uboat.net

  Front page - Fighting the U-boats - Allied Warships

Follow us on Twitter
@uboatnet

Notable events involving Soemba include:

10 Jan 1942

Convoys MS 2 and MS 2A.

Convoy MS 2 departed Sydney on 10 January 1942.

This convoy was made up of only one ship, the troopship Aquitania (British, 44786 GRT, built 1914).

On departure from Sydney convoy MS 2 was escorted by the heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra (Capt. G.D. Moore, RAN).

Convoy MS 2 arrived at Fremantle on 15 January and departed again in the same composition on the 16th.

On 19 January 1942, while approaching the Sunda Strait the convoy was joined by a local escort made up of the light cruisers HMS Dragon (Capt. R.J. Shaw, MBE, RN), HrMs Java (Capt. P.B.M van Straelen, RNN) and the destroyers HMS Express (Lt.Cdr. F.J. Cartwright, RN) and HMS Thanet ( Cdr.(Retd.) B.S. Davies, RN) which came from Batavia.

On 20 January 1942, the destroyer HrMs Van Nes (Lt.Cdr. C.A. Lagaay, RNN) joined. The convoy arrived at Ratai Bay, Sumatra later the same day.

On arrival at Lampung Bay, HrMs Java and HMS Thanet parted company to proceed to Batavia to fuel on completion of which they returned to Ratai Bay. HMAS Canberra and HMS Express fuelled at Ratai Bay.

At Lampung Bay the troops from the Aquitania were put onto smaller ships which were to take them to Singapore as Convoy MS 2A.

These were the merchant vessels; Both (Dutch, 2601 GRT, built 1931), Reael (Dutch, 2561 GRT, built 1931), Reijnst (Dutch, 2462 GRT, built 1928), Sloet van Beele (Dutch, 2977 GRT, built 1914), Taishan (British, 3174 GRT, built 1925), Van der Lijn (Dutch, 2464 GRT, built 1928) and Van Swoll (Dutch, 2147 GRT, built 1930).

To provide cover for the operation of putting the troops on board the smaller ships the heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra, light cruisers HMS Dragon, destroyers HMS Express, HMAS Vampire (Cdr. W.T.A. Moran, RAN), USS Barker (Lt.Cdr. L.G. McGlone, USN), USS Stewart (Lt.Cdr. H.P. Smith, USN), HrMs Evertsen (Lt.Cdr. W.M. de Vries, RNN), HrMs Van Nes, sloops HMIS Jumna (Cdr. W.R. Shewring, RIN), HrMs Soemba (Cdr. P.J.G. Huijer, RNN) and the patrol vessel USS Isabel (Lt. J.W. Payne, Jr., USN) were patrolling / present in the Bay.

Around 1045GH, convoy MS 2A departed Ratai Bay for Singapore. It was escorted by HMAS Canberra, HMAS Vampire and HMIS Jumna.

Around 1830GH/21, HrMs Java and HMS Thanet joined from Batavia.

At 1000GH/23, after the convoy had passed the Banka Strait HMAS Canberra parted company leaving HrMs Java in command of the escort. HMAS Canberra then proceeded to Batavia where she arrived the following day.

The convoy arrived at Singapore late in the morning of the 24th. (1)

30 Mar 1942
HrMs Soemba (Cdr. P.J.G. Huijer, RNN) is docked in the Duncan Dry Dock at the Bombay Dockyard. (2)

3 Apr 1942
HrMs Soemba (Cdr. P.J.G. Huijer, RNN) is undocked. (3)

5 Aug 1943
[We currently don't have the detailed report of HMS Mauritius during the landings in Sicily [to be found in ADM 199/943]. It is hoped this report can be photographed during the next visit (sheduled for October 2024) to the National Archives in London by the editor of the Allied Warships section.]

Around 1005B/5, HMS Mauritius (Capt. W.W. Davis, RN, flying the flag of Rear-Admiral C.H.J. Harcourt, CBE, RN), HMS Tartar (Cdr. St.J.R.J. Tyrwhitt, DSC, RN) and HMS Nubian (Cdr. D.E. Holland-Martin, DSC, RN) departed Augusta for bombardment operations off the east coast of Sicily.

During the day she and HrMs Soemba (Cdr. J.J.M. Sterkenberg, RNN) engaged enemy position to the north-east of Catania. The targets of HMS Mauritius were Acireale and a crossroad at Giarre. Small calibre batteries replied intermittently and a shell hit HrMs Soemba killing her Commanding Officer. HrMs Soemba then returned to Augusta arriving around 1530B/5.

HMS Mautitius, HMS Tartar and HMS Nubian returned to Augusta around 1645B/5. (4)

11 Aug 1943
During the day HMS Uganda (Capt. W.G. Andrewes, RN), HMS Roberts (A/Capt.(Retd.) R.E.C. Dunbar, RN) and HrMs Soemba (Lt.Cdr. A. van Miert, RNethN) gave fire support to the Army engaging enemy troop concentrations near Riposto, Sicily. Destroyers were also present to screen these ships. (5)