The HRMS Abraham Crijnssen hiding in the Dutch East Indies

Somewhere in the photo above is the Dutch minesweeper HRMS Abraham Crijnssen. Can you find it?

This is what it looks like close up.

A close up of the disguised ship

Why is the ship covered in branches and foliage? Because it’s disguised as a tropical island.

During the Battle of the Java Sea (February 1942), the Japanese wiped out most of the Allied forces fighting against them. The remaining Allied ships were ordered to sail to Australia. The problem was that the Japanese planes in the area could easily spot and then bomb them.

What the ship looked like normally

So since the Dutch East Indies was full of small tropical islands, the Abraham Crijnssen decided to blend in with its surroundings in hopes of avoiding detection. The crew covered the ship in greenery so that from the air it would look like any other small island. The ship remained anchored not far from shore during the day, but at night it slowly made its way to Australia. After a longer than usual journey, it reached its destination safely on 20 March.

Read more about this ship here or here. Or find other stories from the Battle of the Java Sea in Fold3’s World War II collection.

Can You Spot it