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Search the Databank

Search the extensive Merchant Navy Database

The Merchant Navy Database is freely accessible to anyone looking for information about merchant ships and crews that served during the Second World War.

Want to contribute information to the Database yourself? You can! Read below how it works.

Events that took place in this week
during the Second World War

Click the blue marker(s) in the world map to see which event (torpedo attack, assault, operation) involving which ship took place on which date during the war years 1939–1945.

Growing need for information about the merchant navy past

We increasingly receive questions from children and grandchildren about the history of their father or grandfather. Where did he sail? What did he experience during the war? How did he lose his life, or how did he manage to survive?

Crews of Dutch merchant navy ships risked their lives for years during World War II, sometimes under appalling and gruesome conditions. Once home again, there was barely any attention for their great and indispensable contribution to our liberation.

So most merchant navy veterans kept silent about what they had endured. About their fear, their trauma, the horrors they witnessed. Even their closest relatives often never learned what they had gone through.

And now, for many families, it is too late to ask.

Databank gives merchant navy veterans a place in history

The Merchant Navy Personnel Databank is a digital resource for and about our Dutch merchant navy veterans. It is also a tribute — giving them the place in our history they deserve.

The Databank is freely accessible to anyone seeking information about merchant ships and crews that sailed during the Second World War.

A rich source of information

In the Databank, our merchant navy heroes are recorded by name and with their ship history.

The Merchant Navy Databank contains

  • more than 21.000 Dutch and foreign crew members with their ship history
  • more than 1.200 merchant navy ships deployed during the Second World War
  • Over 1.000 events - think attacks, invasions and operations
  • meer dan 950 gallantry decorations, including 6 Knights of the Military Order of William, 67 holders of the Bronze Lion and 193 Bronze Crosses, and 6 Royal Mentions in Dispatches for extraordinary deeds by a merchant navy ship

We consider it an honour to make this information accessible.

In doing so, we repay a debt of honour to the men and women who served our country loyally and on all the world's seas during the Second World War. And we contribute to recognition for their great commitment, sometimes given at the highest cost.

Overview of merchant navy crew members

The Databank provides an overview of all crew members who served on merchant ships deployed during the Second World War, both Dutch and foreign. The information comes from personnel cards.

For each crew member, you can see:

  • name and birth details
  • which ships they served on
  • the positions/ranks held
  • whether he or she was taken prisoner of war
  • whether he or she was active in the resistance or as an “Engelandvaarder”
  • any bravery awards received
  • and, if the highest sacrifice was made, where and when this happened, including the final resting place.

For more specific information, we refer you to the sources listed for further research.

Overview of merchant navy ships

For each vessel, significant moments are listed, such as escapes from the Netherlands or the Dutch East Indies, participation in operations and invasions, the convoys in which it sailed, and any attacks or incidents it encountered.

Through crew lists it has been established who was on board during which period. This allows a picture to be drawn of a ship's history during the war.

Want to add information yourself?
You can!

Would you like to add documents or photos to a specific page in the Databank? Wonderful. Personal documents and photos make the Database richer, more complete, and a living source of information.

Follow these three steps:

  1. Scan or photograph the documents and or photos you want to share.
  2. Send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. stating which page (of which crew member or which ship) it concerns.
  3. Attach the documents or photos to your email.

After careful review, we will add the files to the requested page. We may decline placement if the content is offensive to others or doesn't align with our objectives. In this way, we keep the Databank safe and respectful for everyone.

Merchant Navy Databank wins the Maritime Achievement Award

According to the jury, the Merchant Navy Database not only brings the vital role of merchant seafarers closer to their families, but also makes this history visible and tangible to the wider public.

We are truly delighted with this award and with the added attention it brings to the seafarers who served during the Second World War.

Read more →

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Origin of the Databank

In 2006 our board member Jos Rozenburg started a large-scale research project into the crew members, casualties, ships, major events and bravery awards of the Dutch merchant navy during World War II.

Jos: "the merchant navy personnel who died paid the highest price for our freedom: their lives. The least we can do is remember their names and give their story back to their relatives."

Since 2006 he has conducted - and still conducts - exeptionally meticulous research across numerous archives, publications and collections, such as:

  • The National Archives
  • The Dutch War Graves Foundation
  • The Netherlands Institute of Military History
  • The City Archives of Rotterdam and Amsterdam
  • The Netherlands Institute for War Documentation
  • The Maritime Historical Database Foundation
  • Monuments
  • Books
  • Websites

Jos deciphered many thousands of documents and handwritten cards, tracing connections and cross-references between nearly 1,200 merchant ships and more than 20,000 crew members.

A monumental task.
And his life’s work.

The Databank went live on 4 May 2023, but the work on it isn't finished yet. Jos hopes to continue adding information:“I am convinced that somewhere in attics there are still seamen’s books gathering dust — records from grandfathers that can help us move forward. I hope people will entrust that information to us.”

Virtually complete overview

All information has been brought together in the nearly complete and fully searchable Database of Dutch merchant ships and their crews during the Second World War.

A free digital resource and a monument to our Dutch merchant navy veterans. 

Background

Acceleration through digitalisation

In the early years of the research, very little information was available in digital form. As archives gradually became digitised, both the scale and the pace of the research increased significantly. 

The online availability of the London Merchant Navy Collection (LOCK) — the registration system of merchant navy personnel cards established in London after the Dutch capitulation in 1940 — marked a major step forward. This collection contains many thousands of cards with important information about crew members and ship movements during the Second World War.

LOCK-collection at Oorlogsbronnen.nl

In early 2022, this collection became accessible online via www.oorlogsbronnen.nl, where more than 17,000 cards can now be viewed.

Search tip

  • Go to www.oorlogsbronnen.nl and click on the 'mensen' (people) tab
  • Type the search term 'koopvaardij' in the search bar below.
    This gives an overview of all personnel cards of crew members.
  • For a more targeted search, use “koopvaardij” together with a surname.

Other parts of the NIMH archive can be viewed online via www.archieven.nl.

Amsterdam City Archives

On the website of the Amsterdam City Archives you can find the WWII personnel cards of the KNSM, one of the largest shipping companies during the war.

Search tip

  • Go to Amsterdam City Archives to the tab ‘inventarissen’.
  • Type the keywoord ‘KNSM’.
  • Click on 'Inventaris van het Archief van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij (K.N.S.M.)' and scroll down.
  • Then follow this path:
    ‘1 Koninklijke Nederlandse Stoomboot Maatschappij’,
    ‘1.2 Stukken betreffende bijzondere onderwerpen’,
    ‘1.1.2 Bedrijfsmiddelen’,
    ‘1.2.2.7 Personeel’ en
    ‘1.2.2.7.2 Bemanningen’ naar
    ‘983-995 Personeelskaarten van de opvarenden in de Tweede Wereldoorlog’. 

Each of these cards has been examined individually, and all relevant information has been included in our Database.

Accuracy of the Databank
This Databank is the result of thorough research across various archives and sources. While we aim to provide accurate information, we cannot offer any guarantees in this regard. See also the disclaimer.

Do you see an inaccuracy
If you believe you have spotted an error in the database, please contact our archivist. 

Liability
If you believe there is an issue, please first contact the Stichting Koopvaardijpersoneel 1940–1945 informally to report the problem and explore a possible solution.

If you wish to file a formal complaint, you must contact the Stichting Koopvaardijpersoneel 1940-1945.

If you have further questions, please get in touch with the Stichting Koopvaardijpersoneel 1940-1945.  

Contact

email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
iban NL96 INGB 0005 3629 74
chamber of commerce 24289132

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