Hinne de Jong
A Chronicle

Introduction - Early in 2006 I learned of the death of Cees de Jong,, my cousin, a son of my Oom Jaap - a brother of Hinne - and Tante Cor. What follows is a translation of an “In Memoriam” that appeared in one of the Dutch papers. It is an interesting read. - sdj

Cornelis Jacob ( Cees) de Jong died January 12, 2006, in British Columbia, Canada. He was born on September 6, 1921, at West-Terschelling in his parental home which was located fewer than 500 meters from the lighthouse “Brandaris.” He was the third child born to Jacob (Oom Jaap) de Jong and Cornelia (Tante Cor) de Jong-Wortel.

He began his studies at the Willem Barentsz Nautical School on Terschelling in 1937. In 1939 he passed his first exams and started as an apprentice seaman with the SMN or “Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland” (Steamship Company Nederland). His first tour of duty was on the “Poelau Laut.” He left as one of ten apprentices on this ship for a three-month trip.

These plans changed drastically because World War II broke out. Holland was run over by the German forces. The “Poelau Laut” was put to use on the Java - New York Line and as a result Cees did not return to Holland until October 1945! In April 1941, Cees went to the Nautical School in Surabaya, this time to try to obtain the much-coveted Third Officer diploma. He received this rank in July 1941 and was assigned to the “Marnix van St. Aldegonde” which had been transformed from a passenger liner into a troop ship. The “Marnix” transported Australian troops to Singapore and the Suez, as well as Italian prisoners-of-war to Bombay.

On August 17, 1942, the “Marnix” escaped near death in the South Atlantic, without realizing it. Yes, they had seen something on the horizon and this triggered a general alarm. However, the unidentified ship disappeared from sight and the alarm was canceled.

Thirty six years later, Cees read in a reliable WWII history, written by a certain L. von Munching, that the German cruiser, the “Michel,” had seen an unknown ship at the position of the “Marnix” in that part of the Atlantic. The German captain of the “Michel,” not knowing what kind of ship he was dealing with, decided not to attack and left the area. Cees then realized how close to destruction they had come, since their close encounter had occurred during a nine-month period during which that same German cruiser sank no less than 14 allied ships!

The “Marnix” made several trips in convoy across the Atlantic, e.g., during September 1942, under the protection of warships, including an American battleship, the “Arkansas.” The Dutch seafarers had heard about Radar, but they were astonished when the “Arkansas,” in the middle of the night, gave correct instructions to a ship that had lost its position in the convoy.

On November 6, 1943, in the Mediterranean Sea, a torpedo dropped from a German bomber hit and eventually sunk the “Marnix.” Cees wrote an account of this devastating event which became part of the book “Hecht en Sterk” (Firm and Strong), a biography of Jan Lassche, the captain of the “Marnix.”

All 3,235 people on board the “Marnix” - yes, all 3,235!! - were successfully rescued by allied ships. Cees himself was among more than a thousand who were picked up by a ship, called the “Ruys.” On this ship he arrived in Liverpool, England. And there, during December 1943, he met a member of the Women’s Royal Naval Service (a “Wren”). Her name was Jane Berry, she hailed from Scotland and she would later become his wife.

From March to December 1944, Cees made nine trips with the “Oranje.” Jane was transferred to Colombo (Sri Lanka) at the end of 1944. Meanwhile, Cees had been transferred as Third Officer to the “Benkalis,” which in May 1945 departed for - would you know it - Colombo!

After Cees and Jane received confirmation that their respective families were alive and well, and after consent was given, they decided to get married. It was the start of a happy marriage that lasted more than 60 years.

The moved into their first home at West-Terschelling just before Christmas 1945. Already in May 1946, Cees returned to “the sea,’ first on the “Java,” then on a sister ship called the “Celebes.” Later, he again made a trip with the “Oranje,” returning in February 1947. It had been an exceptionally cold winter and the Harlingen-Terschelling ferry service could not operate because of the ice. Cees, and five other persons, had no choice but to walk across the ice to Terschelling, a hazardous trip that took them more than 15 hours!

In March 1950, Cees received his First Officer diploma. He got a temporary job with the SMN, and continued there until 1952 when he started a new position with an SMN-related company. He eventually became an inspector attached to the Nautical Service in Holland.

But, in 1956, he again went back to “the sea,” as captain of the “Amstelbrug.” In 1970, several large companies merged into what became Nedlloyd, and Cees became an employee in the harbor of Rotterdam. This meant moving from West-Terschelling to Dordrecht. During the next five years, Cees and Jane enjoyed many weekend and vacation times on their motor boat “Lanka,” named after the island on which they had been married.

In 1980, Cees took an early pension and he and Jane moved to Eastbourne, on the south coast of England. In 1999, they moved for the last time. Their destination: British Columbia, on the west coast of Canada. Two of their sons live there at the time of this writing (2006).

Cees spent his last years in British Columbia, still surrounded by his books about “the sea,” a subject that had an enduring fascination for him.

(P.S. During May 2006 I received some additional information about Cees & Jane’s family. They had two sons, Derek and Stuart. Already in 1969, Derek emigrated to Vancouver, B.C. His brother, Stuart, lived in 1975 in London, England. Later (in 1999) he, too. moved to Vancouver. And during that year, Cees and Jane left England and went to live in B.C. as well. My cousin Cees died in a hospital in Delta, B.C., located not far from where Jane still lives at the time I write this - May 2006. - sdj)