A Successful Escape
With their lives on the line if the Japanese spotted them, the Abraham Crijnssen’s crew had all the incentive in the world to do whatever it took to avoid detection. The deck was completely covered with vegetation, which was arranged in such a way so as to imitate a jungle canopy. The sailors’ hard work paid off. They covered the entire deck with foliage, and painted any exposed metal in shades of gray to imitate rock formations. By the time they were done, the Dutch minesweeper actually resembled an island. Or at least it resembled an island if seen from a distance. However, a key difference between a ship and an island is that the former moves, while the latter does not.
The camouflage plan was intended for the daytime, during which the Crijnssen remained stationary, anchored as close as possible to actual islands. Once darkness fell, the small ship raised steam and carefully made her way through the dangerous waters of the Java Sea, headed for the safety of Australia. Luck was with the plucky minesweeper. After a hair-raising journey that lasted for eight frightful days, she finally reached safety. On March 20th, 1942, the Crijnssen arrived in Freemantle, Western Australia. She was the last Allied vessel to successfully escape the disastrous defeat in the Java Sea and the Dutch East Indies, and the only ship of her class to survive the debacle.
