Karel Doorman

Karel Willem Frederik Marie Doorman ( born April 23, 1889 in Utrecht, † February 27, 1942 in the Java Sea ) was a Dutch Rear Admiral ( Dutch: schout -bij -nacht ).

Life

Karel Doorman came from a Catholic family that used a long military tradition. Doorman was one of the first naval officers who had a pilot's license. Thus, he acquired special merits in the design of the Dutch Naval Aviation. In 1937 Karel Doorman was stationed in the Dutch East Indies as a sea captain. His promotion to rear admiral ( Dutch: schout -bij -nacht ) was performed in 1940 and two years later he was given command of the Allied ABDA battle fleet. In the ABDA fleet (short for American, British, Dutch and Australian) were warships together from the four nations Australia, Britain, the Netherlands and the United States to protect the Southeast Asia before the Japanese expansion. His flagship was the Hr. Ms. De Ruyter.

On 27 February 1942, he led the ABDA fleet against a Japanese association that started off in the Java Sea from the north to invade the island of Java. After minor previous meeting, the first major naval battle of the Pacific War, the Battle of the Java Sea, at the end of the destruction of the ABDA fleet and the sinking of the Hr. Developed Ms. De Ruyter was. Karel Doorman went down with his flagship. Famous were his last words " Ik val aan, volg mij! ", Which in German, "I grab on, follow me! " means. In fact he has this saying never done so. Tradition has it only the command at the beginning of the battle, which was " All ships follow me," he uttered to end the turmoil when, after a Japanese torpedo attack which damaged British Exeter ran back to Java and the other ships were about to follow her.

Posthumous honors

After Karel Doorman two aircraft carriers were named:

• Hr. Ms. Karel Doorman (QH -1) - escort aircraft carriers of the Nairana class - former carrier of the Royal Navy, which until 1948 was in service at the end of World War II in the Netherlands
• Hr. Ms. Karel Doorman ( R81 ) - Light aircraft carrier Colussus class - HMS Venerable sold by the Royal Navy on April 1, 1948, the Dutch Navy and served there until 1968 after a fire, the carrier was on October 15, 1968 to Argentina. sold and placed there as Veinticinco De Mayo in service.

Currently, a Dutch ship class is named after Karel Doorman; Karel Doorman - class frigates M whose first ship the Hr. Ms. Karel Doorman ( F827 ) is. More ships are the Hr. Ms. Willem Van Der Zaan ( F829 ), Hr. Ms. Tjerk Hiddes ( F830 ), Hr. Ms. Van Amstel ( F831 ), Hr. Ms. Abraham Van Der Hulst ( F832 ), Hr. Ms. Van Nes ( F833 ), Hr. Ms. Van Galen ( F834 ), and Mr.. Ms. Van Spejk ( F828 ).

Biography

• Steketee, Menno & Saul David (2001) Ik val aan, volg mij; Militaire blunders in de twintigste eeuw, Uitgeverij Bert Bakker / Prometheus ISBN 90-351-2061-2 ( Dutch)