Laid down on 28 February 1928 at the shipyard of the Mij voor Scheeps- en Werktuigbouw Fijenoord at Rotterdam, launched on 14 August that same year just before the Second World War handed over by the Royal Netherlands Navy to the Government navy (Vermeulen, De Schepen van de Koninklijke marine en die der governments marine 1814-1962) and on 6 March 1942 sunk as a block ship by her own crew before the entrance of the Dutch navy establishment at Surabaya during the Japanese invasion in the Dutch East Indies. After the war partly salvaged, last parts brought on land in 1956-1957. With a displacement of 930 ton were her dimensions 58,70 (over all) s 9,70 x 3,40 metres. The triple expansion engine supplied 525 ihp allowed a speed of 19,5 miles. Her crew numbered 84 men. Original armament 1-7,5cm gun, 2-3,7cm guns, 2-12,7mm machineguns and in government service reduced to 1-7,5cm gun.
The Dutch newspaper De Sumatra Post dated 9 February 1928 published an item dated The Hague 8 February reporting that the new survey vessel for the East Indies was baptized Willebrord Snellius. The edition dated 16 August published an item dated Rotterdam the 15th that she was successfully launched by the spouse [Van Riel-Verloop] of the oceanographic leader Van Riel [P.M. van Riel of the Meterologisch Instituut]. The newspapers claimed that she was built for the so-called Indische Marine.
