The story of a Dutch freighter during the Second World War
22 May 1942. In the sweltering heat of the Persian Gulf Abbekerk slowly sails up the river Shatt-al-Arab (Arvand Rood). This large river finds its origin in the coming together of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates and forms the divide...
28 May 1942. In Abadan finally the locomotives are unloaded. Third mate Visser looks at it with mixed feelings. First we unloaded the wooden beams and sleepers, and again inevitable some hit the locomotives while hauled out. Then we docked...
4 June 1942. Walter MacNab (1918-2015) is one of four DEMS gunners on Abbekerk. He and three colleagues man the two Lewis machine guns on the bridge. Being a Gunner was rather boring at times and we were poorly paid but...
11 June 1942. Without cargo, Abbekerk now sails at high speed down the African coast, destination Durban, unaware of the Japanese activities around Madagascar. The crew starting to get more worried about German submarines. It was a long distance to...
18 June 1942. ‘And yet again back in Durban’ Adriaan Kik writes in his memoires. But Durban has changed dramatically compared to 7 months earlier when it appeared to be a city in peacetime. It changed because of the fear for a...
3 July 1942. As Abbekerk leaves Durban, there had been no shore leave for the engine room staff, again. After Bunbury to Abadan (where I spent one evening ashore) then to Durban (no shore leave at all) and now to Trinidad....
9 July 1942. Around noon, Abbekerk’s lookout spots a dot at the horizon. A bit later a large warship on full speed approaches Abbekerk, all guns pointed at the freighter. In the Southern Atlantic we were stopped by a British...
23 July 1942. After a three week journey Abbekerk anchors in the bay of Port of Spain, Trinidad. Idyllic and surreal in crystal clear water, white sand beaches and palm trees on the shore. Blue skies and lovely temperatures. Luckily...
1 August 1942. After 7 months of training in the Baltic Sea U-604 is ready for her first patrol. She leaves Kiel and cruises through Kattegat than skirting the coast of Norway into the North Sea. She cruises around the British Isles...
15 August 1942. The empty ship took an astonishing amount of sugar in all its five holds, absolutely full to the top deck. I know the Captain had been in touch with the shipyards in Curacao to find out if...
Adriaan W Kik, who's memoirs are the inspiration and base of this website
Peter
