The member of the Dutch House of representatives Ter Hall (1) asked on 4 April 1921 the minister of navy Pop (2) to reset the corps torpedo specialista. Further more he asked what the value was of keeping torpedo boats and destroyers in service regarded their lacking of success during the First World war. He feared that skills for handling the torpedo weapon were vanishing caused by the fact that the corps no longer existed. When however, a new corps was to be united with the submarine service.
The minister agreed that it was not realistic to expect huge success of attacks with small torpedo boats. For this reason was decided to sell a large number of the elder torpedo boats. Just a few seagoing torpedo boats were kept in service being very useful as guard and patrol vessels needed of the defence. The so-called Z boats (3) were kept in peace time in service while these boats were needed to train the personnel in seamanship. This included the men needed to serve on board of the destroyers in the Dutch East Indies which units were an inextricably part of the defence over there. The Z-boats were especially of interest for training sailors in obtaining the necessary skills for handling torpedoes on board of these destroyers and of course for the submarines. The minister received in the meantime no complaints dealing with lacking enough skilled personnel for the torpedo boats despite it corps no longer existed or lacking steersmen. Van Hall suggested otherwise in his letter. He wrote that apparently several times crews of torpedo boats lacked skilled sailors for handling torpedoes and/or able to serve as a steersman. The minister found no reason to reset the corps which was in 1914 abolished.
Notes
1. Hendrik Johannes ‘Henri’ ter Hall 5 February 1866 Haarlem, Netherlands-31 May 1944 Rijswijk, Netherlands), artist but also member of the House of representatives between 1918 and 1925 and between 1917 and 1941 member of the city council of Rijswijk. In the House of Representatives he spoke about the interests of artists but further more also about naval affair, railroads and so on.
2. Willem Frederik Pop (14 June 1858 The Hague, Netherlands-24 July 1931 Voorburg, Netherlands), minister of war and of navy 31 March 1920-28 July 1921, also army officer with the rank of lieutenant-general.
3. The Z 1-4 with a displacement of 277 tons and as dimensions 61,30 x 6,30 x 1,85 metres all laid down in 1915 and the Z 5-8 laid down in 1914 with a displacement of 263-264 tons and as dimensions85,60 x 6,00 x 1,66 metres. Five (Z 3 and the Z5-8) of the eight were still in service at the outbreak of the Second World War.
Source
Parliament papers 1920-1921, written request by member Van Hall sent on 4 April 1921 no. 223.
