Op ten Noort

In 1942, Op ten Noort became one of the most unusual vessels connected to the Hellships story. Originally a Dutch passenger liner converted into a hospital ship, it was seized by Japanese forces despite its protected status under the Hague Convention and then used in connection with Allied prisoners of war after the Battle of the Java Sea. In early March 1942, the ship carried Allied POWs from Bandjarmasin, Borneo, to Makassar, Celebes, and for months afterward served as a hospital facility connected to POW camps in the area. Unlike many Hellships, Op ten Noort is remembered less for a mass-casualty sinking than for its unlawful capture, its use within the POW system, and its later concealment under Japanese control.

The Ship

Op ten Noort was a Dutch passenger steamship launched in 1927 for the Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij and operated in the Dutch East Indies. In early 1942, the Royal Netherlands Navy requisitioned and converted her into a hospital ship. The Dutch government notified Japan of her hospital-ship status through the Swedish Embassy, and Japan acknowledged that status before the ship sailed. That protected status makes the vessel historically significant, because under the Hague Convention hospital ships were not to be seized or attacked.

The Voyage

After the Battle of the Java Sea, Op ten Noort was sent out to assist survivors, but on 28 February 1942 she was intercepted by Japanese naval forces and ordered away from her rescue mission. The ship was then used to embark Allied prisoners, including men from USS Houston, and carried them to Bandjarmasin and then to Makassar in early March 1942. The West Point voyage list records this Hellship-linked movement as “126. Op ten Noort. Bandjarmasin, Borneo. 03/04/42. Makassar, Celebes.” CombinedFleet’s record similarly notes that the ship discharged POWs at Makassar and then served for about eight months as a hospital facility for POW camps in the region.

The Attack or Loss

Op ten Noort was not lost in a classic Hellship sinking while carrying POWs. Its central wartime significance instead lies in its capture and misuse. After being seized, it was renamed Tenno Maru in June 1942 and later Hikawa Maru No. 2 in October 1944. It continued under Japanese control as a hospital ship, despite the controversy surrounding its original seizure. The ship ultimately was scuttled on 17 August 1945 in Wakasa Bay, shortly after Japan’s surrender. Modern accounts suggest the scuttling may have been intended to conceal the unlawful seizure of a protected hospital ship, though that remains an interpretation rather than a proven fact.

Casualties and Survivors

For Op ten Noort, the main historical issue isn't a single catastrophic POW death toll at sea but the forced transport and detention of Allied prisoners after the ship's capture. Public sources show that the ship took on 59 USS Houston crew members from a Japanese destroyer and then approximately 970 POWs, around 800 of whom were survivors from HMAS Perth, before moving on to Borneo and Celebes. These prisoners survived the voyage itself, though their captivity continued under harsh conditions on land. Since the ship’s role in Hellship history focuses on transport and illegal seizure rather than a mass POW-casualty sinking, the page should present it differently from ships like Rakuyō Maru, Lisbon Maru, or Oryoku Maru. Op ten Noort, the key historical issue is not a single catastrophic POW death toll at sea, but the forced transport and confinement of Allied prisoners after its capture. Public sources indicate that the ship embarked 59 USS Houston crewmen from a Japanese destroyer and then took on about 970 POWs, roughly 800 of them survivors from HMAS Perth, before carrying them onward to Borneo and Celebes. These transported prisoners survived the voyage itself, though their captivity continued under severe conditions ashore. Because the ship’s role in Hellship history centers on transport and illegal seizure, not a mass POW-casualty sinking, the page should present it differently from ships such as Rakuyō Maru, Lisbon Maru, or Oryoku Maru.

Legacy and Memorialization

Op ten Noort is important in Hellship history because it widens the story beyond torpedoings and air attacks. It shows that the POW transport system also involved the seizure and misuse of protected vessels, the movement of newly captured survivors into camp systems, and the deliberate concealment of wrongdoing. The ship’s later renamings and eventual scuttling deepened the historical controversy, and after the war the Dutch government pursued compensation claims against Japan over the loss of the vessel. For researchers, Op ten Noort stands as a reminder that the Hellships story includes not only maritime disasters, but also the unlawful appropriation of ships and the forced movement of prisoners through captivity networks across Southeast Asia.

Sources

West Point, List of Hellship Voyages, entry 126. Op ten Noort.
CombinedFleet, IJN Hospital Ship Hikawa Maru No. 2 / Op ten Noort movement record.
Public historical summary of SS Op ten Noort, including hospital-ship status, capture, renaming, and scuttling.
USNI Proceedings memoir reference describing transfer of survivors to Op ten Noort after the Java Sea battles.

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Hellships Research Center
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