DUTCH INDONESIAN MEMOIRS 1941 - 1948

HANGER 6  Naval Airstation Morokrembangan

D.N.A.S 860 SQUADRON

1. The Macoma and Gadila

1943-1946

860SQ The Dutch Merchant Aircraft Carriers.

Marcus Samuel had built up his thriving import-export business from the meagre beginnings of selling seashells to Victorian natural history enthusiasts from a small East End of London shop.  During a visit to Baku on the Caspian Sea his son Marcus Jnr. discovered the trade of oil exporting and realised that here was an opportunity to export lamp and cooking kerosene to Japan.  However Standard Oil of America had the monopoly on the trade and on the prices.

Marcus Jnr. had to find a way round this and undercut Standard Oil.  In 1869 with the opening of the Suez Canal came the solution to Marcus' problem and with the design and commissioning in 1896 of a "safe" tanker for transportation the first delivery of 4,000 tons of kerosene were made to Singapore and Bangkok. 

Meanwhile in 1890 the Dutch company N.V Koninklijke Nederlandsche Maatschappij tot Explotatie van Petroleum-bronnen in Nederlandsch-Indië (Royal Netherlands Company for Exploration of Petroleum sources in the Netherlands Indies) had been formed to develop an oilfield in Pangkalan Brandan, Sumatra.  By 1896 it had built its own tanker fleet to compete with the British.  This company subsequently became Royal Dutch.

In 1900 August Kessler the then chairman of Royal Dutch died.  He was succeeded by Henri Detering.  By 1902 Detering had built a working relationship with the Shell Company of the U.K which continues today as Royal Dutch/Shell.  However, in 1903 Royal Dutch, Shell and a third partner Rothschild, set up a joint venture company and called it the "Asiatic Petroleum Company Ltd." (which we know today as the Shell Petroleum Company) which sold the petroleum products of Royal Dutch and Shell worldwide.  Royal Dutch produced and had concessions in South and North Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and the Tarakan Islands.

By 1907 and facing outside competition Royal Dutch and Shell merged their interests but still kept their separate identities.  There was then a period of rapid expansion whereby the company obtained new oil concessions and increased their sales, distribution network, seaports, and holdings.  The company albeit two individuals then set up two new companies "Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij" and "Anglo Saxon Petroleum" and split the interests 60/40 the lions share going to Royal Dutch.

In 1909 Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij based in The Hague took over the production side of Royal Dutch leaving them to control just the finances, whilst Anglo Saxon Petroleum based in London handled all storage and distribution which obviously included shipping.

The company grew and expanded its interest worldwide.

Moving forward in time to the second world war.  With the invasion of the Netherlands, the head offices of the Dutch companies were moved to Curaçao, with a staffing nucleus in London.   Shell with its ships now under Allied government jurisdiction had already lost 87 ships to the enemy.  A figure that by 1947 had been replaced.  However, they were responsible for transporting much needed high octane aircraft fuel from their refineries in the US.

Suffering severe losses in the Atlantic convoys due to lack of air cover in mid Atlantic the decision was made to extend the experiment first undertaken in June 1942.  Two grain carrying merchant ships had been converted into small escort carriers by fitting flight decks above the useable holds.  This enabled the carrying of three to four Torpedo Search and Reconnaissance Swordfish biplanes.  It was originally the plan to convert several passenger ships of the Ruys-class of the KPM.   However, these ships were serving as troop ships, and were too valuable in that role.  In October 1942 it was decided to go further and convert 12 more merchant ships, 6 grain carriers, fitted with hangar and lifts and 6 tankers without, but with larger timber construction flight decks which enabled "on deck tied down" aircraft storage.  These would carry three Swordfish each and would be given the overall type designation of "Rapana" class Merchant Aircraft Carriers (MAC ships) except the Dutch vessels which would be given the "Gadila" classification.

With a ships compliment of approximately 100 only the Flight crew and Ground staff were military, the rest being merchant seamen.  The captain had no jurisdiction over military personnel nor any involvement in the flying of aircraft.  Due to the merchant classification of these vessels, they were not given pennant numbers but were given the reference number of their flight deck. 

From the 6 tankers came the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum (some of their tanker fleet was under Dutch flags and some under British flags) owned and operated "Macoma" and "Gadila".  The strange fact about these two tankers / MAC ships was that they continued to operate under the Dutch flag after conversion unlike the others who changed to the Red Ensign.   They had the distinction of being the first aircraft carrying vessels to operate under the flag of the Netherlands.  "The first Aircraft Carriers of the Dutch Navy".

For this could we possibly thank this man?   Managing Director of the Group Royal Dutch/ Shell

"Frederick Godber (later to become First Baron Godber) who gave a large part of his energies to the organisation and maintenance of supplies of petroleum products to the Allies, chairing the Overseas Supply Committee of the Petroleum Board. (Let us not forget that a lot of the oil came from his own Shell refineries) This earned him (in 1942) a knighthood from King George VI.  When peace returned in 1945 he channelled those energies into chairing the `Help Holland' Council, a humanitarian organisation for the relief of distress in the devastated Netherlands. For this he was rewarded (in 1947) when Queen Wilhelmina made him a Grand Officer in the Order of Oranje Nassau."  (Shell Online History Library 2001)

There are a number of questions that I still would like the answer to.

1. Why did these two ships carry Dutch Naval Aviation Service personnel and what prompted their
    particular assignment and formation of a new squadron?

2. Why were they the only ones to operate under a national flag?

3. Was the connection between Anglo Saxon Petroleum and Royal Dutch a factor?

4. What part did the Netherlands Government in exile play?

It would seem from veterans' comments that it was all to do with politics, money and Royal Dutch.  They owned the ships and the refineries from where the oil came.  Holland had money to spare and Royal Dutch had the natural resources in the DEI which at the time wouldn't be long before it was free.  Britain was in debt and would be for long after the war but was still in charge.

This I think may well have a basis of truth.

Looking at the situation it would not be untoward to suggest that the Governments of the day were aware that with the resources and manpower the allies had that the war would be inevitably won. A fact that the Dutch Government and in particular Royal Dutch Shell were, well aware off. They had seen the effects of carrier based operations attaining a strike force of high mobility.

One might say that Royal Dutch Shell with a five-year plan that incorporated the resumption of its oil production in Indonesia. That was their main goal however they and the government were equally aware of the growing call for independence in Indonesia that may lead to military action after the Japanese left.

If this was the case, then naval aircraft carriers would be a great asset to the Netherlands Navy. The Indonesians had no navy, and the Dutch would have free reign around Indonesia with the capability to carry out air strikes anywhere. There was no time after the war ended but whilst the European war was active then what better way to train and equip pilots and ground crews of the Netherlands Navy with what would become a carrier-based strike force. At the same time ensuring that Royal Dutch Shells' interests would be served.

This is born out as by Autumn 1946 equipped with their own modern aircraft and trained personnel the Netherlands Navy set sail for Indonesia. Meanwhile whilst Frederick Godber was aiding humanitarian relief to the people of the Netherlands, he had also provided the means in part for the war effort against the Indonesian population.  Over 5,000 Dutch and 1,200 British soldiers died along with civilians numbered in their tens of thousands between 1945 and 1949.