W. J. Kruys: Difference between revisions
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==Post-war period== |
==Post-war period== |
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[[File:De Ruyter 1953.jpg|thumb|alt=HNLMS De Ruyter put into service in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (right). Captain WJ Kruys on the left (1953).|Launch of HNLMS De Ruyter in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (right). Captain WJ Kruys on the left (1953).]] |
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In 1945 Willem Jan was appointed head of Navy training in [[London]] and in 1948 he was promoted to commander. He was closely involved in the 1948 [[Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference|Dutch-Indonesian round table negotiations]] regarding the transfer of sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies. He stayed in Australia for a number of months for the Royal Dutch Navy. On 1 August 1952 he was promoted to captain and sent back to The Hague. He was closely involved with the construction of the two new [[De Zeven Provinciën-class cruiser|Zeven Provinciën class]] light cruisers 'De Ruyter' and 'Zeven Provinciën'.<ref name="Archive1"/><ref>[https://marineschepen.nl/schepen/kruisers-de-ruyter-de-zeven-provincien.html Kruisers De Ruyter en De Zeven Provinciën (1953)]. Marineschepen.nl (in Dutch).</ref> |
In 1945 Willem Jan was appointed head of Navy training in [[London]] and in 1948 he was promoted to commander. He was closely involved in the 1948 [[Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference|Dutch-Indonesian round table negotiations]] regarding the transfer of sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies. He stayed in Australia for a number of months for the Royal Dutch Navy. On 1 August 1952 he was promoted to captain and sent back to The Hague. He was closely involved with the construction of the two new [[De Zeven Provinciën-class cruiser|Zeven Provinciën class]] light cruisers 'De Ruyter' and 'Zeven Provinciën'.<ref name="Archive1"/><ref>[https://marineschepen.nl/schepen/kruisers-de-ruyter-de-zeven-provincien.html Kruisers De Ruyter en De Zeven Provinciën (1953)]. Marineschepen.nl (in Dutch).</ref> |
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Revision as of 13:31, 27 April 2024
W.J. Kruys | |
|---|---|
 Vice admiral Willem Jan Kruys | |
| Birth name | Willem Jan Kruys |
| Born | 13 January 1906 Pangkalan Brandan (Sumatra) |
| Died | 20 April 1985 (aged 79) Bilthoven (The Netherlands) |
| Service/ | Royal Dutch Navy |
| Years of service | 1924–1960 |
| Rank |  Vice-admiral |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau |
Willem Jan Kruys (1906–1985) was a vice admiral in the Royal Dutch Navy and later director-general of the Dutch National Aviation Service (Rijksluchtvaartdienst).
Early life
Willem Jan Kruys was a member of a well-known Dutch Navy family. He was born on January 13, 1906, in Pangkalan Brandan (Sumatra). His father Gerhardus Kruys (1876–1955) worked for the ‘Batavian Oil Company' in the Dutch East Indies. His mother, Judith Elizabeth de Bruyne (1883–1937), was a daughter of Navy Officer captain Willem Jan de Bruyne. His brother Gerhardus Kruys (1907–1982) was also a captain in the Royal Dutch Navy. Willem Jan Kruys was a grandson of Dutch minister of Navy and vice admiral Gerhardus Kruys (1838–1902), and cousin of vice admiral Theodoor Louis Kruys (1884–1940). He spent his early childhood in the Dutch East Indies. In 1920 the family returned to the Netherlands. Willem Jan finished his high school education in Deventer, the Netherlands.[1][2][3]
In 1924 Willem Jan began his Navy career as naval cadet at the Royal Naval Institute in Den Helder, where he was a member of the senate in 1925. One of his passions was ocean sailing. On August 16, 1927, he was appointed midshipman and on August 16, 1929, he became sub lieutenant.[4]
On August 20, 1935, he married Anna Troll (1911–1998) by proxy. She was a daughter of Navy Officer Anton Frederik Lodewijk Troll (1875–1936) and Gesina Sara Hoek (1883–1956). From 1935 to 1938, Willem Jan was artillery officer aboard HNLMS Johan Maurits van Nassau, first stationed at the island of Curaçao in the Dutch Caribbean, and later escorting convoys in the Strait of Gibraltar. Willem Jan was promoted to lieutenant commander on August 15, 1938, and subsequently posted to the Department of the Navy in The Hague.[1]
World War II
In May 1940, at the beginning of World War II, as German forces invaded the Netherlands, he was moved to London with Dutch admiral Johan Fürstner, among others, in charge of the Dutch Admiralty's relocation to the United Kingdom. He was initially stationed in Bath as liaison officer. On May 6, 1942, he became captain of HNLMS Tjerk Hiddes, a British N-class destroyer launched on 25 June 1941 and transferred to the Royal Dutch Navy in May 1942. The ship was named after the 17th century Dutch admiral, Tjerk Hiddes de Vries.[5]
With the Tjerk Hiddes, Willem Jan actively participated in the fight against the enemy, initially escorting military convoy ships in the Indian Ocean. In October, the ship joined the US 7th Fleet in the Port of Fremantle, Australia.[6]
On 4, 11 and 15 December 1942, The Tjerk Hiddes made three voyages to evacuate over a thousand Australian Forces, Dutch troops and civilians from the island of Timor in enemy territory, to Darwin, Australia. After the successful Timor ferry the ship sailed back to Fremantle on Christmas Eve for repairs. During maintenance work on the torpedoes, a torpedo exploded on January 8, 1943, blowing a hole in the deck. Four Australian technicians and two crew members required medical treatment.[6]
As a result of the Timor Ferry, Willem Jan was awarded the Legion of Merit by President Roosevelt. The Tjerk Hiddes crew received the Dutch Cross for Important Military Operations (also known as the Expedition Cross). The British King George VI decorated him for his war actions with the Order of the British Empire (Officer Military Decision).[6]
Post-war period
In 1945 Willem Jan was appointed head of Navy training in London and in 1948 he was promoted to commander. He was closely involved in the 1948 Dutch-Indonesian round table negotiations regarding the transfer of sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies. He stayed in Australia for a number of months for the Royal Dutch Navy. On 1 August 1952 he was promoted to captain and sent back to The Hague. He was closely involved with the construction of the two new Zeven Provinciën class light cruisers 'De Ruyter' and 'Zeven Provinciën'.[4][7]
On November 18, 1953, he became the first captain of the cruiser HNLMS De Ruyter, built at the Wilton-Fijenoord shipyard in Rotterdam, and the ship was put into service in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Juliana of the Netherlands.[8]
In August 1955 he was appointed interim rear admiral, and on September 4, 1956, he became rear admiral. His promotion to vice admiral followed on September 4, 1958, making him the third admiral in the Kruys family.
Civilian career
Willem Jan retired from the Royal Dutch Navy on September 16, 1960. He became deputy director-general of the National Aviation Service (Rijksluchtvaartdienst), and from 1962 to 1971 director-general.[1]
Willem Jan and Anna Troll had a daughter, two sons and five grandchildren. Willem Jan died in Bilthoven on April 20, 1985.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d "The Blue Book (Kruys)" (Blauwe Boekje), Nederland's Patriciaat (in Dutch).
- ^ Kabinet-Mackay (1888-1891), Parlement.com (in Dutch).
- ^ Kabinet-Kuyper (1901-1905), Parlement.com (in Dutch).
- ^ a b " Familiearchief Kruys. Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie (NIMH) (in Dutch).
- ^ Timor Triumph. HNIMS Tjerk Hiddes at Timor-1942. Graham Wilson. Journal of the Australian Naval Institute, January/March 1997.
- ^ a b c "HNMS Tjerk Hiddes—Timor Ferry. Rear Admiral C. V. Gordon, United States Naval Institute Proceedings, February 1960.
- ^ Kruisers De Ruyter en De Zeven Provinciën (1953). Marineschepen.nl (in Dutch).
- ^ Expositie Koninklijke Marine. Museum Militaire Traditie (in Dutch).