Douwe Aukes class minelayer
Encyclopedia
The Douwe Aukes class were minelayer
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
s of the Royal Netherlands Navy
Royal Netherlands Navy
The Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, named after the naval hero Douwe Aukes
Douwe Aukes
Douwe Aukes was a Frisian sea captain of the Dutch East India Company or VOC. The Douwe Aukes class minelayer and its name-ship the HNLMS Douwe Aukes were named after him.-Life:He was the son of another VOC captain, also called Douwe Aukes...
.
The two ships were built at the Gusto shipyard in Schiedam
Schiedam
Schiedam is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is part of the Rotterdam metropolitan area. The city is located west of Rotterdam, east of Vlaardingen and south of Delft...
. Construction began in 1919 and was completed in 1922.
Built to serve in the Dutch territorial waters, both ships were still in service during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and they both escaped to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the Douwe Aukes on 14 May and the Van Meerlant on 18 May 1940. The Van Meerlant was sunk by a mine in 1942 while in British service.