The Zuiderkruis was one of three former American Victory ships acquired by the Dutch Government after the Second World War. Together with the Groote Beer and Waterman, she became part of the Kleine Drie—the “Little Three”—that transported thousands of emigrants Read more
The ships that carried a generation to a new homeland During the decades following the Second World War, tens of thousands of Dutch emigrants travelled by sea to begin new lives in Australia. Their journeys formed part of the much Read more
Jan (John) Mees, a longstanding volunteer and representative of the Dutch-Australian community in New South Wales, passed away at Abel Tasman Village on 1 August 2026, aged 97. Born in Amersfoort in the Netherlands on 10 December 1928, Jan subsequently Read more
A group photograph taken aboard the Netherlands hospital ship Oranje in Sydney on 2 March 1943 records a little-known connection between one of the most celebrated Dutch ships of the Second World War and one of Australia’s greatest maritime tragedies. Read more
The KPM steamship ’s Jacob was the first of three Dutch merchant vessels lost during Operation Lilliput. On 8 March 1943, while carrying troops and supplies from Milne Bay towards Oro Bay, she was attacked by Japanese bombers near Porlock Read more
The Dutch-operated cargo ship Karsik played a distinctive role in the Allied campaign in Papua. In December 1942 she became the first large vessel to reach Oro Bay, carrying Australian Stuart tanks that were urgently needed at the Battle of Read more
Between 21 February and 4 March 1943, the Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij vessels Bontekoe, Karsik and Van Heemskerk transported approximately 3,200 American troops from Australia to Oro Bay in Papua. The troops belonged to the United States 162nd Infantry Regiment, part of Read more
Accounts of the Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij’s contribution to the Pacific War frequently refer to “Dutch ships.” This is correct in terms of company ownership, registration and command, but it tells only part of the story. KPM vessels were generally commanded by Read more
The arrival of surviving Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij (KPM) vessels in Australia during early 1942 gave the Allies access to a shipping capability they urgently needed. It also created a complicated question: who had the authority to control and deploy these Dutch Read more
The Japanese conquest of the Netherlands East Indies in early 1942 destroyed the commercial and maritime system that the Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij (KPM) had developed over more than half a century. Ships were sunk, captured or scuttled, port facilities and offices Read more