HNLMS Isaac Sweers
Encyclopedia
HNLMS Isaac Sweers, was Gerard Callenburgh class
destroyer
of the Royal Netherlands Navy
.
The keel was laid on 26 November 1938. The ship was launched on 16 March 1940 and the unfinished ship was evacuated to England after the German invasion of the Netherlands
. She was next completed in the Great Britain, with six British 4 inch dual purpose guns
instead of planned five 120 mm guns.
The ship was modern for her time, she was fast and had two fully stabilised 40 mm Bofors AA-guns, each with its own "Hazemeyer" fire control
.
The ship's plans were saved from the Germans and elements were incorporated into Royal Navy
ship designs.
and Alberto da Giussano on December 13 1941, near Cape Bon. She riddled the Da Giussano with gunfire at short range and launched four torpedoes against the torpedo boat Cigno; all of them missed their target. She escorted the important convoy MW 8B to Malta
in January 1942. During this mission the British destroyer HMS Gurkha II
was torpedoed by the German submarine U-133 on 12 January 1942. Isaac Sweers towed the stricken British destroyer through a field of burning oil and saved her entire crew of 240 sailors. They were taken to Tobruk
.
On 13 November 1942, during Operation Torch
, Isaac Sweers was hit by two torpedoes from the German submarine U-431. She sank with the loss of 108 of her 194 men.
Gerard Callenburgh class destroyer
The Gerard Callenburgh class were a group of four destroyers ordered for the Royal Netherlands Navy just before World War II. Two ships were completed - the Gerard Callenburgh by the Germans after being captured and the Isaac Sweers in Britain after being evacuated as the Netherlands fell to the...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
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...
.
Design and construction
Battle of the Netherlands
The Battle of the Netherlands was part of Case Yellow , the German invasion of the Low Countries and France during World War II. The battle lasted from 10 May 1940 until 14 May 1940 when the main Dutch forces surrendered...
. She was next completed in the Great Britain, with six British 4 inch dual purpose guns
QF 4 inch Mk XVI naval gun
The QF 4 inch Mk XVI gun was the standard British Commonwealth naval anti-aircraft and dual-purpose gun of World War II.-Service:The Mk XVI superseded the earlier QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun on many Royal Naval ships during the late 1930s and early 1940s...
instead of planned five 120 mm guns.
The ship was modern for her time, she was fast and had two fully stabilised 40 mm Bofors AA-guns, each with its own "Hazemeyer" fire control
Fire control
control of fire 'control of fire' is the practice of reducing the heat output of a fire, or reducing the area over which the fire exists, or suppressing or extinguishing the fire by depriving a fire of fuel, oxygen or heat ....
.
The ship's plans were saved from the Germans and elements were incorporated into Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ship designs.
Operations
Isaac Sweers was part of the Allied flotilla of destroyers which torpedoed an sank the Italian cruisers Alberico da BarbianoItalian cruiser Alberico da Barbiano
Alberico da Barbiano was an Italian Condottieri class light cruiser, that served in the Regia Marina during World War II. She was named after Alberico da Barbiano, an Italian condottiero of the 14th century....
and Alberto da Giussano on December 13 1941, near Cape Bon. She riddled the Da Giussano with gunfire at short range and launched four torpedoes against the torpedo boat Cigno; all of them missed their target. She escorted the important convoy MW 8B to Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
in January 1942. During this mission the British destroyer HMS Gurkha II
HMS Gurkha (G63)
HMS Gurkha was an L class destroyer in Britain's Royal Navy during World War II. She was originally to be named Larne in line with her class letter...
was torpedoed by the German submarine U-133 on 12 January 1942. Isaac Sweers towed the stricken British destroyer through a field of burning oil and saved her entire crew of 240 sailors. They were taken to Tobruk
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tubruq is a city, seaport, and peninsula on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District and has a population of 120,000 ....
.
On 13 November 1942, during Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
, Isaac Sweers was hit by two torpedoes from the German submarine U-431. She sank with the loss of 108 of her 194 men.