| Navy | The Royal Dutch Navy |
| Type | Submarine |
| Class | O 21 |
| Pennant | P 23 |
| Built by | Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij, (Rotterdam , Holland) |
| Ordered | 21 Jun 1937 |
| Laid down | 12 Oct 1937 |
| Launched | 5 Dec 1939 |
| Commissioned | 13 May 1940 |
| End service | 1 Dec 1948 |
| Loss position | |
| History | Decommissioned on 1 December 1948. For the complete service history of this ship see this website (offsite link). |
| Former name | K XXIII |
Commands listed for HNMS O 23 (P 23)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | ||
| 1 | luitenant ter zee 1e klasse (Lt.Cdr.) Gerard Koudijs, RNN | 12 May 1940 | 1 Jun 1940 | |
| 2 | luitenant ter zee 1e klasse (Lt.Cdr.) Gerardus Bernardus Michael van Erkel, RNN | 1 Jun 1940 | 28 Sep 1940 | |
| 3 | luitenant ter zee 1e klasse (Lt.Cdr.) Albertus Marinus Valkenburg, RNN | 28 Sep 1940 | 20 Nov 1940 | |
| 4 | luitenant ter zee 1e klasse (Lt.Cdr.) Gerardus Bernardus Michael van Erkel, RNN | 20 Nov 1940 | 13 Nov 1941 | |
| 5 | luitenant ter zee 1e klasse (Lt.Cdr.) Albertus Marinus Valkenburg, RNN | 30 Dec 1941 | 23 Feb 1944 | |
You can help improve our commands section
Click here to Submit events/comments/updates for this vessel.
Please use this if you spot mistakes or want to improve this ships page.
Noteable events involving O 23 include:
30 Jun 1941
HrMs O 23 (Lt.Cdr. G.B.M. van Erkel) torpedoes and sinks the Italian tanker Capcitas (5371 GRT) about 7 nautical miles north-west of Cape Sant Vincent, Italy in position 43º06'N, 10º26'E. (see map)
16 Aug 1941
HrMs O 23 (Lt.Cdr. G.B.M. van Erkel) fires 4 torpedoes at a merchant in the Tyrrhenian Sea in position 39º35'N, 13º18'E. All torpedoes missed their target. (see map)
27 Jul 1942
HrMs O 23 (Lt.Cdr. A.M. Valkenburg) damages the Japanese coaster Shofuku Maru No.2 (729 GRT) with gunfire south of Penang, Malaya in position 05º07'N, 98º50'E. (see map)
29 Jul 1942
HrMs O 23 (Lt.Cdr. A.M. Valkenburg) fires four torpedoes at the Japanese heavy cruisers Kumano and Suzuya escorted by the destroyers Oyashio, Hayashio and Kuroshio (all offsite links) in the Straits of Malacca west of Poeloe Perak, Malaya (Perak province, Malaysia). The torpedoes missed their targets and O 23 is depth charged but manages to escape without damage.
2 Aug 1942
HrMs O 23 (Lt.Cdr. A.M. Valkenburg) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Zenyo Maru (6440 GRT) off Penang, Malaya in position 05º36'N, 99º53'E. (see map)
25 Oct 1942
HrMs O 23 (Lt.Cdr. A.M. Valkenburg) torpedoes and damages the Japanese merchant Shinyu Maru (4622 GRT) off Penang, Malaya in position 05º28'N, 99º56'E. (see map)