The HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen, commissioned in 1936, was a Dutch minesweeper renowned for its audacious escape from Japanese forces during World War II. Utilizing an ingenious camouflage strategy, the ship’s crew disguised it as a tropical island by day and navigated by night, evading enemy detection over eight tense days until reaching the safety of Australian waters. Contents Background The HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen was part of the Jan van Amstel-class minesweepers, a series of vessels built specifically for the Royal Netherlands Navy in the 1930s. This class of ships, while not the largest or most heavily armed in the naval … Continue reading Abraham Crijnssen – The Ship That Disguised Itself As An Island