| HNLMS K XVIII | |
|---|---|
 K XVIII | |
| Career (Netherlands) |  |
| Name: | K XVIII |
| Builder: | Fijenoord, Rotterdam |
| Laid down: | 10 June 1931 |
| Launched: | 27 September 1932 |
| Commissioned: | 23 March 1934 |
| Fate: | Sunk on 16 June 1945 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class & type: | K XIV class submarine |
| Displacement: |
865 tons surfaced 1045 tons submerged |
| Length: | 73.64 m (241 ft 7 in) |
| Beam: | 6.51 m (21 ft 4 in) |
| Draught: | 3.93 m (12 ft 11 in) |
| Propulsion: |
2 × 1,600 bhp (1,193 kW) diesel engines 2 × 430 bhp (321 kW) electric motors |
| Speed: |
17 kn (31 km/h; 20 mph) surfaced 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph) submerged |
| Range: |
10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) on the surface 26 nmi (48 km; 30 mi) at 8.5 kn (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) submerged |
| Complement: | 38 |
| Armament: |
4 × 21 inch bow torpedo tubes 2 × 21 inch stern torpedo tubes 2 x 21 inch (1x2) external-traversing forward of conning tower |
K XVIII was one of five K XIV class submarines built for the Royal Netherlands Navy. She served during World War II.
Service history[]
The submarine was laid down in Rotterdam at the shipyard of Fijenoord on 10 June 1931. The launch took place on 27 September 1932. On 23 March 1934 the boat was commissioned in the Dutch navy.[2] From 20 June to 1 August 1934 K XVIII, K XVII, Hertog Hendrik, Evertsen and Z 5 made a trip to the Baltic Sea. The ports of Gdynia, Königsberg, Riga and Copenhagen are visited.[2]
On 14 November 1934 the boat was send to the Dutch East Indies where she arrived on 11 July 1935 in Surabaya. During this journey Profesor F.A. Vening Meinesz. conducted gravity measurements.[2] On 6 September 1938 she participates in a fleet show at Surabaya. The show was held in honor of the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands who was than 40 years the head of state. More than twenty navy ships participate in the show.[2]
In the war K XVIII sank several Japanese ships.[2] On 24 January 1942 the boat was severely damaged by Japanese depth charges and was forced to return to Surabaya to be repaired.[2] While still under repair at Surabaya she was scuttled on 2 March 1942 in order to prevent the Japanese from capturing the boat.[2] K XVIII was raised by the Japanese in 1944 and converted into an air warning picket hulk and deployed in the Madura Strait. 16 June 1945 the hulk was sunk by the British submarine Taciturn.[2]
Summary of raiding history[]
Ships sunk and damaged by K XVIII.[2]
| Date | Ship name | Nationality/Type | Tonnage (GRT) | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 January 1942 | ? | Japanese destroyer | 1400 | Sunk |
| 23/24 January 1942 | Tsuruga Maru | Japanese cargo ship | 6988 | Sunk |
| 24 January 1942 | P 37 or # 12 | Japanese patrol boat or Submarine Chaser | 935 or 291 | Damaged |
References[]
- ↑ "Dutch Submarines: The K XIV submarine class". dutchsubmarines.com. 2012. http://www.dutchsubmarines.com/classes/class_kxiv.htm. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 "Dutch Submarines: The submarine K XVIII". dutchsubmarines.com. 2012. http://www.dutchsubmarines.com/boats/boat_kxviii.htm. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
The original article can be found at HNLMS K XVIII and the edit history here.