Karel Doorman
Encyclopedia
Karel Willem Frederik Marie Doorman (April 23, 1889 - February 28, 1942) was a Dutch
Rear Admiral
who commanded ABDACOM Naval forces, a hastily-organized multinational naval force formed to defend the East Indies against an overwhelming Imperial Japanese attack.
Doorman was killed and the main body of ABDACOM Naval forces destroyed during the Battle of the Java Sea
. In commemoration, the Royal Netherlands Navy
named three ships after him: HNLMS Karel Doorman (1946)
, HNLMS Karel Doorman (1948)
and HNLMS Karel Doorman (1991).
and raised Catholic, came from a family of professional soldiers. In 1906, he and his brother Lou ACM Doorman were commissioned as midshipmen
. In 1910 came his promotion to officer rating. In the latter year he moved on board the cruiser HNLMS Tromp
to the Dutch East Indies
. During his first three years of duty, from January 1912 to December 1913, he was placed aboard the survey vessel
s HNLMS van Doorn and HNLMS Lombok, with the primary aim of mapping the coastal waters of New Guinea
. Early in 1914 he returned to the Netherlands on board cruiser HNLMS De Ruyter. In March 1914 he made a request to enter the Aviation Service.
From April 1914 he was placed aboard armored cruiser HNLMS Noord Brabant and, just before the first World War broke out, with that ship he was part of a mission to Albania
to recover the mortal remains of Major Louis Thomson, who was killed in action there. His request for entry into the Aviation Service was approved in the summer of 1915, after rigorous testing, and he was one of the first naval officers to be awarded his wings
.
From 1915 to 1918 he was stationed at the Aviation Service at Soesterberg under command of Captain (later Major) of Engineers H. Walaardt. There he met Albert Plesman
, who at first was an observer but later was trained as a pilot in the Army. In 1915 he was awarded a civil pilot licence and in 1916 he was awarded the Naval pilot licence. From 1917 to 1921 he was an instructor, first at Soesterberg Air Base
and from October 1918 at the Naval Air Base De Kooy at Den Helder
. He commanded this Naval Air Base from 1919 to 1921. Because of his merits as an organizer of the still very young Naval Aviation
he was made a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau
) in 1922.
From 1919 to 1934 Doorman was married to Justine A.D. Schermer. In 1928, his son Joop was born. In 1934 he married Isabella J.J.J. Heyligers.
Budget cuts and an arm injury meant that Doorman's active flying career was over. From November 1921 to November 1923 he attended Higher Naval School in The Hague, essential for a career as a naval officer, particularly for staff positions. After he successfully completed this training, in which, among other things, he studied communication between aircraft and naval vessels, he was placed at the Department of the Navy at Batavia
in December 1923.
, later he combined this with the function of first officer
. Early in 1928 he returned to the Netherlands and was employed in the Navy Department at The Hague and primarily responsible for the purchase of equipment for Naval Aviation. In 1932 followed his first command of a ship, the minelayer HNLMS Prins van Oranje. In this ship he sailed for the third time in the same year to the Dutch East Indies. In 1932 his command was changed to destroyer
s, first HNLMS Witte de With
and from the end of 1932 HNLMS Evertsen
. The latter ship saw action against the rebels on HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën in February 1933.
In January 1934 Doorman went back to the Netherlands with HNLMS Evertsen. A period of three years as Chief of Staff
of the naval commander in Den Helder followed. In 1936 Doorman wrote a request to the Secretary of Defense for a command of a cruiser in the Dutch East Indies. As a result he left in 1937, now a Captain
, to the Dutch East Indies
as a commander of the cruisers HNLMS Sumatra and HNLMS Java. In August 1938 he was appointed Commander of Naval Aviation in the Dutch East Indies. From his headquarter at Surabaya Morokrembangan Naval Air Station, he made many an inspection tour of the archipelago.
. Early 1942 he commanded the Combined Striking Force of ABDACOM, American British Dutch Australian Command. Doorman was killed in action when his ship HNLMS De Ruyter
was sunk in the Battle of the Java Sea
. Part of the crew was rescued, but Doorman, following old navy tradition, chose to go down with his ship. On June 5, 1942 he was posthumously made a Knight 3rd class in the Military William Order. The medal was awarded to the Rear-Admiral's eldest son on May 23, 1947 by Lieutenant-Admiral Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich
, on board HNLMS Karel Doorman
, attended by Prince Bernhard
.
Between 1946 and 2006 the Royal Dutch Navy named three vessels after Karel Doorman, including a former British Colossus class aircraft carrier
, the largest ship the Navy ever commissioned.
On February 27, 1942 at approximately four in the afternoon the Japanese and the allied squadrons spotted each other. The guns of the two Japanese cruisers had a longer range than the Allied guns and at about five o'clock the British cruiser HMS Exeter
was hit. Twenty minutes later the Dutch destroyer HNLMS Kortenaer was torpedoed. The ship exploded and broke in two pieces. Confusion arose in the Allied squadron over the way forward, compounded by the fact that HMS Exeter could only sail at half power and wanted to return to port at Tanjung Priok
on its own steam.
Remembering instructions issued by High Command, Doorman gave the order to attack at the approach of the Japanese fleet. The tactical command "I attack, follow me" as such he did not signal at the beginning of this battle in the Java Sea. It is a very free translation of the signal sent by him, "All ships - follow me", to remedy the confusion. The battle on February 27, 1942 which, with interruptions, lasted for over seven hours, ended with the almost complete destruction of Doorman's squadron. The squadron commander was killed aboard the flagship, which sank after about 1 ½ hours.
The Hague Kloosterkerk has a memorial plaque and commemorations for the Battle of the Java Sea are regularly held.
Rear Admiral
Military ranks of the Dutch armed forces
-Koninklijke Landmacht, KL :The Landmacht is the land based part of the Dutch military. Its task are the following:* To defend Dutch soil and that of NATO allies.* To contribute to peace, stability and safety world wide....
who commanded ABDACOM Naval forces, a hastily-organized multinational naval force formed to defend the East Indies against an overwhelming Imperial Japanese attack.
Dutch East Indies campaign
The Dutch East Indies campaign of 1941–1942 was the conquest of the Dutch East Indies by forces from the Empire of Japan in the early days of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Forces from the Allies attempted unsuccessfully to defend the islands. Indonesia was targeted by the Japanese for its...
Doorman was killed and the main body of ABDACOM Naval forces destroyed during the Battle of the Java Sea
Battle of the Java Sea
The Battle of the Java Sea was a decisive naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, that sealed the fate of the Netherlands East Indies....
. In commemoration, 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 three ships after him: HNLMS Karel Doorman (1946)
HMS Nairana (D05)
HMS Nairana was the lead ship of the Royal Navy's s that saw service in the Second World War. She was built at John Brown & Company shipyards in Clydebank, Scotland...
, HNLMS Karel Doorman (1948)
HNLMS Karel Doorman (R81)
HNLMS Karel Doorman was a Colossus-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The ship was the British HMS Venerable before she was sold in 1948 to the Netherlands as a light attack carrier. In 1960 she was involved in the decolonization conflict in Western New Guinea with Indonesia...
and HNLMS Karel Doorman (1991).
Youth, training, active flight period
Doorman, born in UtrechtUtrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
and raised Catholic, came from a family of professional soldiers. In 1906, he and his brother Lou ACM Doorman were commissioned as midshipmen
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
. In 1910 came his promotion to officer rating. In the latter year he moved on board the cruiser HNLMS Tromp
HNLMS Tromp
At least seven ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy have been named HNLMS Tromp after Admiral Maarten Tromp , or his son Cornelis Tromp :* Zr. Ms. Admiraal C. Tromp, a 7-gun armed schooner, which served from 1809-1826....
to the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
. During his first three years of duty, from January 1912 to December 1913, he was placed aboard the survey vessel
Survey vessel
A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for mapping. It is a type of research vessel.-Role:The task of survey vessels is to map the bottom, benthic zone, full water column, and surface for the purpose of:* hydrography* general oceanography...
s HNLMS van Doorn and HNLMS Lombok, with the primary aim of mapping the coastal waters of New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. Early in 1914 he returned to the Netherlands on board cruiser HNLMS De Ruyter. In March 1914 he made a request to enter the Aviation Service.
From April 1914 he was placed aboard armored cruiser HNLMS Noord Brabant and, just before the first World War broke out, with that ship he was part of a mission to Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
to recover the mortal remains of Major Louis Thomson, who was killed in action there. His request for entry into the Aviation Service was approved in the summer of 1915, after rigorous testing, and he was one of the first naval officers to be awarded his wings
Pilot licensing and certification
Pilot licensing or certification refers to permits to fly aircraft that are issued by the National Aviation Authority in each country, establishing that the holder has met a specific set of knowledge and experience requirements. This includes taking a flying test. The certified pilot can then...
.
From 1915 to 1918 he was stationed at the Aviation Service at Soesterberg under command of Captain (later Major) of Engineers H. Walaardt. There he met Albert Plesman
Albert Plesman
Dr. Albert Plesman was a Dutch pioneer in aviation and founder of KLM, the oldest airline in the world still operating under its original name.He was born as the son of an egg trader from The Hague...
, who at first was an observer but later was trained as a pilot in the Army. In 1915 he was awarded a civil pilot licence and in 1916 he was awarded the Naval pilot licence. From 1917 to 1921 he was an instructor, first at Soesterberg Air Base
Soesterberg Air Base
Soesterberg Air Base was a Royal Netherlands Air Force military airbase located in Soesterberg, eastnortheast of Utrecht. It was first established as an airfield in 1911, and in 1913, the Dutch Army bought the field and established the Army Aviation Division.For almost 40 years, United States...
and from October 1918 at the Naval Air Base De Kooy at Den Helder
Den Helder
Den Helder is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula...
. He commanded this Naval Air Base from 1919 to 1921. Because of his merits as an organizer of the still very young Naval Aviation
Naval aviation
Naval aviation is the application of manned military air power by navies, including ships that embark fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters. In contrast, maritime aviation is the operation of aircraft in a maritime role under the command of non-naval forces such as the former RAF Coastal Command or a...
he was made a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Order of Orange-Nassau
The Order of Orange-Nassau is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for...
) in 1922.
From 1919 to 1934 Doorman was married to Justine A.D. Schermer. In 1928, his son Joop was born. In 1934 he married Isabella J.J.J. Heyligers.
Budget cuts and an arm injury meant that Doorman's active flying career was over. From November 1921 to November 1923 he attended Higher Naval School in The Hague, essential for a career as a naval officer, particularly for staff positions. After he successfully completed this training, in which, among other things, he studied communication between aircraft and naval vessels, he was placed at the Department of the Navy at Batavia
History of Jakarta
The history of Jakarta begins with its first recorded mention as a Hindu port settlement in the 4th century. Ever since, the city had been variously claimed by the Indianized kingdom of Tarumanegara, Hindu Kingdom of Sunda, Muslim Sultanate of Banten, Dutch East Indies, Empire of Japan, and finally...
in December 1923.
Continued career in the Royal Navy, commands
In 1926, for the first time in eleven years, Doorman landed a longer appointment on board a naval vessel, armoured ship HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën. Until late 1927 he was gunnery officerGun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
, later he combined this with the function of first officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
. Early in 1928 he returned to the Netherlands and was employed in the Navy Department at The Hague and primarily responsible for the purchase of equipment for Naval Aviation. In 1932 followed his first command of a ship, the minelayer HNLMS Prins van Oranje. In this ship he sailed for the third time in the same year to the Dutch East Indies. In 1932 his command was changed to 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...
s, first HNLMS Witte de With
Admiralen class destroyer
The Admiralen Class were eight destroyers built for the Royal Netherlands Navy between 1926 and 1931. All ships fought in World War II and were scuttled or sunk...
and from the end of 1932 HNLMS Evertsen
Admiralen class destroyer
The Admiralen Class were eight destroyers built for the Royal Netherlands Navy between 1926 and 1931. All ships fought in World War II and were scuttled or sunk...
. The latter ship saw action against the rebels on HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën in February 1933.
In January 1934 Doorman went back to the Netherlands with HNLMS Evertsen. A period of three years as Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
of the naval commander in Den Helder followed. In 1936 Doorman wrote a request to the Secretary of Defense for a command of a cruiser in the Dutch East Indies. As a result he left in 1937, now a Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
, to the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
as a commander of the cruisers HNLMS Sumatra and HNLMS Java. In August 1938 he was appointed Commander of Naval Aviation in the Dutch East Indies. From his headquarter at Surabaya Morokrembangan Naval Air Station, he made many an inspection tour of the archipelago.
Second World War
On May 16, 1940 he was promoted to Rear-Admiral and on June 13, 1940 on board the light cruiser HNLMS De Ruyter, he took command of the squadron of Rear-Admiral GW Stöve at SurabayaSurabaya
Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city with a population of over 2.7 million , and the capital of the province of East Java...
. Early 1942 he commanded the Combined Striking Force of ABDACOM, American British Dutch Australian Command. Doorman was killed in action when his ship HNLMS De Ruyter
HNLMS De Ruyter (1935)
HNLMS De Ruyter was a light cruiser of the Royal Netherlands Navy, the lead ship of her class. She was originally designed as a ship with a lighter armament due to financial problems and the pacifist movement. Later in the design stage, an extra gun turret was added and the armor was improved...
was sunk in the Battle of the Java Sea
Battle of the Java Sea
The Battle of the Java Sea was a decisive naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, that sealed the fate of the Netherlands East Indies....
. Part of the crew was rescued, but Doorman, following old navy tradition, chose to go down with his ship. On June 5, 1942 he was posthumously made a Knight 3rd class in the Military William Order. The medal was awarded to the Rear-Admiral's eldest son on May 23, 1947 by Lieutenant-Admiral Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich
Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich
Luitenant-Admiraal Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich, GNL, KCB of the Royal Netherlands Navy was a leading Dutch naval figure of World War II. He was born in Semarang....
, on board HNLMS Karel Doorman
HMS Nairana (D05)
HMS Nairana was the lead ship of the Royal Navy's s that saw service in the Second World War. She was built at John Brown & Company shipyards in Clydebank, Scotland...
, attended by Prince Bernhard
Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld
Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld , later Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, was prince consort of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and father of six children, including the current monarch Queen Beatrix....
.
Between 1946 and 2006 the Royal Dutch Navy named three vessels after Karel Doorman, including a former British Colossus class aircraft carrier
Colossus class aircraft carrier
The 1942 Design Light Fleet Carrier, commonly referred to as the British Light Fleet Carrier, was a light aircraft carrier design created by the Royal Navy during World War II, and used by eight naval forces between 1944 and 2001...
, the largest ship the Navy ever commissioned.
"I attack, follow me"
Karel Doorman is often honoured because he is said to have signalled "Ik val aan, volg mij" ("I attack, follow me") during the Battle of the Java Sea, which was considered very gallant. The real explanation is different.On February 27, 1942 at approximately four in the afternoon the Japanese and the allied squadrons spotted each other. The guns of the two Japanese cruisers had a longer range than the Allied guns and at about five o'clock the British cruiser HMS Exeter
HMS Exeter (68)
HMS Exeter was a York class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy that served in World War II. She was laid down on 1 August 1928 at the Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, Devon. She was launched on 18 July 1929 and completed on 27 July 1931...
was hit. Twenty minutes later the Dutch destroyer HNLMS Kortenaer was torpedoed. The ship exploded and broke in two pieces. Confusion arose in the Allied squadron over the way forward, compounded by the fact that HMS Exeter could only sail at half power and wanted to return to port at Tanjung Priok
Tanjung Priok
Tanjung Priok is a subdistrict of North Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia. It hosts the western part of the city's main harbour, the Port of Tanjung Priok...
on its own steam.
Remembering instructions issued by High Command, Doorman gave the order to attack at the approach of the Japanese fleet. The tactical command "I attack, follow me" as such he did not signal at the beginning of this battle in the Java Sea. It is a very free translation of the signal sent by him, "All ships - follow me", to remedy the confusion. The battle on February 27, 1942 which, with interruptions, lasted for over seven hours, ended with the almost complete destruction of Doorman's squadron. The squadron commander was killed aboard the flagship, which sank after about 1 ½ hours.
The Hague Kloosterkerk has a memorial plaque and commemorations for the Battle of the Java Sea are regularly held.
Honours and awards
- Military Order of William, Officer, posthumously entered into the register on June 5, 1942
- Knight of the Order of the Dutch LionOrder of the Dutch LionThe Order of the Netherlands Lion is an order of the Netherlands which was first created on 29 September 1815 by King William I of the Netherlands....
, August 21, 1941. - Officer of the Order of Orange-NassauOrder of Orange-NassauThe Order of Orange-Nassau is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for...
(previously appointed an Knight) - War Memorial Cross with two bars
- Distinguishing for Long Service as an officer, with figures XXX
- Mobilization Cross 1914-1918
- Virtuti MilitariVirtuti MilitariThe Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...
, Silver Cross (Poland)