hogendoorn, RNN | 19 Aug 1945 | 21 Dec 1946 |
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Notable events involving Soemba include:
10 Jan 1942
Convoys MS 2 and MS 2A.
Convoy MS 2 departed Sydney on 10 January 1942.
This convoy was made up of only one ship, the troopship Aquitania (British, 44786 GRT, built 1914).
On departure from Sydney convoy MS 2 was escorted by the heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra (Capt. G.D. Moore, RAN).
Convoy MS 2 arrived at Fremantle on 15 January and departed again in the same composition on the 16th.
On 19 January 1942, while approaching the Sunda Strait the convoy was joined by a local escort made up of the light cruisers HMS Dragon (Capt. R.J. Shaw, MBE, RN), HrMs Java (Capt. P.B.M van Straelen, RNN) and the destroyers HMS Express (Lt.Cdr. F.J. Cartwright, RN) and HMS Thanet ( Cdr.(Retd.) B.S. Davies, RN) which came from Batavia.
On 20 January 1942, the destroyer HrMs Van Nes (Lt.Cdr. C.A. Lagaay, RNN) joined. The convoy arrived at Ratai Bay, Sumatra later the same day.
On arrival at Lampung Bay, HrMs Java and HMS Thanet parted company to proceed to Batavia to fuel on completion of which they returned to Ratai Bay. HMAS Canberra and HMS Express fuelled at Ratai Bay.
At Lampung Bay the troops from the Aquitania were put onto smaller ships which were to take them to Singapore as Convoy MS 2A.
These were the merchant vessels; Both (Dutch, 2601 GRT, built 1931), Reael (Dutch, 2561 GRT, built 1931), Reijnst (Dutch, 2462 GRT, built 1928), Sloet van Beele (Dutch, 2977 GRT, built 1914), Taishan (British, 3174 GRT, built 1925), Van der Lijn (Dutch, 2464 GRT, built 1928) and Van Swoll (Dutch, 2147 GRT, built 1930).
To provide cover for the operation of putting the troops on board the smaller ships the heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra, light cruisers HMS Dragon, destroyers HMS Express, HMAS Vampire (Cdr. W.T.A. Moran, RAN), USS Barker (Lt.Cdr. L.G. McGlone, USN), USS Stewart (Lt.Cdr. H.P. Smith, USN), HrMs Evertsen (Lt.Cdr. W.M. de Vries, RNN), HrMs Van Nes, sloops HMIS Jumna (Cdr. W.R. Shewring, RIN), HrMs Soemba (Cdr. P.J.G. Huijer, RNN) and the patrol vessel USS Isabel (Lt. J.W. Payne, Jr., USN) were patrolling / present in the Bay.
Around 1045GH, convoy MS 2A departed Ratai Bay for Singapore. It was escorted by HMAS Canberra, HMAS Vampire and HMIS Jumna.
Around 1830GH/21, HrMs Java and HMS Thanet joined from Batavia.
At 1000GH/23, after the convoy had passed the Banka Strait HMAS Canberra parted company leaving HrMs Java in command of the escort. HMAS Canberra then proceeded to Batavia where she arrived the following day.
The convoy arrived at Singapore late in the morning of the 24th. (1)
30 Mar 1942
HrMs Soemba (Cdr. P.J.G. Huijer, RNN) is docked in the Duncan Dry Dock at the Bombay Dockyard. (2)
3 Apr 1942
HrMs Soemba (Cdr. P.J.G. Huijer, RNN) is undocked. (3)
Sources
- Report of proceedings of HMAS Canberra for January 1942 + Report of proceedings of HMAS Vampire for January 1942
- ADM 53/115496
- ADM 53/115497
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.