Laid down on 21 March 1936 at the Gusto shipyard at Schiedam as part of the steel Jan van Amstel-class, launched on 22 September of the same year, commissioned on 26 May 1937 and finally decommissioned in 1961 and handed over to the sea cadets. With a displacement of 460 (standard)-525 (maximum) tons are her dimensions 55,8 x 7,8 x 2,2 metres. Her engines supplied 1,600 hp allowing a speed of 15 knots. Her crew numbered 45 men. The armament consisted of 1-7,6cm guns, 4-1,2cm anti aircraft guns and she could take with her 40 mines.
During the Second World War she managed to escape in March 1942 from the Dutch East Indies towards Japan camouflaged as a tropical island. She was used as a patrol vessel and served within the Australian navy between 26 August 1942 and 5 May 1943 as an anti-submarine escort vessel. After the war used as patrol vessel and minesweeper.
Computer line drawing by Alexander van Maanen
The Dutch newspaper Schiedamsche Courant dated Wednesday 23 September 1936 reported her launching on the morning of 23 (?) September as the second unit of a class of 8 minesweepers of which the first was launched on 27 August of the yard of F. Smit jr. at Rotterdam. She was launched in the presence of vice admiral A. Vos head of the department Naval Material, colonel A.C. van der Haagen, inspector of the Marine Stoomvaartdienst, mayor mr. dr. F.L.J. van Haaren, ir. G. ‘t Hooft, head bureau navy shipbuilding and ir. W.F. Pot first electro technical navy engineer. The spuse of ir. A.A. Wasteland (engineer at the bureau navy shipbuilding), mrs. A.J.H. Haasterland-Braaksma christened her. She had a displacement of 525 tons and as dimensions 55,8 x 7,8 x 2,2 metres, a crew of 45 men, an armament of 1-12cm gun and 2x2-12,7mm machineguns and 2 steam engines with a total horsepower of 1,600 hp and 2 oil-fired boilers. Also fitted out to serve as a minelayer.
