The armament of the Dutch merchant ship Socrates in the Second World War

Launching De Arnhemsche courant 28 March 1938

According to the list and supplements 1-2 on 13 September 1945 BDZ No. 673 sent by the office of armament the Royal Netherlands Navy located at 41 East 42nd Street, New York 17, USA. There were no complete records available, so there were several sources used to compile the list. Sometimes the kind of guns gave indirect information regarding the origin such as 4”/BL and 12 pounder guns were British mostly supplied in the United Kingdom, Canada or Curacao. The 4.7” guns were old Japanese guns placed on some vessels in the begin of the war at Singapore and some 4” guns in the same period at Surabaya, Dutch East Indies. The trade in which the ship was used gave also an indication were the guns were supplied, for example involved in the Pacific trade means supplied at the West Coast.(1)

Armed with 1-7,62cm/3” Mk.2 gun

Note

1. impen aan den IJssel, Netherlands with yard number 652 0n 26 March 1938, delivered to the Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot-Maatschappij N.V., Amsterdam, Netherlands on 4 July 1938, converted into a cargo-passenger ship by Nederlandsche Dok- en Scheepsbouw Maatschappij V.O.F., Amsterdam between end 1949-begin 1950, renamed Willemstad, trial on 13 March 1950, sold to the Saudi Lines, Jeddah, Saudi Arab and renamed Noor B in February 1967, sold to be broken up starting on 16 August 1973 at Kaohsiun, Taiwan.

Source

Archieven van hoofd handelsbescherming en diverse handelsbeschermingsofficieren 1941-1946 inv.no. 53 (Nationaal Archief, The Hague, Netherlands.