VIVAnews - A group of divers who were exploring the deep sea north of Borneo island found the wreck of a Dutch submarine which sank in the World War II era. The ship has been declared missing for 70 years.
"Hr. Ms.. KXV (or K16) which had been missing with 36 crewmembers in 1941 has been found," said the release of the Dutch Defense Ministry in The Hague, as published by Borneo Post, today.
The ship was discovered by Australian and Singaporean divers in the waters of Borneo. "Thanks to information from local fishermen."
However the Ministry did not mention the exact location of the sunken ship, as to honor the deceased and their families.
The ship weighing 1,000 tons is part of the fleet of the Allied forces for blocking Japan invasion in the Dutch colonies in East Indies. Unfortunately, the ship was torpedoed by Japanese submarine chaser, Sagiri, on Christmas Eve in 1941. The next day the ship sank into the ocean floor.
This discovery added to the findings of the Dutch submarines that were lost during the World War II era. Now, only one ship whose whereabouts is still mysterious, Hr. Ms. O 13 – which is believed to be somewhere in the North Sea.
Meanwhile, as published by Radio Nederland Indonesian broadcast, six of the 36 K16 crewmembers were Indonesians.
As published by De Volkskrant daily, the discovery was welcomed by the families of the victims. One of them is Katja Boonstra (69). Her father, Willem Blom, was an officer in the ship. According to her it is very important for relatives to find out where and how their father or grandfather died.
Katja even joined in the mission of K16 search in the South China Sea. She said, the discovery will make the naval personnel happy. "They think, if one day we disappear under the sea, we will not be forgotten," she said.
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