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

Surinamekade/Afgesloten IJ. Stadsarchief Amsterdam. OSIM00004005164

According to the list and supplements 1-2 on 13 September 1945 BDZ No. 673sent 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.

Passenger-cargo ship launched by Reiherstieg Schiffswerft&Maschinenfabrik A.G., Hamburg, Germany with yard number 578 on 14 January 1927, delivered to H.C. Horn, Hamburg as Waltraut Horn on 17 April 1926, renamed Presidente Gomez on 16 January 1936, renamed Henry Horn on 12 November 1936, arrived in the Dutch West Indies van Hamburg and interned in the Fuikbaai/Nieuwpoort, Curacao on 30 August 1939, manager/owner Westindisches Schiffahrtskontor G.m.b.H. Hamburg and renamed Henry on 11 September 1939, detained at Nieuwpoort while a valuable cargo sugar was not delivered on 11 January 1940, seized by the Royal Netherlands Navy when her crew failed to scuttle her on 10 May 1940, renamed Bonaire manager Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij, Amsterdam, Netherlands/owner Staat der Nederlanden, owner/manager Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij, Amsterdam since August 1946, sold to be broken up by N.V. Holland, Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Netherlands arriving on 27 November 1957.

The Dutch newspaper De residentiebode dated 11 May 1940 reported that in the morning of 10 May the crews of the German ships Patricia, Alemania and Henry  tried to scuttle their ships. The hatches of the Henry were opened but again all closed. All three crews were interned.

Armed with 2-2cm guns,at New York on 19 March 1943 supplied with 2-2cm guns and later with 1-3? gun.

Source

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