Report on the fieldwork at
the sites of the Dutch
submarines O16 and K-XVII
M. Manders, R. de Hoop, M.H..W. Verrijth, C.H. Trommel, H. Meinsma, I. Jeffery,
T.A. van der Velden, Ruzairy Bin Arbi, Farizah Binti Ideris, Ahmad Zaharuddin
Bin Abdul Kadir, Khairil Amri, Bin Abdul, Ghani

Index
Introduction............................................................................................................................................. 2
Cooperation ............................................................................................................................................. 2
Equipment for the assessment................................................................................................................ 4
Assessment of the O16............................................................................................................................ 5
Assessment of the K-XVII......................................................................................................................... 7
Training .................................................................................................................................................... 9
Overall conclusions................................................................................................................................ 11
Suggestions for the future..................................................................................................................... 12

1

Introduction
In the last couple of years, information about the illegal salvage of World War 2 wrecks in
Asia has regularly come to light.1 For many this has come as a shock, in particular for the
relatives of those who died there. Already in 2013, a salvaging ship was photographed in the
vicinity of the location of the HNLMS O16, a Dutch submarine. Eventually there was not
enough evidence to link the ship to the salvaging of the wreck at that time. Photos taken at
the location of the wreck site show parts of the wreck laying squashed and heavily damaged
on the deck of the salvage ship. A formal inquiry from the Netherlands Government did not
result in much more information.
The examples of this Dutch wreck and similar information we received about Australian,
American, British and Japanese wrecks give us a sense of urgency to make up our mind
about what we think the future should be for these wrecks. They are, not only(often shared)
heritage, but also war graves and sovereign objects that are still owned by the governments
that once deployed them. At the moment it has proven to be difficult to find the salvors
responsible and stop what they are doing. This is of great concern to both the coastal states2
and the flag states3 of those sites that are being looted.
In 2017 talks between the Netherlands and Malaysia were initiated to investigate the four
known Dutch submarines in Malaysian waters: the HNLMS O20, HNLMS O16, HNLMS K-XVI
and HNLMS K-XVII. Meetings on the subject were held with the relevant organisations (see
below) in March 2018 (in Putra Jaya) and May 2019 (via video conferencing and in Putra
Jaya). The latter was to prepare the joint Malaysia-Netherlands fieldwork that was set
between the 28th of June and the 8th of July 2019. The subjects of this investigation were the
two submarines O16 and K-XVII that were lost in 1941, close to Tioman island. The aim of
the research was to assess the sites, to determine their current condition and to assemble
information in order to enable the possibility for a joint management plan that could be
made for both sites in the near future.

Cooperation
The fieldwork has been conducted as a joint Malaysia-Netherlands cooperation. The team
from the Netherlands, the flag state of the vessels, was led by the Cultural Heritage Agency
of the Netherlands (Ministry of Education, Culture and Science), in collaboration with the
Ministry of Defence (Royal Netherlands Navy) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (the
Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kuala Lumpur). From Malaysia, the coastal
state, the expedition was coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in
1

In 2016 a group of divers supported by the Karel Doorman Foundation (KDF) discovered the disappearance of
the three Dutch WWII wrecks of the Hr. Ms. De Ruyter, Hr. Ms. Java and Hr. Ms. Kortenaer in the Java Sea,
Indonesia. This was for the Netherlands an incentive to actively investigate the whereabouts and conditions of
other Dutch WWII wrecks in the world. See for an overview of salvaged wrecks in Asian waters, also
https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2017/nov/03/worlds-biggest-grave-robbery-asiasdisappearing-ww2-shipwrecks (accessed 6-8-2019).
2
The states within whose borders the wrecks are found
3
Owner of the vessel, under whose flag the ship was active

2

collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Department of National
Heritage, Ministry of Defence (the Royal Malaysian Navy), Ministry of Home Affairs (the
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency), Ministry of Transport (Marine Department), and
Prime Minister’s Department (the National Security Council).
The costs for the expedition, including the related costs and liabilities, were borne by the
Netherlands. The Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE) has provided the funding for the
expedition (see attachment 2), while the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNN) provided a team of
experts and organised the transport of the equipment to and from Malaysia. The Embassy of
the Netherlands in Kuala Lumpur has been the liaison for talks while preparing the fieldwork
with the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that was also responsible for the coordination
in Malaysia itself and for the help in obtaining the necessary permits for the work. The
Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) would accompany the team to the site
every day for security and the other partners provided personnel for the exchange of
knowledge and training.
Formally a Letter of Intent (LoI) was signed on the 26th of June 2019 by the General Director
of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands – Ms. Susan Lammers – and the
ambassador of Malaysia to the Netherlands – H.E. Mr. Dato’Ahmad Nazri Yusof – setting the
basis for the cooperation in the field.
With this LoI, MOFA and RCE, as the implementing agencies acknowledged the importance
of intensifying the bilateral cooperation on research in maritime archaeology and
underwater cultural heritage management. Both signatories recognise that cooperation will
improve the exchange of knowledge and the quality of underwater cultural heritage
management and preservation. This is also the reason why a component of training related
to maritime archaeological research and underwater cultural heritage management
activities was included in the expedition.

3

Figure 1: The RV Discovery.

Equipment for the assessment
It was agreed to hire the RV Discovery, a 35 metre long vessel owned by the Universiti
Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), a Malaysian Technical University. This was in compliance with
the Malaysian Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952.
With this ship the team went back and forth every day, from the village of Tekek on the
island of Tioman to the respective sites. This was due to the amount of people that were
present on board each day in comparison to the size of the ship.
For the fieldwork a team of five experts from the RNN were flown in from the Netherlands
with a double set of REMUS and ROV equipment. They performed the technical survey on
the sites. The REMUS is an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle that can be programmed to do
its runs by itself without being wired to the ship. The REMUS had a high frequency side scan
sonar and a camera on board.
The Remotely Operated Vehicle or ROV was equipped with a camera and needed to be
operated from the mothership with a line. Unfortunately the ROV could not be used at this
site, due to the natural conditions, the type of ROV and the fact that the mothership could
not anchor on site.

4

Assessment of the O16
The O16 is a submarine that sank on the 15th of December 1941 when going back to its base
in Singapore after a mission to defend the oil fields in Borneo against a Japanese invasion.
The ship ran into a mine field, exploded and sank. Of the 42 crew on board, 36 died
immediately. Six men that were outside at the time of the explosion tried to reach the shore.
Only one of them made it. Before the start of the assessment, we knew that the O16 had
been subject to salvage in 2013. The hypothesis was that the central part of the ship with
the conning tower would have been lost during the salvage but that maybe large parts of the
aft and bow of the submarine would still be there. On the 29 th, 30th of June and 1st of July,
the site was meticulously mapped with the REMUS. First a ‘box’ of approximately 500 by 500
metres was scanned.
.

Figure 2: The AUV Remus from the Royal Netherlands Navy, with its operators.

5

Figure 3: Side scan sonar mosaic made with the Remus at the O16 wreck site.

Figure 4: Detail of the wreck of the O16. Only small fragments of the wreck
still exist onsite.

6

After that a more close range mapping of the located objects on the seabed was executed.
This resulted in the conclusion that indeed the middle part of the ship is completely gone. An
impression that resulted from the salvage operation is still visible on the seabed. The areas
of the bow and stern have been heavily damaged and are almost gone as well. Fragments
and lower parts of the cylinder body can be spotted on the side scan sonar.
The data collected during the fieldwork will be analysed in more detail after September
2019.

Assessment of the K-XVII
On the 21st of December 1941 the K-XVII ran into the same mine field as the O16, also when
returning to its base. This ship is also located just over 20 miles from Tioman island. The
submarine sank with all hands, a crew of 36.

Figure 5: Side scan sonar mosaic of the K-XVII wreck site made with the Remus sonar.

7

The last information the team has had from a diver was that he dived the site on the 18th of
May 2018. At that time, according to his report, at least large parts of the wreck were still
visible on the site. When surveying the site with the REMUS it became immediately clear
that the site was now almost completely salvaged. In a ‘box’ of 500 by 500 m, there is a small
seabed area of approximately 90 metres of length that has been disturbed.
Traces of salvaging are visible, including anchor dragging. Here and there, small pieces of
deformed wreck material were detected, not more than a few metres long. The image was
clear enough to conclude that the wreck has been salvaged. Due to the fact that the imagery
was already at its best, it was decided by the team that there was nothing to gain with
further research.

Figure 6: Sonar detail of the K-XVII wreck site. Hardly any wreck material is left onsite.

8

The salvage of the wrecks has been reported to the responsible authorities in Malaysia and
the Netherlands. The data collected during the fieldwork will be analysed in more detail
after September 2019.

Training
The expedition also consisted of some small training sessions in the field and in the
classroom. It was decided to do no specific training on board of the ship RV Discovery except
for some explanation of how the equipment works.
The classroom training was conducted
on the 1st and the 5th of July. Diving was
set up for the 5th of July in the
afternoon.
The subjects of training were:
1. Dutch Cultural Heritage in
Malaysian waters
2. Cultural Heritage Management
3. Forensic/preventive Marking
4. 3D photogrammetry
Figure 7: The small island (Rengis island) in front of the resort
All training was conducted by the RCE.
where the 3D photogrammetry and the forensic marking was
Dive cylinders for the training were
tested.
provided by the Malaysian Navy. For this
training a dive location near Tioman island was jointly arranged where the 3D
photogrammetry and the forensic marking was deployed. The forensic marking training
consisted of a theoretic explanation of the materials used and a practical exercise to deploy
the material on a metal shipwreck. The idea is that wrecks are marked with a gel that
includes small microscopic markers that can be traced again underwater and when the
metals have been salvaged. The training was also used to test new methods of deploying.
This information will be fed back into the project.

The forensic marking works really well, although the application of it is still a bit complicated.
This will be improved in the near future. All trainings were executed successfully.
3D photogrammetry or Computer Vision Photogrammetry reduces underwater recording
time and can produce an accurate, detailed and objective three-dimensional result. It is
therefore that we chose this as a subject for training. It will be the new main method for
documenting wreck sites. Afterwards the created model can be used for measurements and
further research.

9

This training also consisted of a theoretical and a practical part. In the practical exercise
divers filmed the site with a GoPro, thereby trying to ensure overlap. In an ideal situation the
wreck would be filmed in a lawnmower pattern ensuring at least 60% overlap.
After filming, the video footage was loaded into a program that takes still pictures from the
footage called Free Video to JPG Converter. Finally, the pictures were then loaded into
dedicated software called Agisoft Photoscan.
Agisoft Photoscan uses a so-called ‘feature detection algorithm’ to automatically identify
and match features in overlapping pictures. Based on the detected features and the camera
calibration parameters, Photoscan aligns the pictures relevant to one another. Afterwards
the Photoscan results can be used to produce a site plan.
Both, 3D photogrammetry and forensic marking may not be of much use for the O16 and the
K-XVII anymore, since they are largely gone. However, maybe other wrecks in the waters of
Malaysia, or in other places in the world could still be protected. The test was therefore
useful.

Figure 8: Forensic marking gel being deployed on a shipwreck. This was an exercise to test the materials.

3D photogrammetry is a new way of documenting sites where visibility allows this. Like in
the Netherlands, this can be a valuable tool for Malaysian archaeology as well. The lectures
and training were set up as a trial to look for opportunities in cooperation and training
subjects. For future cooperation it would be good to jointly determine the subjects, (diving)
classification of the students and amount of trainees. The training conducted during the
expedition forms a good basis for this discussion.
10

Figure 9: 3D-photogrammetry was part of the training.

Overall conclusions
The two submarines O16 and K-XVII can be considered to have largely disappeared from the
seabed as result of salvaging. We already knew the O16 was subject to salvage in 2013. On
the seabed we noticed an impression in the middle of where once the intact submarine lay.
Parts of stern and bow are still visible though heavily damaged and eroded. The K XVII is
even more extensively salvaged. Almost nothing has been left on the seabed, except for
small pieces of debris. The area where the ship used to lay has been heavily ‘ploughed’ and
therefore it is clear that we are in the right area.
The forensic (or preventive) marking that was tested in the field on a wreck near Tioman
Island works well. However, an easier application of the materials underwater needs to be
invented. It may not be useful to apply this material on the two submarines that are largely
gone (O16 and K XVII), but it would be an interesting new way of making a case of illegal
salvaging easier to prove in court and therefore may be best applied on steel wrecks of the
WWII era rather sooner than later.
The training on 3D-photogrammetry and underwater cultural heritage management has
been perceived as interesting and valuable. This can be further extended and pinpointed to
the needs of the Malaysian attendants.

11

Suggestions for the future
The images made with the REMUS will be further analysed by experts of the RNN and the
RCE after September 2019 in order to (hopefully) learn more about the salvage process and
to get a more detailed image of the sites. This will take a few months. The analyses will not
change the overall outcome of the fieldwork.
The information we have on the O16 and K-XVII makes us worried about the state of
condition of the O20 and K-XVI. A first idea of the condition, executed on short notice with a
multibeam and/or side scan sonar would be a good option before setting up a larger
cooperation again.
The two locations of the O16 and K-XVII may have been deprived of a large part of the
wreckage and the sailors that died there, however these sites might still be of value for the
relatives of the crew. Therefore we suggest to discuss the future of these sites with this
stakeholder group before the Netherlands and Malaysia will decide together what to do.
Options are to leave the sites further unattended and not to take any more action, or we
may try to protect the locations against further damage and preserve the areas as ‘lieux de
memoire’ (preservation in situ), or we recover whatever is left and we want to keep from
the seabed, including the remains of the crew if encountered (preservation ex-situ).
Our advice is to make (shortened) management plans that will include the decision of what
will be done with the sites in the (near) future, even though the wrecks have been largely
salvaged (see the options above). The management plans can look like (a shortened version
of) the format included in attachment 1. The work for this can be executed from September
onwards.

12

ATTACHMENT 1

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ATTACHMENT 2
Budget RCE
Malaysia

Kosten EUR

Hire ship

€ 43.836,70

fuel RV Discovery (ship)

€ 6.462,47

Fuel Coast guard

€ 6.004,33

Daily allowances

€ 982,92

Documenting

€ 7.979,95

Transfers

€ 400,00

Cost shipping materials to
Malaysia

28.493,80

Costs personnel

€ 17.600,00

Totaal

€
111.760,17

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