Another newspaper De Sumatra Post daily edition dated 9 December confirmed these plans just like the newspaper Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant morning edition dated 10 January 1911 did. Unfortunately Rambaldo was killed that year. I don’t know if his death caused the ending of the experiment. At the moment I can’t find new evidence.
According to Vermeulen was she built by John Elder, Glasgow, Scotland in 1878.(2) With a measurement of 338 tons were her dimensions 43,26 x 6,10 x 3,20 meters. With a horsepower of 300 ihp her speed was 10,5 miles. The crew cumbered 6 European and 26 Inland men. She was armed with 2-5cm guns. In 1884 and 1896 she was involved in the Atjeh-expeditons.In 1904 stricken after serving for the navy as a survey vessel commanded by lieutenant 1st class J.G.W.J. Eilerts de Haan. Obviously Vermeulen wasn’t correct with his information especially not with her fate.
The technical details are partly confirmed by the annual account for the Dutch colonies (Dutch East Indies) in 1888. She was composite built and coppered, although armed with 6 guns and with a speed of maximum 8 geographic miles during a guard of 4 hours. Her crew consisted of 8 European and 37 Inland officers and sailors, although the numbers differs between 8 European and 38-42 Inland men.
The Annual Report for the Colonies over 1903 reported that she was decommissioned at the nay establishment at Surabaya 26 May 1902. In the Annual Report over 1904 referred to the amount of ƒ 6.278,(2.567) spent for preparing the government steamship Havik for experiments of defence interests without specifying what these interests were. Page 144 of the same account mentioned that she in advance was fitted out for these unknown experiments but partly of the time was used as temporarily pilot station ship and later was destined for survey services in the Westervaarwater of Surabaya but now to be considered as being stricken. The Annual Report over 1906 mentioned her condemnation and that she was to replace her sister ship Zwaluw fo surveying the Oostervaarwater of Surabaya. She was also used as ‘working vessel’ when the coast lights at Diamantpunt and Hoek Sekatan were built. The Annual Report over 1911 reported that she soon was to be stricken. The Koetei assisted that year in bringing the Havik from Pontianak towards Surabaya. According to Parliamentary papers she was still mentioned as a survey vessel in April 1911 at Surabaya. The newspaper Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant morning edition dated 9 June 1910 confirmed that she still served as survey vessel around Surabaya.
Notes
1. Alfred Emile Rambaldo, born 16 November 1879 at Rembang, Java, Dutch East Indies/Indonesia and killed 5 August 1911 at Ngeboer, near Blora, Java when he fell out of the basket of the balloon under way from Surabaya towards Semarang when forced to make an emergency stop. He take part of the first balloon flight above the Dutch East Indies 26 February 1910 and later with the balloon flight above Soerabaya. In July 1911 he was to return to the Netherlands but his departure was delayed until August. He founded the Nederlands-Indische Vereeniging voor Luchvaart and was an advocate for using balloons for survey activities (including meteorology).According to the website www.ballooninghistory.com proposed he in 1911 to survey the Dutch New Guinea by using a balloon.
2. A.J. Vermeulen. De schepen van de Koninklijke Marine en die der gouvernementsmarine 1814-1862.
