German screw steam gunboat SMS Jaguar visited the Dutch East Indies in 1899

Dutch screw steamship Hr.Ms. Borneo

NIMH-Beeldbank

SMS Jaguar

Source

The Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zeemacht 1898-1899 reported that the German cruiser 3rd class SMS Jaguar (1) visited Makasser between 22-26 August and Ambon, Dutch East Indies in end August 1899. The Dutch newspaper Soerabaijasch handelsblad dated 15 August reported her arrival on 6 August at Singapore and her departure on 13 August towards Makassar. The Bataviaasch nieuwsblad dated 21 August reported that the Zr.Ms. Borneo (2) part of the Java-division departed last Friday in all hurry towards New Guinea. The reason was that German occupied the Carolines-Ladrones islands (3) for which purpose the German gunboat Jaguar recently left Singapore passing Makasser. The Borneo was to prevent a possible German ocupation of the Mapia-islands. She was described as one of the finest ships of the Indische marine and heavier armed than the Jaguar. Due to engine problems she was towed back before arriving at New Guinea.

Notes

1. Part of the Iltis-class, laid down as Ersatz Hyäne by Schichau-Werke, Danzig, German with yard number 231 in early 1898, launched on 19 September 1898, commissioned on 4 April 1899 and scuttled in the German Chinese Kiautschou Bay-concession (Tsingtao) to prevent capture by Japanese forces on 7 November 1914. Armament consisted of 4-8.8cm/3.5” L/30 quick firing guns and 6 machine guns.

1. Screw steam ship 4^th class, built by J.&G. Thompson, Clydebank, Glasgow, Scotland in 1891 using the British Goldfinch-design, commissioned on 21 July 1893, surve vessel since 1906, decommissioned and condemned on 1 January 1913 and used as accommodation ship for native sailors. Armament consisted of 6-10.5cm A gus, 1-7,.5cm gun, 4-3.7cm guns and 1-7.5cm mortar.

2. Carolines Islands is an archipelago north of New Guinea, nowadays divided between the Federal States of Micronesia and Palau, part of the Spanish empire and sold with the Northern Marianas in 1899 under the German-Spanish Treaty to Germany.