On
2 August 1950 asked the Dutch firm Pieter Schoen&Zoon N.V. at Rotterdam, Netherlands
specialized in paints for ships the Kon. Mij. De Schelde at Vlissingen,
Netherlands for a tender for
building a gunboat for Portugal.
According to this letter were more Dutch shipyards asked for tenders. The gunboat
was to be used on the rivers in the East African Portuguese colonies or to be
more specified the Zambezi river in Mozambique. The gunboat was to be disassembled
before shipping her and to be delivered at Chinde. She had to be ready for
assembling without problems according to the instructions and plans of the
builder. In fact it was more a hull which was to be built without wooden (super-)structures
like doors, deck and furniture. The wooden works were to be done at Chinde
where the gunboat was to be assembled. Dimensions 23 x 6 x 0,80 (maximum)
metres and to be built of Siemens-Martin steel preferably galvanized steel
plates with as further demands a round stem, flat bottom and low sides. . A 4 cylinder
diesel engine was to make a minimum speed of 8 knots in calm waters possible. The
single mast with yard was to needed for making signalling possible. Further
more was the gunboat to be fitted out with two life boats (of which one with a
diesel) )and a wireless station with a minimum range of 200 miles. Her crew was
to consist of 1 captain, 1 mechanical engineer, 1 fireman, 1 gunner, 3 native
firemen, 6 native sailors and 1 native cool. Their accommodation was in fact
doubled, for European and native crewmembers were separate kitchens, bathrooms
and water closets.
Source
Archive
Kon.Mij. De Schelde 1875-1970 no. 1344 (Municipality Archive Vlissingen archive
214).
