HNLMS Colombia (1930)

MS Colombia as a passenger liner in 1934
History
Netherlands
Name	Colombia
Launched	1930
Commissioned	20 May 1941
Out of service	27 February 1943
Fate	Torpedoed off the coast of Simonstad in 1943.
General characteristics
Type	Auxiliary, submarine tender
Displacement	14,600 t (14,400 long tons) standard
Length	139.30 m (457 ft 0 in)
Beam	18.7 m (61 ft 4 in)
Draught	8.10 m (26 ft 7 in)
Installed power	8,000 hp (6,000 kW)
Propulsion	2 × Werkspoor four stroke expansion engines powering 2 shafts
Speed	15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph)
Complement	273
Armament	4 × single 76 mm (3.0 in) cannon 8 × single 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon guns 6 × single 12.7 mm (0.50 in) machine guns 4 × single 7.9 mm (0.31 in) machine guns

HNLMS Colombia was originally an ocean liner, registered as MS Colombia. She was the flagship of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Stoomboot-Maatschappij. She would be commandeered and militarized by the Royal Netherlands Navy on 8 November 1940.^[1]

Serving as a troopship during the first year of her career with the Royal Netherlands Navy, Colombia was converted at Dundee into a submarine tender with the conversion work lasting from 1 May to 18 September 1941. She served in her role as submarine tender until she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-516, off the coast of Simonstown, Union of South Africa (33°36′S 27°29′E / 33.600°S 27.483°E / -33.600; 27.483), on 27 February 1943. Eight of the 326 crew died during her sinking, with remaining survivors rescued by HMS Genista and a Royal Air Force launch.^[2]