Admiralen-class destroyers in the 1930s

Throughout the 1930s, the Admiralen-class destroyers of British design were the backbone of the Netherlands East Indies fleet. This page is intended to collect those rare shots of everyday life on board these ships.

If you have any photos to add, please Contact me.
Dutch Admiralen-class destroyers in line. Leading is the Kortenaer, followed by Piet Hein (Collection J.G. Bouman)
Hoisting a floatplane on or off board. The floatplane in question is a Van Berkel W-A, which was used operationally between 1920 and 1933. (Collection J.G. Bouman)
Loading a torpedo. (Collection J.G. Bouman)
Maintenance of a torpedo. (Collection J.G. Bouman)
Firing a torpedo during an exercise. (Collection J.G. Bouman)
Firing a torpedo during an exercise. (Collection J.G. Bouman)
Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands visiting the Evertsen and De Ruyter (from 1934: Van Ghent), 1928. (Collection webmaster)
Kortenaer during fleet exercises in the Netherlands East Indies, date unknown. (Collection webmaster)
Kortenaer, date and place unknown (Collection U.S. National Archives, via Clay Ramsey)
Click to enlarge Kortenaer in port. Image from a postcard sent in 1929. In the right background an "O"-type submarine. (Collection O. van Hoften)
Click to enlarge Kortenaer at anchor, October 28, 1930. Photo from the National Archives in Washington (#RG80CF2469), via Leland Ness.
Click to enlarge Kortenaer and Evertsen lying at the quay (Collection O. van Hoften)
Close-up of Piet Hein's starboard side (Collection O. van Hoften)
Click to enlarge Piet Hein at anchor, October 24, 1930. In the left background a merchant ship, probably owned by the Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij. Photo from the Naval Archives in Washington (#RG80CF246-10), via Leland Ness.
Click to enlarge Piet Hein at anchor, October 24, 1930. Photo from the Naval Archives in Washington (#RG80CF246), via Leland Ness.
Piet Hein during the 1930s, date and place unknown (Collection O. van Hoften)
The destroyer Piet Hein during an exercise (Collection M. van der Hoeden)
Van Galen manoeuvring at full speed (Collection O. van Hoften)
Van Galen under attack by a German Heinkel medium bomber. This apparently is not a photo, but a sketch of Van Galen under attack in May 1940 near Rotterdam. (Collection O. van Hoften)
Postcard of Van Nes off Den Helder, sent in 1934. (Collection O. van Hoften)
The destroyer Van Nes leaving Den Helder, with Fokker C VII-W aircraft passing overhead. (collection webmaster)
The destroyer De Ruyter (renamed Van Ghent in 1934) during a firing exercise, 1929 or 1930 (Collection M. van der Hoeden)
Loading a torpedo on board De Ruyter, in Soerabaja (#1 of 4). (Collection R. van Hoften)
As above (#2 of 4). (Collection R. van Hoften)
As above (#3 of 4). (Collection R. van Hoften)
As above (#4 of 4). (Collection R. van Hoften)
A series showing the De Ruyter launching and recovering a torpedo during an exercise in the Netherlands East Indies. (Collection R. van Hoften) (#1 of 7)
As above. (#2 of 7). (Collection R. van Hoften)
As above. (#3 of 7). (Collection R. van Hoften)
As above. (#4 of 7). (Collection R. van Hoften)
As above. (#5 of 7). Following the torpedo .... has it hit the target? (Collection R. van Hoften)
As above. (#6 of 7). Note the white tropical gear worn by the sailors in the boats and on board, especially the wide hats. (Collection R. van Hoften)
As above. (#7 of 7). (Collection R. van Hoften)
Crew photo of the destroyer Van Ghent. Can anyone say when and where? (Collection Tiest Markies)
Witte de With at Padang, Sumatra (Collection R. van Hoften)

Back Home