To the O 1 giving experience to De Schelde yard, succeeded the O2 class, designed on plans prepared by Hay-Whitehead, the first colonial “Koloniaal” model, hence the prefix “K” for the east indies of the same type, then the O6 class was a wartime design (1916), O7 being built at Fijenoord for the first time, then the K II to K IV and up to K X, to ten completed for colonial service after the war in 1919-1923. The “O” prefix characteristic of Dutch submarines for decades was for “Onderzeeboot” (Underwater boat) and was contracted as “O-Boot” in the Navy. Like many other navies that don’t have time to grow a domestic engineering on the matter, the Navy acquired plans from Electric Boat for its first model (like Japan, UK and others). Excludes the 4 lend-lease subs Dutch submarines: design and development *42: 17 built before or started during WWI, 25 during the interwar (3 completed by the Germans). These 20 submarines boxed well above their weight. In short, if not a droplet in the USN submarine warfare in the Pacific, their action was remarkable, ongoing for the whole duration of the war and costed the Japanese much. When the ABDA squadron was all but annihilated and later the remnants of the Dutch surface fleet, Submarines were still there, and they will continue to take part in the operations in the Pacific until August 1945, hunting down the IJN over a vast area and accumulating an enviable kill board. Of the 22 in service in 1939, four coastal models only were kept in Dutch waters. Outside cruisers and destroyers, the local defence here revolved around minelayers and submarines, the latter acting as a deterrent. Of course, the country fell in May 1940 but the Dutch East Indies at the time concentrated the major part of the Dutch maritime might. We saw already the US, British, Japanese, Italian, French, Soviet and German submarines fleets, but there was one more is size and quality that matched them, especially given their battle records: The Dutch Netherlands fleet. The Netherlands – 1909-1945 – 8 classes, 42 submarines*.
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