The Vanishing Dutch Submarines: How Illegal Salvagers Erased the Submarines from Malaysian Waters
The Vanishing War Graves: How Illegal Salvagers Erased Dutch Submarines from Malaysian Waters
An Exposé by 1942MALAYA
They were the forgotten heroes of the Malayan campaign—Dutch submariners who struck at the Japanese invasion fleet when the British and Americans could barely put up a fight. They sank destroyers, transports, and tankers in the waters off Borneo and Malaya, paying for their courage with their lives. And now, their final resting places have been desecrated.
In July 2024, the Dutch government confirmed a devastating truth: the wrecks of four Dutch submarines in Malaysian waters—vessels that served as war graves for over 150 sailors—have been systematically looted and destroyed by illegal salvagers. The steel that once protected these men is now being sold on the black market, valued not for its history but for its pre-nuclear purity.
This is the story of what was stolen, why it was stolen, and why the world must pay attention.
The Discovery: "Only Moved Ground and Plates of Iron"
In 2019, a joint expedition by the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE) and the Royal Netherlands Navy set out to survey the wrecks of four Dutch submarines lost in Malaysian waters during the Second World War: the HNLMS O 16, the HNLMS K XVII, the HNLMS K XVI, and the HNLMS O 20.
What they found was heartbreaking.
The O 16 and K XVII—both sunk in December 1941, both officially designated war graves—had largely vanished from the seabed . The expedition concluded they had been illegally salvaged.
Five years later, in 2024, a second expedition investigated the remaining two wrecks. The O 20 was found intact at its expected location. But the K XVI was gone.
The official Dutch government report states it plainly: "The expedition has shown that the KXVI has also been illegally salvaged. Given the traces at the site, this must have happened several years ago" .
The RCE's detailed survey describes what remains at the K XVI site: "On this location, a wreck was no longer found, only moved ground and plates of iron that had been left around as well as other objects, probably from the salvaging activities as well as from the submarine" .
Only moved ground and plates of iron. That is what is left of a submarine that once sank a Japanese destroyer and became a war grave for 36 men.
The Men Who Died
To understand the scale of this desecration, one must understand who these submarines carried.
HNLMS K XVI
The K XVI was a K XIV-class submarine, 73.6 metres long, armed with eight 21-inch torpedo tubes . She was deployed to the Dutch East Indies in 1935 and was stationed at Borneo when war with Japan began .
On 24 December 1941, the K XVI sighted the Japanese destroyer Sagiri off Kuching, Sarawak. The Sagiri was part of the Japanese invasion force that had just landed at Kuching. The K XVI fired two torpedoes. Both hit. The Sagiri's aft magazine exploded, and the destroyer sank with the loss of 121 of its 241 crew .
It was a moment of triumph—the first Allied submarine to sink a Japanese warship in the Pacific War .
It was also the K XVI's last victory.
The next day, 25 December 1941, the K XVI was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine *I-66* off Borneo. The submarine sank with all 36 of her crew .
Commander Jan Jarman and his men never came home.
HNLMS O 16
The O 16 was the only submarine of her class, commissioned in 1936 . She was placed under British command with Singapore as her home port .
When war began on 7 December 1941, the O 16 immediately went into action. She attacked Japanese forces invading north-east Malaya, damaging several vessels and sinking the troop ships Tozan Maru, Asosan Maru, and Kinka Maru .
On the night of 15 December 1941, while sailing on the surface in the South China Sea, the O 16 struck a mine. The submarine broke in half and sank within a minute. All crew below deck went down with the ship. Six men were in the cockpit and ended up in the sea. Only one survived: quartermaster Cornelis de Wolf, who swam for 30 hours before reaching shore .
For decades, it was believed that Commander Bussemaker had made a navigational error, straying into a known British minefield. But the discovery of the wreck in 1995—and subsequent analysis of Japanese records—revealed that a chain of mines had been placed north of the British minefield. Bussemaker was exonerated, 50 years after his death .
HNLMS K XVII
The K XVII was also lost in December 1941, sunk by a mine or Japanese depth charges . She was one of the submarines that had been operating off Borneo under Dutch control .
HNLMS O 20
The O 20 was sunk on 19 December 1941 by gunfire from the Japanese destroyer Uranami . She is the only one of the four whose wreck remains intact—for now .
Why Were They Stolen? The "Low-Background Steel" Trade
The illegal salvaging of Second World War wrecks is not a new phenomenon. In recent years, the wrecks of HMS Prince of Wales, HMS Repulse, and numerous Dutch, British, and Australian vessels in Southeast Asian waters have been systematically looted .
The reason is low-background steel.
Before the first atomic bomb was detonated in 1945, all steel manufactured in the world was free from the radioactive isotopes that spread through the atmosphere after nuclear testing. This pre-1945 steel—known as "low-background steel" —is highly prized for use in sensitive scientific and medical equipment, such as Geiger counters and MRI machines, where even trace amounts of radiation would compromise readings .
The steel from these sunken warships is therefore worth a fortune on the black market .
The RCE states it bluntly: "The iron of these ships is valuable and sought after. It is of exceptional quality because it was manufactured before nuclear weapons were detonated in the atmosphere before 1945. Because of this, the iron has not been exposed to radioactivity and it has a very low background radiation—making it useful for specialist measuring equipment among other things".
The men who died aboard these submarines are irrelevant to the salvagers. Only the metal matters.
The Legal and Moral Outrage
The Dutch government has been unequivocal in its condemnation.
"The disturbing of war graves and the removal of wrecks of warships are contrary to international law," the government statement reads .
"Wrecks of sunken naval vessels form, in many cases—as here—the final resting place of servicemen who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. We are therefore deeply affected by the disappearance of the wreck of the KXVI" .
The government has requested assistance from Malaysian authorities to investigate how the salvaging occurred . The RCE and the Royal Netherlands Navy conducted their 2024 expedition "in good cooperation with the Malaysian authorities, who lent every assistance in this mission" .
But the damage is done. The K XVI, the O 16, and the K XVII are gone. Only the O 20 remains, and the Dutch government is now working with Malaysia to ensure "sustainable joint management of this wreck site" and to "ensure that the wreck of the O 20 is left intact" .
The Legacy of the Dutch Submarine Campaign
The loss of these wrecks is not just a Dutch tragedy. It is a tragedy for Malaysia, Singapore, and all who value the history of the Second World War in Southeast Asia.
The Dutch submarines were among the most effective Allied naval units in the desperate early months of the Pacific War. Between 12 and 25 December 1941, four Dutch boats sank or damaged 10 to 12 Japanese ships . American newspapers dubbed the Dutch commander, Admiral Helfrich, "one-ship-a-day-Helfrich" .
The K XIV, under the command of Captain-Lieutenant van Well Groeneveld, torpedoed three troop transports and a tanker in a single night off Kuching, escaping despite depth-charge attacks . The O 16 sank three transports at Kota Bharu . The O 23 would later sink two Japanese freighters totalling 11,000 tons in the Straits of Malacca .
But the losses were staggering. By 28 December 1941, the Dutch had already lost the O 16, O 20, K XVI, and K XVII . The K VII was bombed at Surabaya the same day . The Dutch submarine force was being destroyed in a matter of weeks.
Those who died in these boats were not just defending the Dutch East Indies. They were fighting to stop the Japanese conquest of Malaya, Singapore, and Borneo. They fought alongside British, Australian, and Indian forces. Their sacrifice was part of a common Allied struggle.
And now, their graves have been robbed.
What Must Be Done
The Dutch government has taken the first steps: investigating, requesting Malaysian assistance, and planning joint management of the O 20 wreck site .
But more must be done.
1. Enforcement must be strengthened. The illegal salvaging of warship wrecks in Southeast Asian waters has been ongoing for years. Malaysia, Indonesia, and other regional governments must increase maritime patrols and prosecute salvagers who violate war graves.
2. International pressure must be applied. The destruction of war graves is a violation of international law. Nations whose sailors lie in these wrecks—the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States—must work together to protect them.
3. Awareness must be raised. The story of the Dutch submarines in Malayan waters is largely unknown. Their courage, their sacrifice, and the desecration of their graves must be told.
4. The O 20 must be protected. It is the last of the four. If it is lost, an entire chapter of history will vanish beneath the waves.
"We Will Strive to Ensure the O 20 Is Left Intact"
The Dutch government's words offer a glimmer of hope: "The fact that the O 20 still lies on the seabed offers hope that we can preserve this wreck as a final resting place and as a place of remembrance" .
But hope is not enough.
The men of the K XVI, the O 16, and the K XVII have no grave. Their submarines have been stolen, melted down, and sold. The steel that once protected them now sits in laboratories and hospitals, serving science and medicine—a purpose they never chose.
What remains is memory. And memory is fragile.
The story of the Dutch submarines in the Malayan campaign must be told—not just for the sake of history, but for the sake of the men who died in these waters. They came from Rotterdam and Den Helder, from Surabaya and Tarakan. They fought in the South China Sea and the Straits of Malacca. They sank Japanese ships and paid with their lives.
They deserve better than "moved ground and plates of iron."
They deserve a grave that is left in peace.
Sources
Dutch Government Report (July 2024) – Official statement confirming the illegal salvaging of HNLMS K XVI, O 16, and K XVII, and the intact status of O 20 .
Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) – Detailed records of the K XVI and O 16, including the 2024 research and the "low-background steel" explanation .
RCE – Netherlands-Malaysia Maritime Heritage Project – Confirmation that O 16 was "salvaged almost completely" and K XVII "had also undergone salvage" .
Wikipedia – HNLMS K XVI – Operational history, including the sinking of the Sagiri and the loss of all 36 crew .
Wikipedia – Japanese Destroyer Sagiri – Confirmation that Sagiri was torpedoed by K XVI on 24 December 1941, with 121 crew lost .
Naval Submarine League – Dutch Submarines in World War II – Comprehensive overview of Dutch submarine operations, including losses in December 1941 .
Dutch Government Report (2019) – First expedition findings confirming O 16 and K XVII "largely disappeared" .
The men of the Dutch submarine service fought and died in Malayan waters. Their graves have been robbed. Share this article to ensure their story is not forgotten.
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