The Chief of the Dutch naval staff at The Hague, Netherlands after being informed that Dutch submarine officers had contact with the US Navy at Manila, Philippines asked on 12 June 1926 the chef naval staff in the Dutch East Indies for more details if available.(1) From Surabaya, Dutch East Indies was a letter dated 29 July sent confirming the contact between both navies but without requiring information of any importance. Some Dutch officers including the division commanding officer were allowed to go on board of an American submarine. Efforts to get more information about a submerged wireless connection were fruitless. The impression however was that the Dutch submarine service was superior compared with the American submarine service. Seldom was dived with the mother ship the USS Baevar (2) playing a very important roll during the voyages. If the division of 6 submarines left the harbour even for 2 days, the mother ship always went alone. On the other hand was during the building of the American submarines much attention paid on the issue personnel welfare versus accommodation.
Notes
1. In the Dutch East Indies were at that moment 13 Dutch submarines available namely the Hr. Ms. KI-K XIII, launched between 1913-1924, with a displacement varying between 320/380 and670/820 tons. Furthermore the depot ship Hr. Ms. Pelikaan. The Dutch division submarines commanded by lieutenant 1st class J.G. van den Berg consisting of the Hr. Ms. K II, KVII, KVIII and KIX stayed at Manila between 1-8 April for flag representation. Division commanding officer Jacobus Gerardus van den Berg became later commanding officer of the submarine service at Surabaya, Dutch East Indies later at Willemsoord, Netherlands.
2. The USS Beaver (AS-5), submarine tender, built by Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company for account of the Union Pacific Railroad Company in 1910, bought from the San Francisco&Portland Steamship Company on 1 July 1918, commissioned on 1 October 1918, decommissioned on 17 July 1946, stricken on 15 August 1946 and sold to be broken up on 28 August 1950. She arrived on 12 July 1925 with 6 submarines of SubDiv16 and served in the Philippine and Chinese waters until leaving Manila on 1 May 1932.
Source
Archive Dutch naval staff 1886-1942 (National Atchive The Hague) inventory number 291.
Notes
1. In the Dutch East Indies were at that moment 13 Dutch submarines available namely the Hr. Ms. KI-K XIII, launched between 1913-1924, with a displacement varying between 320/380 and670/820 tons. Furthermore the depot ship Hr. Ms. Pelikaan. The Dutch division submarines commanded by lieutenant 1st class J.G. van den Berg consisting of the Hr. Ms. K II, KVII, KVIII and KIX stayed at Manila between 1-8 April for flag representation. Division commanding officer Jacobus Gerardus van den Berg became later commanding officer of the submarine service at Surabaya, Dutch East Indies later at Willemsoord, Netherlands.
2. The USS Beaver (AS-5), submarine tender, built by Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company for account of the Union Pacific Railroad Company in 1910, bought from the San Francisco&Portland Steamship Company on 1 July 1918, commissioned on 1 October 1918, decommissioned on 17 July 1946, stricken on 15 August 1946 and sold to be broken up on 28 August 1950. She arrived on 12 July 1925 with 6 submarines of SubDiv16 and served in the Philippine and Chinese waters until leaving Manila on 1 May 1932.
Source
Archive Dutch naval staff 1886-1942 (National Atchive The Hague) inventory number 291.
