HNLMS ''Bantam'' (''Dutch'': Hr.Ms. ''Bantam'') was an ABC-class auxiliary minesweeper (HMV 4) of 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 ...
that was scuttled by her crew during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. She was later re-floated and repaired by the Japanese and converted into auxiliary submarine chaser ''Cha-117'' or ''No. 117'' (''Japanese'': 第百十七號驅潜特務艇).
History
She was launched and completed in 1938 at the
Tanjung Priok
Tanjung Priok is a district of North Jakarta, Indonesia. It hosts the western part of the city's main harbor, the Port of Tanjung Priok (located in Tanjung Priok District and Koja District). The district of Tanjung Priok is bounded by Laksamana ...
,
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
drydock of Droogdok Maatschappij and named ''Bantam'' after the city of Bantam on the Indonesian island of Java. She was one of six ships in her class ('' Alor'', '' Aroe'', ''Bantam'', ''
Bogor
Bogor ( su, , nl, Buitenzorg) is a city in the West Java province, Indonesia. Located around south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide.Ceram'', and ''
Cheribon
Cirebon (, formerly rendered Cheribon or Chirebon in English) is a port city on the northern coast of the Indonesian island of Java. It is the only coastal city of West Java, located about 40 km west of the provincial border with Central Jav ...
''), built for the ''Gouvernementsmarine'', the Dutch civil maritime law enforcement force for the Dutch East Indies, as coastal minesweepers. She was requisitioned by the Dutch Navy and set up as auxiliary minesweeper 4. On 2 March 1942, during the
Battle of Java
The Battle of Java (Invasion of Java, Operation J) was a battle of the Pacific War, Pacific theatre of World War II. It occurred on the island of Java (island), Java from 28 February – 12 March 1942. It involved forces from the Empire of Ja ...
, she was scuttled in the harbor of Tandjong Priok.
She was raised by the Japanese and converted into submarine chaser ''No. 117''. On 10 August 1943, her conversion was completed and she was commissioned into the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
. She was mostly engaged in escort duties around Java. On 23 July 1945 she was torpedoed and sunk by the American submarine off the northeast coast of
Bali
Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...