Abbekerk under way and Colombo under attack

5th of April 1942. In retrospect, Abbekerk’s officers were rightfully sceptic with the ‘safe’ route they were given by the navy. Without knowing it they follow, just one week behind, the Japanese battle fleet Kido Butai which is going to launch an attack on Ceylon, Abbekerks destination. The British are expecting an attack but they do not know where it will come from. They also expect an invasion fleet trying to occupy Ceylon. In reality the Japanese only want to destroy the British fleet and so their fleet consists of warships only. Therefore their attack on Ceylon concentrates on the two main ports of Ceylon, Colombo and Trincomalee, in the hope to force the English fleet to a confrontation.

Indian Ocean raid in April 1942. Abbekerk followed the same route only days behind the Japanese fleet

The English are well aware that they are no match for the the formidable force of Kido Butai and mostly try to avoid a confrontation. They leave the defence of the strategically very important Ceylon to the ground and air forces, directed by superior intelligence and reconnaissance. The fleet and most (merchant) ships are send away to open sea, so only few ships  are sunk in port during the attacks. Around the Island serveral small air/sea battles are fought in which two English cruisers and an aircraft carrier are sunk. Also sunk is the HMAS Vampire, the former escort for Abbekerk on its voyage to Singapore and one of the few to escape the Dutch Indies. But the Japanese fail to locate the main body of the English fleet.

But almost 30 merchant ships in the area are also sunk by the Japanese fleet. Abbekerk is dubble lucky here since the Japanese fleets retreat to Singapore via the north of Sumatra. If the Japanese had sailed back the same way they came, Abbekerk would have certainly ran into the fleet.

None of this is known to the Abbekerk crew as the heavily loaded ship makes it way, on a long uneventful and rather boring trip, just southwest of Sumatra on its way to Colombo.

Luckily our trip went well. We had a number of rifles on board left over from previous passengers. We used these to amuse ourselves by shooting at bottles we had thrown overboard (empty of course). This was a big wash-out because nobody ever hit one. Heaps of noise but few results. But it did break the monotony of standing watches on such a long journey.
Ass. engineer Adriaan Kik

Some of the passenger cabins were taken this trip.

My Mother and I, at the time were evacuated from Singapore on 31/12/1941 on SS Orion to Fremantle. When Mother learned that my Father, Major L.O.W.Wooldridge RE had escaped from Singapore and was in Colombo she got us on the Abbekerk to join him. There were 2 other passengers who were men.
On the voyage I remember the crew making a birthday cake for my 10th birthday on 12th April. I also remember treasuring a small suitcase with clothing and precious chocolate which I held ready in case we were sunk and took to the lifeboats
Nigel Wooldridge, 10 y/o passenger