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The indispensable role of the Dutch merchant navy

Without the contribution of the Dutch merchant navy there would have been no liberation in 1945

From merchant navy crew to front-line soldiers at see

Before the outbreak of World War II, the Netherlands had one of the largest and most modern merchant fleets in the world with over eleven hundred seagoing vessels. Many of those ships and their crews were deployed for Allied war purposes during the war.

Wars are won by people and materiel. And during World War II, merchant ships ensured that they were in the right place at the right time. In doing so, Dutch merchant navy personnel made a significant impact on the course of the war in the years 1939-1945.

Barely trained and armed, they performed their dytues for years under the most dangerous circumstances. Or rather: the duty imposed on them in the national interest. At great risk to their own lives, because the enemy did everything in their power to sink the ships.

Forgotten war heroes

No other professional group was deployed on such a large, prolonged, and international scale during the Second World War as the crews of our merchant navy. The greatest Dutch contribution to the Allied final victory came from them, at the cost of great suffering and the ultimate sacrifice.

Our merchant navy veterans deserve a lasting tribute.
Let us give them that.

Major pre-war losses

The merchant navy was at war before the Netherlands was

In the Netherlands, World War II began with a neutrality period - also called the 'Phoney War' - that lasted from September 1, 1939 to May 10, 1940. The government hoped this stance would keep the country out of the conflict. For the Dutch merchant navy, however, neutrality was never a reality. From 9 September 9, 1939 onwards, the day the freighter Mark hit a German mine north of the Wadden Islands, war became a daily and brutal reality.

For the Dutch merchant navy there was no question of neutrality. From September 9, 1939 onwards, the day the freighter Mark hit a German mine north of the Wadden Islands, war was a daily and harsh reality. Dozens of ships, including those from other neutral countries, hit sea mines, were torpedoed by German submarines or came under German fire with bombs, machine gun fire or naval artillery.

During this so-called neutral period, 43 merchant ships were lost or severely damaged due to acts of war. Fishing vessels also suffered heavy losses. 160 Seamen and 60 passengers lost their lives. All in a period when the Netherlands was not at war.

German invasion

On May 10, 1940, the Germans invaded the Netherlands.At the outbreak of war, the vast majority of Dutch merchant ships were at sea or in foreign ports. The Dutch government ordered them to head for a neutral or Allied port and await further instructions there. The German call to return to the Netherlands was widely ignored.

Many merchant and naval vessels managed to escape German capture by sailing from Dutch ports to England. After 15 May 1940, this was no longer possible.

Compulsory service

On 6 June 6, 1940, Queen Wilhelmina issued a decree imposing compulsory service at sea, militarizing the entire merchant navy personnel with the stroke of a pen. One moment they were civilians, some of them still boys, and the next, untrained conscripted front-line soldiers at sea.

Their task was perilous, but merchant navy seamen had no choice. They had to sail. The alternative was desertion, which was severely punished.

Compulsory service applied to almost 1,200 ships with 32,000 crew members, of whom over 19,000 were Dutch. Most of them were at sea when war broke out and would not see their homes for years.

Worldwide deployment of the merchant navy

Videos from the Netherlands Institute for Military History from the series 'The merchant navy in the war 1940-1946'.

Constant threat and mortal danger

The Dutch contribution to Allied war missions was relatively small. Except at sea. As a true trading nation, the Netherlands had the world's fifth-largest merchant fleet. That fleet - a collection of freighters, tankers, coasters, tugboats, and passenger ships - quickly became indispensable.

At first, the merchant navy was deployed in Allied transports operations. They transported weapons, supplies and troops, and evacuated wounded soldiers. These missions were particularly risky, as they were regularly under enemy fire.

Later they were also involved in life-threatening military invasions. Barely trained, barely armed and under constant threat of bombardments, shelling, mines, torpedoes and shipwreck, merchant navy personnel continued to perform their duty. With nerve-wracking fear, which always sailed along.

Danger came from all sides

Out on the open sea they were sitting ducks, easy prey. Danger came from every direction, and there was little they could against air raids, mines and torpedoes. Those who survived the horror of an enemy attack had to save themselves in lifeboats or by swimming for their lives. Anyone who managed to escape enemy hands and reach safety was immediately assigned to another ship. And with that, the danger began all over again.

A veteran's story

Berend van Bon (1917-2021), mate
Source: Nederlands Veteraneninstituut

Berend van Bon (1917-2021), mate

The day before my birthday, on December 28, I was taking an afternoon nap. I was wearing only underwear, it was sweltering. I was startled awake by an explosion and immediately after I heard a second blast. I looked through the porthole and saw crew members running through the flames. There were about thirty of us on board. One of them was completely burned.

Great uncertainty about the fate of loved ones

Communication with home was almost impossible. At best, there might be a single Red Cross letter, no more than twenty-five words, censored, and often months or even years in transit. The uncertainty about the fate of loved ones was immense on both sides, as was the grief of parents missing their children’s upbringing.

Financial hardship added to the burden. From October 1941, shipping companies under German control were forbidden to pay wages to the families of seafarers who refused to return to occupied territory.

Poverty and hunger loomed. A spontaneously established illegal support fund under the cover name Zeemanspot (Seamen Fund) brought some relief. 

Zeemanspot

Video from the Netherlands Institute for Military History from the series 'The merchant navy in the war 1940-1946'.

The question rarely asked

How did all those soldiers and their equipment reach the French coast on D-Day?

Indispensable link

Without our merchant navy, liberation would not have been possible

Thanks to the immense efforts of the merchant navy, Allied forces were able to advance, with the D-day offensive as the crowning achievement. Thousands of ships - the largest war fleet in history, with eighty percent merchant ships - carried an massive invasion force to the French coast. That offensive led to our liberation in 1945.

Heroic role

Dutch merchant ships and their crews made a significant contribution to Allied warfare and the success of D-day, at great risk to their own lives.

In doing so, they played a crucial role in the liberation of Europe.

All over the world, merchant shipping performed its dangerous duty

  • 43 Dutch coasters were involved in the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk, Le Havre and the Channel Islands in June 1940, requisitioned by the Royal Navy.
  • Dutch passenger ships played a major role in the evacuation of British troops from Greece in April 1941. Three of these ships were lost with great loss of life.
  • Dutch ships suffered heavy losses in supplying strategically located Malta by convoys from Gibraltar and Alexandria.
  • The same was true for the Arctic convoys that carried war supplies for the Red Army to the Russian ports of Murmansk and Archangel. The route around occupied Norway lay within range of the German air force and navy.
  • In the Far East, the merchant navy was closely involved in the evacuation of the Dutch East Indies.
  • Dutch ships assisted American forces in defending Australian New Guinea and recapturing the east coast of this area. Many ships were lost in these operations.
  • Dutch merchant ships provided essential support to the Allied troops during the recapture of numerous islands in the Pacific, bringing them ever closer to Japan. This involved long sea voyages.

Heavy losses

But the price was high. Over 20,000 Dutch merchant navy seamen were conscripted under compulsory service at sea. Over 2,700 of them lost their lives during the war.

Of the roughly 1,200 Dutch merchant ships deployed for Allied warfare, more than 500 - over forty percent - were lost.

Finally going home again

Even after the war, the merchant navy continued its work, now focused mainly on reconstruction efforts. Only on 2 March 1946 - nine months after the liberation - was the compulsory service at sea lifted, and merchant navy seamen were finally allowed to go home.

By order of the Dutch government, many had served five or six continuous years at sea, often on the other side of the world. Years filled with fear and danger, with acts of heroism as well as deep traumatic events.

Yet none of this was visible on the outside. Quite the opposite — they often looked tanned and well-fed. To those who didn’t know better, it seemed as if they had been on an extended holiday. At least, they clearly hadn’t endured the Dutch Hunger Winter. And that caused resentment.

A cold homecoming

When the merchant seafarers finally returned home after their long and harrowing years at war, they were met with silence and indifference. There was shamefully little recognition or appreciation for their immense and valuable contribution, given at the cost of much personal suffering. They had survived to tell their stories, but there was no room for their words, nor for their pain.

And so, despite their extraordinary role in the liberation, they were not welcomed as heroes upon their return. Their courage and achievements went largely unacknowledged. They were neither heard nor seen. They were not even considered veterans.

Instead, they were met with misunderstanding and resentment. Painfully surprised and deeply affected, the merchant seamen quietly returned to their civilian lives.

From the speech of Princess Margriet

June 30, 2012

"That the merchant navy played a decisive role in the Allied victory was, and still is, rarely acknowledged. There was little room for processing in post-war Netherlands.

The maelstrom of reconstruction swept everyone away again. Some were at sea for months just a few weeks after arriving. All of this took a heavy toll on this profession and their families."

Speech by HRH Princess Margriet

An underexposed part of our history

The Netherlands was not yet ready to hear their story. Their immense contribution to the Allied victory has long remained underexposed.

We now bring the indispensable role of the merchant navy into full view. In gratitude for our freedom. In respect for their years of service and sacrifice at sea. And with the heartfelt hope for lasting recognition of the thousands of Dutch merchant navy veterans who served during the Second World War.

In the Databank you'll find their names and ship histories. A tribute to those who sailed and fought for our freedom.

Go to the Databank

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