HNLMS O 16 was a submarine of the Royal Netherlands Navy that saw service during World War II. She was the first submarine of the RNN manufactured from high-quality Steel 52, with the ability to dive at a depth of .
Design
HNLMS O 16 was designed by chief engineer of the Royal Netherlands Navy, G. de Rooij. It was the first submarine he designed as chief engineer; the previous submarines having been designed by his predecessor, J.J. van der Struyff. The O 16 was equipped with a Navigation HorschGerat (NHG):n 1935: on the starboard and port sides there were each one receiver for receiving nautical signals and nine receivers operating at 1050 Hertz for detecting noise from targets. The installation (GZE 2825 bH) was provided by the German Altas-Werke. An exception were the lead cables that were supplied by the Royal Netherlands Navy. The direction of a sound source could be determined by alternately listening to the (amplified) signal received by the starboard and port side receivers.
The submarine was longer and 130 tons heavier than the most recent submarines (ex. ), yet remained faster. De Rooij attributed the increase in speed and weight to his design, which was based on research done in Wageningen. The submarines hull was shaped differently and was designed from high-quality steel (German steel 'St52'), increasing tensile strength and elasticity, and giving it more speed. Furthermore, the forward torpedo tubes were set more apart from each other in order to reduce the chance of the torpedoes colliding.
The inside of O 16 was also different from previous submarines of the RNN, hosting such amenities as a refrigerator and multiple sinks for the crew. The design of O 16 was such a success that the Polish Navy ordered four submarines based on this design, resulting in the Polish submarines and .
Ship history
Commissioning
O 16 was laid down on 28 December 1933, at the Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde, Vlissingen, and launched on 27 January 1936. On 16 October, she was commissioned in the RNN. At the time of her commissioning, she was the largest submarine in the RNN. Her shakedown cruise took place from 11 January until 6 April 1937.
During the shakedown cruise, the submarine was under command of LTZ1 C.J.W. van Waning. The trip was marked by bad weather and uneasy sea, causing disruptions for the crew. Many became seasick and could not do their duty, and preparing food was hard. The shakedown trip took O 16 to the port of Hamilton, Bermuda (5 February 1937), Norfolk, Virginia (13–14 February), and Washington, D.C. (15–24 February). During their time in Washington, Commander van Waning and one of the guests aboard the submarine, F. A. Vening Meinesz were granted an audience with American President Franklin D. Roosevelt. After the trip to Washington, O 16 resumed its journey to Ponta Delgada (7–8 March) and Lisbon (12 March). The Spanish Civil War was taking place during this time, which led General Francisco Franco to block access of ships to the Mediterranean Sea with the aid of the Royal Italian Navy.
The Dutch government therefore ordered O 16 to escort ships and perform convoy duties, she performed these together with other ships of the RNN. For example, on 18 March 1937, O 16 performed convoy duties together with . Finally, on 1 April, O 16 went home to the Netherlands to finish her shakedown cruise, arriving at the Dutch port of Den Helder on 16 April.
Between 16 April 1937 and 12 December 1938, O 16 took part in multiple events and helped the RNN with torpedo developments. Some notable events O 16 took part in include a fleet demonstration off the coast of Scheveningen on 3 September. This demonstration took place to celebrate Wilhelmina of the Netherlands being queen and head of state of the Netherlands for 40 years. After these events, O 16 was taken out of service between 12 December 1938 and mid-April 1939, for her biennial maintenance. The maintenance happened at the Rijkswerf te Willemsoord in Den Helder.
Dutch East Indies
In 1939, O 16 was sent to the Dutch East Indies via the Suez Canal and attached to the submarine division there. This made her the first O series submarine that went to the Dutch East Indies; normally only K series submarines were sent to the colony. During her journey to the colony, she came across and docked at several ports, such as Lisbon, Port Said and Aden. O 16 finally reached her destination, Tanjung Priok, on 5 June 1939.