An item reported that five by Dutch shipyards for the Indonesian government built patrol vessels made trails on the Nieuwe Waterweg and were afterwards transferred to the Indonesian High Commissary mr. Susanto Tirtoprodjo. The ships were built at follows: Becaca at the scheepsbouw- en reparatiewerf De Hoop, Leiden, the Banjam at scheepswerf Janssen, Druten, Balam at the scheepswerf Jonker en Stands, Hendrik Ido Ambacht, Bendaly by the machinefabriek Koopman, Dordrecht and the Boga at the Spaarndaamer scheepswerf en stapel, Spaarndam. The newspaper Het nieuwsblad voor Sumatra dated 7 September confirmed this item that the ships were built in order of the Stichting Nederlandse Scheepsbouw Export Exportcentrale at the Hague for account of the Djawatan Pelajaran (Dienst van Scheepvaart) of the Department for Traffic. The dimensions of the vessels were 38,20 x 6,5 x 2 metres. Immediately after the transfer were the vessels handed over to the shipping company Wijsmuller at Baarn responsible for the transport towards Indonesia.(1)
Note
1. The newspaper Nieuwe Leidsche Courant dated 20 May reported that the next day in Druten the Indonesian patrol vessel Belatik was to be launched. The newspaper Leidsch Dagblad dated 4 June published an item reporting that the next morning at 11.00 o’clock the launching of the Indonesian patrol vessel Bekaka ath the shipyard De Hoop v/h Gebr. Boot was planned. She was part of the six vessels built at six different shipyards as ordered by the Ned. Scheepsbouw Export Centrale at The Hague. A year earlier were eight comparable ships built by Dutch shipyards. She was to be baptized by the spouse of the Indonesian High Commissary mr. Moechtar-Oesman. The trial was planned begin August while all vessels were to be delivered mid August. Dimensions 38,20 x 6,50 x 1,98 metres. The Werkspoor diesel supplied 430 hp allowing with the single screw a maximum speed of 11 knots. The newspaper Nieuwe Leidsche Courant of the same date confirmed the planned launching although adding more details. The trial was on 5 August. Dimensions 35 (between perpendiculars) x 6,50 x 1,93 and a hold of 2,95 below main deck)-5,05 (below the bridge deck) metres. There were cabins for the commanding officer and the chief engineer, accommodations for the (non-commissioned) officers and two cabins for 1st class passengers. Below deck were the accommodations for the crew and 2nd class passengers. Further more was a pantry (radio-chartroom) available. The vessels were to be delivered completely fitted out excluded the armament which was in Indonesia to be placed. The newspaper Leidsch dagblad dated 25 August reported the departure from the Parkkade, Rotterdam in the morning of the 24th towards Indonesia of five of the six vessels manned by the firm Wijsmuller of Baarn. These were the Bekala (Boot-Leiden), Boga (Stapel-Spaarndam), Bendalu (Koopman-Dordrecht), Bajan (Jansen-Druten) and the Bal;am (Jonker-Hendrik Ido Ambacht). The six vessel, the Barau built by Bodewes, Martenshoek was yet not completed. Gross register tonnage nearly 193 tons.
