The naval facilities at Surabaya, Dutch East Indies around 1866 as seen by Albert S. Bickmore

When Bickmore visited Surabaya he made some notes dealing the naval facilities at this place. Here he saw the Medusa, after her returning from the troubles with Japan and in which she was one of the ships which forced the Japanese to consider the Shimoneseki Strait as a open fair way. The Medusa (1), commanded by Captain Lieutenant  F. de Casembroot fought 11 July 1863 during a fight of 1,5 hours heavily Japanese batteries placed to prevent foreign shipping in this strait. After French and American warships had troubles with the Japanese, it was decided to sent an allied squadron, commanded by the British vice-admiral sir A.L. Kuper, with American, British, Dutch and French warships. The fights in begun September 1864 were heavy. According to a Dutch article dealing with this action, the Medusa wasn’t a flagship and not even part of the front squadron, but crewmembers of her and the British Perseus managed to destroy 14 heavy guns of one of the large Japanese batteries.

P. 58: “Like Batavia and Samarang, Surabaya is situated on both sides of a small river, on low land, but not in a morass, like the old city of Batavia, and yet much nearer the shipping. This river has been changed into a canal by walling in its banks. Near its entrance it is lined on one side with nice dwelling-houses, and bordered with a row of fine shade-trees. Back of these dwellings is the government dockyard. It is very carefully built, and contains a dry-dock, a place to take up ships like our railways, ample work-shops, and large sheds for storing away lumber. They were then building six small steamers and two or three boats, besides a great dry-dock for the largest ships. Here was the Medusa, the ship that led the allied Dutch, English, French, and American fleet in the attack on Simonoseki, at the entrance of the Inland Sea in Japan. The many scars in her sides showed the dangerous part she had taken in the attack, and I have frequently heard the Dutch officers speak with a just pride of the bravery and skill of her officers in that engagement. Formerly, ships could only be repaired by being “thrown down” at Onrust, an island six miles west of the road at Batavia; but now nearly all such work is done in this yard. It was most enlivening to hear the rapid ringing of hammers on anvils - a sound one can rarely enjoy in those dull Eastern cities. The government machine-shop is another proof of the determination of the Dutch to make for themselves whatever they need, and to be independent of foreign markets. Here they make many castings, but their chief business is manufacturing steam-boilers for the navy. Nine hundred Javanese were then in this establishment, all laboring voluntarily, and having full liberty to leave whenever they chose. Most of the overseers even are natives, and but few Europeans are employed in the whole works. They

p. 59: all perform their allotted tasks quietly and steadily, without loud talking or any unnecessary noise. Some of them are so skilful that they receive nearly two guilders per day. These facts show the capabilities of the Javanese, and indicate that there may yet be a bright future for this people. Here the standard weights and measures for the government are manufactured; and as an instance of the longevity of this people, when they are correct in their habits, the director told me that one native had worked for fifty-seven years in that department, and for some time had been assisted by both his sons and grandsons. He had just retired, and the director had been able to obtain for him a pension of full pay on account of the long time he had been in the service. There were three others still in the works, who also began fifty-seven years ago. Such cases are the more remarkable, because these natives are usually unable to labor at the age of thirty-five or forty, on account of their dissolute habits. Most of their machinery is not as nicely finished as that imported from Europe, but it appears to be quite as durable. Yet the fact that some Javanese have the capacity to do nice work was proved by one in charge of the engraving-department, whose fine lines would have been creditable to many a European. A merchant also has a similar machine-shop on a still greater scale. Near by are the government artillery-works, where all the parts of wood and iron and the saddles and harnesses are manufactured, every thing but the guns. The wood used is carefully-seasoned teak. It is extremely durable, and combines in a good degree both”.

Source

Travels in the East Indian Archipelago. London, 1868.

Note

1. She was a sailing corvette with steam power added. Dimensions 51,50 x 11,14 x 5,00 m and a displacement of 1241 ton. Armed with 19 guns. Her crew numbered 240 men. On stocks by A.E. Tromp at the naval yard at Amsterdam 25 November 1852, launched 22 June 1854, departed from the yard 23 November 1854, stricken 1866 and finally broken up at Surabaya. Apparently she was after the fights in 1863-1864 never repaired as Bickmore described her as still having the marks of both actions.