A quest for justice: The story of the Ondina and her Chinese crew
Willem Geluk
A brave uncle
Willem Horsman, my mother’s brother, was a sailor who rose quickly through the maritime ranks in his younger years. At the age of 33, he became captain of the tanker Ondina. He could only hold this rank for 11 days, from Nov. 1 to Nov. 11, 1942. On November 11, 1942, he was killed in a sea battle with two Japanese ships.
The following year, in 1943, I was born. I was named after my uncle Willem.
In the early 1960s, my grandfather Horsman asked me if I would like to delve into this history, which was not very well known to the family. For a long time I did nothing with this request, but once retired, the family past began to itch anyway. Starting in 2008, I searched for information to dig up the illustrious story of the Ondina, her captain and crew from oblivion. In 2009 I had enough material to organize a small exhibition in the town hall on Schier.
An article about this exhibition, written by Ms. Sitalsing, appeared in the Volkskrant. Following the exhibition and coverage, there was a flood of reactions. From this I could see that the broad outlines are now known, but for the filling in of details many open spaces remain. I hope to be able to fill these in through more publicity and another exhibition.
I would like to take you into the story of Willem Horsman, the Ondina and her Chinese crew.
World War II at sea
In early 1942, the Dutch East Indies faced Japanese aggression. Due to the attacks by the Japanese, the Allies lost access to oil wells, which had been used by the Netherlands in the Dutch East Indies since the colonial period. In response to the Japanese occupation, an Allied fleet was formed for counterattack. The needed oil was obtained from Persia, today’s Iran. Dutch tankers relied on the port city of Abadan from the second half of 1942. From there, the oil was transported across the Indian Ocean to Fremantle, Australia. Here was home to the submarines of the so-called Asian fleet. This was an Allied fleet consisting of American, Australian and Dutch submarines.
As many as fourteen Japanese ships were ordered to disrupt Allied oil transports. During one of these oil transports, on Nov. 11, 1942, the Dutch tanker Ondina and her British-Indian escort ship HMIS Bengal were attacked by the Japanese cruisers Hōkoku Maru and Aikoku Maru.
The painting above shows the sea battle between the Ondina and the Bengal on one side, and the Japanese cruisers in the Indian Ocean. The Hokoku Maru is on fire, after a direct hit in the powder room. The painting was commissioned by Shell after World War II by English marine painter Wilkinson and hung in Shell’s boardroom in The Hague for many years. It is currently unknown where the painting is located.
The downfall
The Ondina was badly hit, a fire broke out and the ship took heavy hits. Captain Horsman was fatally struck and ordered his crew to abandon ship for fear of retaliation from the Japanese side. Horsman was proved right; the Japanese also took fire on the sloops in which the crew was. In the process, three Chinese sailors, Soo Fuey, Fung Kam and Hung Yung Chung, died.
Documents show that crew member Ah Kong assisted my uncle at the helm and cared for him in the heat of battle.
The situation seemed hopeless; the crew lay injured at sea. The ship was on fire, far from civilization, and communication was impossible. Some brave crew members decided to board anyway to get water and provisions. This was risky, as the ship was badly damaged and could sink. Ensign Bartele Broer Bakker, machinist Leijs and several other men went back aboard and concluded that the ship could be saved. They returned to those on board in the sloops and managed to convince the crew to board again. With a concerted effort, the fires were extinguished and the machinery reactivated. The communications equipment had been partially destroyed, but it was decided not to use the devices that were still working. After all, that could catch the enemy out as well. Therefore, during the trip back to Fremantle, navigation was done with the help of sextant and knowledge of the galaxy. Bakker had to go to a hospital in the Antilles for treatment of burns to his legs.
On Sept. 2, 1945, documents of the Japanese surrender were signed on a U.S. warship. Admiral Helfrich,a Dutch admiral who served in Southeast Asia during World War II, signed on behalf of the Netherlands.
An award
My uncle did not survive the attack. There are no letters from him from that time of the war. The last letter to his family arrived in November 1939. After that, occasional telegrams arrived with the text “greetings from the sea.” In connection with the war, information on the home front was limited. After all, one did not want to give the enemy details about location, cargo and plans.
My family was notified by the Red Cross of Willem Horsman’s death. He was posthumously awarded the Military Order of William, as well as a certificate on behalf of the King of England.
The tanker Ondina received a “Royal Mention by Day Order” in 1948 for her deeds. This award rewards outstanding deeds by ships of the Royal Navy and Dutch merchant ships. This day order is accompanied by a bronze plaque measuring 80 x 100 cm, which is mounted on the Ondina.
No handout to Chinese crew
On the occasion of this special award, a corresponding certificate was also awarded to the total crew, consisting of Dutch, English, Australian and Chinese, and presented in 1953. However, the presentation of this certificate to the Chinese crew members has failed to date, due to political reasons. Only two Chinese crewmen (Ah Kong and Ko Ping Kui) were decorated by Admiral Helfrich for their heroism during the sea battle. The text below, found in an Australian memorial museum, records this.
In 1954/1955 the Royal Shell offered a lifeboat to the then rescue company. This lifeboat was named Willem Horsman and was stationed at Schiermonnikoog.
The tanker Ondina was scrapped in 1959. To keep the story alive, a new tanker with the same name was built. This tanker was launched in Rotterdam in 1961 and christened by Princess Irene. For this occasion
Shell issued a commemorative booklet. This booklet unfortunately contained incorrect names of the attacking Japanese cruisers.
About the crew of the fateful final voyage of the Ondina, I learned the following.
A Dutch gunner, Muus Visser, noted in a letter to Ab Kelder, editor-in-chief of De Blauwe Wimpel in the 1970s, praising Willem Horsman: “Horsman stood up for his staff.” Muus Visser moved to Australia after World War II.
Of the 55 crew members, 35 were of Chinese descent. Their names and occupation were recorded. The Chinese crew members were:
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Ho Lin Chun Hkwei Sin Seng Hung Yung Chung * Chang Chee Ko Ping Kui Ah Kong Sin Sum Lo Kit Wong Khai Sin Lai Chan Ngun Fok Kam Tang Wai Ma Chun Lee On Fan Lau Soo Fuey * Chow Lung Fung Kam * Ah Chung Ho Cheung Chan Ping Ah Kwai Fung She Tang Tat Hung Chi Lo Koon Shing Choy Tsun Yuen Fook Fat Hong Wu Fong Chi Nam Lum Jian Nam How Kum |
Boatswain Carpenter Storekeeper Quartermaster Quartermaster Quartermaster Quartermaster Sailor Sailor Sailor Sailor Sailor Sailor Sailors’ Cook Sailors’ Boy Pumpman Donkeyman No. 1 Fireman No. 2 Fireman No. 3 Fireman Sailor Fireman Fireman Fireman Fireman Fireman’s Cook Fireman’s Boy Chief Steward 2nd Steward Chief Cook 2nd Cook Messroom Boy Pantry Boy Pantry Boy Sailor |
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* killed in sea battle |
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From conversations with descendants of Dutch crew members, I learned that communication with the Chinese crew was very difficult. Language was a major barrier. During the return trip to Fremantle, the Chinese crew was asked for opium. From this, a drink was brewed, intended for the seriously injured on board. Almost nothing else can be found about the Chinese in the documents. That they were important to merchant shipping is shown in an Australian document. It mentions that the new captain of the Ondina asked the Australian authorities to ensure that the Chinese did not leave the ship. The importance is further underlined by the relationship with the Chinese authorities in the Netherlands: When the Ondina became the first Dutch tanker to enter the port of Rotterdam, the Chinese ambassador was present. Moreover, the Chinese ambassador was present at the unveiling of the plaque on the tanker Ondina in 1948, also in Rotterdam. Unfortunately, in the years that followed, ties with China deteriorated, to such an extent that the Chinese crew members did not receive the certificate. Based on what I have learned about Willem Horsman, I know that had he not been killed, he would have stood up for his entire crew. Therefore, I am now trying to go to the extreme of doing justice for the Chinese crew of the tanker Ondina.
A call
I hereby make an appeal to readers. I would like to get in touch with relatives of the Chinese crew of the tanker Ondina or people who know more about the Chinese crew members of the Ondina during World War II.
In Chinese, the message reads:
我想与Ondina 号油轮中国船员的亲属取得联系。
Soon, from April 19 to May 16, you can visit the exhibition “Sea Heroes from the Province” created by me at the Overijssel Provincial House in Zwolle. The exhibition is about the attack on the Ondina, Willem Horsman and the role of the Chinese crew.
You are cordially invited.
My wish is to be able to house this exhibit permanently. Any suggestions and help with this are most welcome.
