Australian Shipbuilding Industries Ltd (ASI) was founded by Dutch Australian brother Dirk and Nick Verboon. Historian Nonja Peters wrote in her PhD thesis that “Dirk Verboon was a Netherlands trained marine engineer and he found his way back into boat building more by chance than design. ‘When dad came to Read more
The KPM motor ship Maetsuycker had two distinct roles during the Pacific War. After escaping from the Netherlands East Indies, she operated from Australia as a troop and supply transport supporting Allied operations in New Guinea. In 1944 she was converted into a hospital ship and began evacuating sick and Read more
In 1932, a daring attempt to circumnavigate the globe by air turned into a harrowing survival story for German pilot Hans Bertram and mechanic Adolph Klausmann. Their journey in the Junkers W 33 seaplane, Atlantis, registration D-1925, took an unexpected turn when they were forced to make an emergency landing Read more
On the night of the 28 April 1656, the Vergulde Draeck struck a submerged coral reef midway between what are now the coastal towns of Seabird and Ledge Point, Western Australia. On board were 193 crew, eight boxes of silver coins worth 78,600 guilders and trade goods to the value Read more
The motor ship Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, widely remembered as the JVO, was one of the most important vessels in the history of post-war Dutch migration to Australia. Originally built as a prestigious passenger liner for the Netherlands–East Indies service, she subsequently served as an Allied troopship before being converted to Read more
On February 28, 1942, Japanese troops rapidly advanced through northern Java, quickly occupying airfields and towns. Within hours, they were only 50km from Andir Airport (Bandung) in West Java, where five civilian Royal Netherlands Indies Airways (KNILM) planes were based. Only the next day did the Dutch Government in Exile Read more
The KPM steamship Bantam was one of the Dutch merchant vessels that escaped the Japanese conquest of the Netherlands East Indies and subsequently operated from Australia. During 1942 and 1943 she carried troops and supplies to New Guinea, where Allied forces depended heavily upon ships of the Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij. Bantam Read more
The Waterman was one of the three former American Victory ships acquired by the Dutch Government after the Second World War. Together with the Groote Beer and Zuiderkruis, she became part of the Kleine Drie—the “Little Three”—that carried Dutch emigrants to Australia and other destinations during the main period of Read more
By: Jan Tent Studies of proper names have revealed naming patterns which may provide insights into the attitudes and values of the contemporaneous name bestowers. This essay analyses the names conferred upon thevessels of the United East India Company or Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC), in order to ascertain whether there Read more
A basic Australian history questionnaire Noel Jackling The term ‘Australia’ is used in a broad sense to include its earlier names. 1. Who was the first known European skipper to reach Australia? What was the name of his ship and which part of Australia did he touch upon? In what Read more