HMAS ''K9'' (formerly Dutch submarine ''K IX'') was a submarine that served with the
Royal Netherlands Navy
The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...
and the
Royal Australian Navy.
Construction
''K IX'' was ordered on 27 June 1917, launched on 23 December 1922 and commissioned into the Royal Netherlands Navy on 21 June 1923.
Operational history
Royal Netherlands Navy
''K IX'' was based in the
Netherlands East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
from 13 May 1924. By the outbreak of the
Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...
in 1941, ''K IX'' was out of commission but was returned to active service in March 1942. Following the fall of the Netherlands East Indies ''K IX'' escaped to
Fremantle, Western Australia, arriving on 13 March 1942.
Transfer to Australia
In May 1942 the Dutch government offered ''K IX'' to the
Royal Australian Navy for use in
anti-submarine warfare training. This offer was accepted and ''K IX'' arrived in Sydney for repairs on 12 May. On 1 June ''K IX'' was damaged by a torpedo explosion during the
attack on Sydney Harbour. ''K IX'' was decommissioned from the Royal Netherlands Navy on 25 July 1942 and following extensive repairs was commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy as HMAS ''K9'' on 22 June 1943.
Due to the boat's poor mechanical condition HMAS ''K9'' saw little service with the RAN and spent most of her time in commission under repair. ''K9'' was badly damaged by a battery explosion on 22 January 1944. Due to a lack of spare parts the submarine was decommissioned on 31 March 1944, having spent only 31 days at sea. Following her decommissioning ''K9'' re-entered Dutch service as an oil lighter. ''K9'' was washed ashore near
Seal Rocks, New South Wales
Seal Rocks is a small coastal settlement in the Mid-Coast Council local government area, in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, north-north-east of Sydney. It is famous for its many premier surfing beaches (including Light ...
on 8 June 1945 while under tow to
Merauke in
Dutch New Guinea and subsequently stripped for scrap.
The remnants of K9 were located on 20 July 1999 by the New South Wales Government's Heritage Office. The beach on which it grounded and its remnants remain is known as Submarine Beach.
Notes
References
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External links
* Submarines Association of Australi
The Pioneers* Dutchsubmarines.co
{{DEFAULTSORT:K9
K VIII-class submarines
1922 ships
World War II submarines of the Netherlands
Submarines of the Royal Australian Navy
Shipwrecks in the Solomon Sea
World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean
World War II submarines of Australia
Shipwrecks of the Mid North Coast Region
Submarines built by Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde