HNLMS O-19
Encyclopedia
The O 19 was an in the Royal Netherlands Navy
that saw service during World War II
. The O 19, along with her sister ship HNLMS O 20 were the first submarines in the world to be equipped with a submarine snorkel
that allowed the submarine to run its diesel engines while submerged.
The submarine was laid down at the Wilton-Fijenoord
shipyard in Rotterdam on June 15, 1936 as the KXIX but was renamed the O 19 at some point. The submarine was launched on September 22, 1938. From July 25th or September 13, 1939, the O 19 sailed to the Dutch East Indies via the Suez Canal
.
The submarine performed multiple patrols and missions in the Pacific theater of World War II, sinking multiple Japanese vessels, attacking shipping convoys and laying mines.
On July 8, 1945, the O 19 was en route to Subic Bay
in the Philippines at a speed of 16 knots when it struck Ladd Reef in the South China Sea. Unable to pull free of the reef, the crew of the O 19 were rescued by the USS Cod (SS-224). To prevent enemy capture, the O 19 was scuttled by her crew using explosives, torpedoes and gunfire.
Royal Netherlands Navy
The Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
that saw service during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The O 19, along with her sister ship HNLMS O 20 were the first submarines in the world to be equipped with a submarine snorkel
Submarine snorkel
A submarine snorkel is a device which allows a submarine to operate submerged while still taking in air from above the surface. Navy personnel often refer to it as the snort.-History:...
that allowed the submarine to run its diesel engines while submerged.
The submarine was laid down at the Wilton-Fijenoord
Wilton-Fijenoord
Wilton-Fijenoord was a shipbuilding and repair company in Schiedam in the Netherlands from 1929 to 1999.The company has since been fully absorbed into Damen Shiprepair.-Ships built:* De Zeven Provinciën class cruiser:** HNLMS De Ruyter,...
shipyard in Rotterdam on June 15, 1936 as the KXIX but was renamed the O 19 at some point. The submarine was launched on September 22, 1938. From July 25th or September 13, 1939, the O 19 sailed to the Dutch East Indies via the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
.
The submarine performed multiple patrols and missions in the Pacific theater of World War II, sinking multiple Japanese vessels, attacking shipping convoys and laying mines.
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
in the Philippines at a speed of 16 knots when it struck Ladd Reef in the South China Sea. Unable to pull free of the reef, the crew of the O 19 were rescued by the USS Cod (SS-224). To prevent enemy capture, the O 19 was scuttled by her crew using explosives, torpedoes and gunfire.