HNLMS Evertsen was an Admiralen-class destroyer of the Royal Netherlands Navy, commissioned in 1928 and serving until her destruction in 1942. Constructed by Burgerhout, she was laid down on August 5, 1925, and launched on December 29, 1926. The vessel measured approximately 98.15 meters in length, with a beam of 9.45 meters and a draft of 3 meters. Displacing about 1,310 long tons, Evertsen was powered by three Yarrow boilers generating 31,000 shaft horsepower, enabling a top speed of 36 knots. Her armament included four single-mounted 12 cm Bofors guns, two 7.6 cm guns, and four 1.3 cm machine guns for anti-aircraft defense. The ship featured a floatplane platform equipped with a Fokker C VII-W reconnaissance seaplane, which was particularly useful in the Indonesian archipelago for reconnaissance purposes. The class was designed for dual roles as both a destroyer and minelayer, capable of carrying 24 mines. Evertsen's service history was marked by her role in the Dutch East Indies during the early years of World War II. Following the German invasion of the Netherlands in May 1940, she operated out of the East Indies, escorting Dutch vessels and participating in the Allied efforts to resist Japanese advances. In late 1941, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Evertsen was assigned to escort reinforcements to Singapore as part of the Allied response. During the Japanese invasion of Java in February 1942, she was involved in the chaotic retreat. She became separated from her allies, cruisers HMAS Perth and USS Houston, during the withdrawal through the Sunda Strait. Attempting to evade the Japanese fleet, Evertsen traveled slowly with one boiler offline to reduce her visibility. Despite her efforts, she was spotted by Japanese destroyers, which opened fire. The destroyer was heavily damaged, suffering a large fire and critical hits that led to her captain ordering her to run aground near Seboekoe Besar. The ship eventually exploded when her magazine detonated after she was abandoned, resulting in the loss of 57 crew members, with 111 survivors. Her sinking marked a significant event in the early naval battles of the Pacific Theater, exemplifying the peril faced by Allied naval forces in Southeast Asia.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.