The Dutch protected cruiser Hr. Ms. Holland (1) captain J.H. Zeeman departed on 2 December 1916 at 11.40 o’clock the roads of Nieuwediep, Netherlands towards the Dutch West Indies. Her commanding officer described in his report the coal bunker procedure followed at Vigo, Spain. The coal was loaded in prows via baskets of around 250 kilo coming from hulks and 40 kilo baskets from a storehouse all under supervision of the engine room personnel of the Holland. The loading of the prows went very slowly. The prows came alongside of the ship and with the help of scaffoldings was the coal transported via the loading ports into the coal bunkers. In this manner was in 16 hours around 806 ton coals loaded or about 50 tons a hour.
Note
1. Of the Holland-class protected cruisers consisting of the Holland, Zeeland and Friesland as the 1st subclass and the Gelderland, Noord-Brabant and Utrecht of the 2nd subclass. Laid down at the Rijkswerf Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1895, launched on 4 October 1896, commissioned on 1 July 1898 and sold on a public auction at 11.00 o’clock the navy yard at Willemsoord, Netherlands on Wednesday 21 January 1920 .
Source
Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zeemacht 1916-1917.
