The Dutch newspaper Het Vaderland: staat- en letterkundig nieuwsblad evening edition dated 16 September 1933 reported that at Gotenburg the Swedish cruiser Gotland was launched. According to experts was the Swedish navy well succeeded in combing a cruiser and an airplane mother ship. The building costs were at that moment 11.500,000 Swedish crones while the government allowed a maximum of 16.500,000 crones including the armament. She had a displacement of 5,000 tons with the dimensions 130 x 14,5 x 4,5 metres. She was armed with 6-15cm guns, 4-7.5cm anti aircraft guns and 6 torpedo tubes. Her speed was 27 knots. (1) Four years later visited she Amsterdam.
In February 1936 she visited Amsterdam and this visit was described in several Dutch newspapers.
The newspaper Het Vaderland evening edition dated 5 February 1936 reported that she was to visit Amsterdam between 13 and 17 February. The evening edition of Thursday the 13th reported her arrival and the feast given by the Swedish consul-general dr. Dijckmeester at his house for the officers while on Friday they were to be the guest of colonel Meyer Rannest the deputy commandant for a lunch and later a si-called thé dansant followed by a visit to the City cinema for officers and sailors to see the KXVIII film. During the day were the sailors permitted to use the trams for free and to visit the zoo Artis.
The daily edition dated the 16th reported that the Swedish ambassador give the nigh before a so-called soirée in the embassy for the commanding officer, his officers and several Dutch naval authorities and members of the corps diplomatique. The next day was at 12.00 o’clock a football match at the Olympia square planned between crew members and a team of the Blokland taxi drivers. The evening edition of the 18th wrote that the Swedish team lost with 8-1.
Prince Bertil visited on the 17th in the presence of 3 officers of the Gotlan at 11.00 o’clock during an hour the Dutch aircraft factory of Fokker (Nieuwe Tilburgsche Courant dated 18 February).
The newspaper Nieuwe Tilburgsche Courant dated 14 February published a photo of the Swedish prince Bertil who was presented when she arrived at Amsterdam. This photo is almost identical to the one published in the magazine Gelderland in woord en beeld dated 21 February as shown below.
The De Sumatra Post dated 14 February wrote that prince and his adjutant navy lieutenant Einar Blidberg were dressed as if he was in disguise trying not to attract attention. He failed however while the sailors presented their rifles and the officers welcomed him with all honours.
The Gotland arrived for an unofficial visit at Amsterdam and anchored at the wharf of the H.A.L. Around 10.00 o’clock started the prince a conversation with some midshipmen who he knew from his naval career. As soon as she anchored went the Swedish navy attaché at Paris, mr. Rosenberg en the officer of the guard Helffrich as representative of the deputy commanding officer of Amsterdam and the harbourmaster Poll on board followed by the prince and his adjutant. The Gotland was described in this newspaper Nieuwsblad van het Noorden as a blue grey coloured cruiser. The Helffrich mentioned in this newspaper can be the Conrad Emile Lambert Helfrich (1886-1962) appointed op 31 August 1940 with the supreme command over the Dutch Navy in the Dutch East Indies. That same newspaper dated the 15th wrote that the prince, his adjutant and several officers and sailors of the Gotland were presented when the Dutch propaganda documentary 20.000 miles over sea was presented in the new City cinema dealing with the voyage of the Dutch submarine Hr.Ms. KXVIII.
The newspaper De Sumatra Post dated 21 February published 2 photo’s of the prince waiting for the Gotland to anchor and when going on board.
Note
1. The first design of this ship dated from December 1926 as an aircraft carrier able to carry twelve planes. However the 5,000 ton project as presented in January next year was thrown away when the navy demanded that she was in fact to be a hybrid carrier-cruiser-minelayer within a budget of 16.500,000 Swedish crones. A new design was made including the removal of one planned turret. Ordered on 7 June 1930, laid down at Götaverken, launched on 14 September 1933, commissioned 14 December 1934, rebuilt as an anti-aircraft cruiser in 1944, decommissioned 1956, sold in 1962 and broken up a year later. With a displacement of 4,600 tons were her dimensions 134,8 x 15,4 x 4,5 metres. Her steam turbines and four boilers allowed a speed of 27,5 knots. Her crew numbered 467 sailors and 60 men aircrew. The armament consisted of 2×2 and 2×1 15,2cm guns, 4-7,5cm anti aircraft guns, 4-,25cm anti aircraft guns and 6-53,3cm torpedo tubes. When used as an anti aircraft cruiser was the armament added with another 8-4,0cm guns. She carried before 1944 when used as an seaplane cruiser 6 Hawker Osprey planes although she was able to carry eight planes.
