This story was written for Defensiekrant, the Dutch military newspaper. It is my second contribution to the weekly paper, and the first time I have used limited animation to add additional depth to the narrative. The article was published on 12 December 2025 and can be found here (in Dutch).

It may well be the most overlooked chapter of Dutch naval history: the motor torpedo boats of the Second World War. Fast speedboats capable of reaching up to 66 kilometers per hour, heavily armed with torpedoes and machine guns. In this two-part series, we look back at the short but spectacular history of this remarkable vessel.

The concept of the motor torpedo boat dates back to the First World War. Special small, fast boats were designed to fire torpedoes at enemy ships at high speed and then make their escape. To achieve such speed, the boats were barely armored, which made them highly vulnerable. For that reason, they mainly operated at night and in coastal waters. After the First World War, the motor torpedo boat faded into obscurity.

*Built of wood and with no armor, the motor torpedo boats were dangerously exposed*

The Story of HNLMS TM 51

In the run-up to the Second World War, the concept once again gained traction within the Royal Navy. The Netherlands also recognized the potential of the vessel. After experimenting with a boat in the Dutch East Indies, the Royal Netherlands Navy ordered a new type from the British Power Boat Company. In addition, nineteen units were licensed for construction at Dutch shipyards.

Powered by three of the legendary Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engines, the boats could reach a top speed of 66 kilometers per hour. Armed with four torpedo tubes and two 20 mm cannons, they were, at least on paper, a truly formidable weapon.

*The TM 51 was launched at the British Power Boat Company in England, Large flags were displayed to indicate the neutrality of the Netherlands.*

With Britain’s declaration of war on Nazi Germany, the Dutch prototype was in danger of being requisitioned by the Royal Navy. To prevent this, the Dutch crew decided to make a so-called “test run” with the boat. Once the vessel cleared Portsmouth harbor, the throttles were pushed wide open, and with roaring engines it set course for the Dutch coast.

May 10, 1940

On the morning of May 10, 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands. War had begun. The prototype motor torpedo boat, now bearing the name HNLMS TM 51, was moored at the Gusto shipyard in Schiedam. Almost fully completed, the TM 51 was at that moment the only vessel of its class ready for operational use.

At dawn, the crew received orders to carry out a reconnaissance mission at Rotterdam’s Waalhaven airfield. Their objective: to locate and eliminate German paratroopers who had landed there.

*HNLMS TM 51, moored in Schiedam just before the outbreak of the war.*

Crossing to Waalhaven

Under the command of Lieutenant Junior Grade Johannes van Staveren, the crew of HNLMS TM 51 crossed the Nieuwe Maas from Schiedam to Waalhaven. There, they spotted a single parachute hanging from a tree, but no trace of German troops. With nothing more to be done at that moment, they turned back.

The men continued their reconnaissance toward Rotterdam. At the Parkkade, they encountered another (regular) torpedo boat of the Royal Netherlands Navy: HNLMS Z 5. Earlier that morning, this vessel had carried out two attacks on paratroopers near the Koninginnebrug. HNLMS TM 51 pulled alongside to gather intelligence from her commander. It was decided to join forces and head together toward the Maas bridges, where they would confront the Germans.

*Johannes van Staveren at the British Power Boat Company in England. From day one, he was involved in the construction of the motor torpedo boats.*

Once they reached the Maas bridges, HNLMS Z 5 opened fire first. Columns of water shot up as return fire came from the Maaskade and the northern tip of the Noordereiland (Prinsenhoofd). Tracer rounds whizzed past the crew.

HNLMS TM 51 responded with its heavy 20 mm Hispano-Suiza cannons. Several seaplanes were destroyed, and while firing continuously, TM 51 managed to approach the bridge to within a hundred meters. Enemy machine guns, however, inflicted casualties on both boats. By then, the Germans had received air support, and several bombs fell around the Dutch vessels.

Combat Report by Helmsman Jan Glas

That the fighting was intense can be read in the combat report of Helmsman Jan Glas. He wrote it on September 3, 1940, a few months after the battle.

““I cannot say exactly what we were firing at, because I needed all my attention to steer the boat. I did see that some trawlers and the Z 5 were engaged in action.

How long this went on I cannot say; everyone remained calm and did their duty. At one point I was hit in my right thigh by a heavy machine gun bullet that entered the ship on the starboard side. The bullet also carved a deep groove in the back of my left thigh before exiting the ship on the port side.

I fell backwards beside the table and immediately called for the commander to take over the wheel. Almost at the same time, Seaman First Class Van Vegten, who was manning the starboard machine gun, was fatally hit.””

— Jan Glas

Seaman First Class Adriaan van Vegten was most likely struck by shrapnel from an aircraft bomb that exploded about thirty meters from HNLMS TM 51. The commander quickly took the helm and, at full speed, steered the vessel back to the Gusto shipyard in Schiedam.

Crossing to England

Upon arrival at the shipyard, the wounded and the fallen were taken off the vessel. The yard workers immediately began repair work—no luxury with more than three hundred holes in the hull. The boat was also camouflaged with patches of different colors of paint, in the hope of making it less conspicuous.

On May 13, Commander Van Staveren received orders to report to the still-unfinished submarine HNLMS O 24. As this vessel was considered of great value for continuing the war effort, an attempt had to be made to sail it to England.

Van Staveren instructed the senior petty officer of HNLMS TM 51 to destroy the remaining motor torpedo boats should they be in danger of falling into German hands. However, due to miscommunication within the naval staff, the crew of HNLMS TM 51 suddenly found themselves without their commander.

That evening, engineer Hecking Colenbrander of the Gusto shipyard reported to the Office of Naval Materiel in The Hague. Since HNLMS TM 51 was still without a commander, he proposed to sail the vessel to England himself. The request was granted, and later that day he even received written orders to do so.

Back in Schiedam, it turned out that TM 51 was seaworthy. The remaining parts of the motor torpedo boats still under construction had already been doused in gasoline and were ready to be set ablaze, in accordance with the earlier agreement with the commander.

Since the North Sea crossing lay ahead, a pilot had to be found in haste—someone who could safely guide the crew between sandbanks and shallow waters. A captain of a coastal freighter agreed to take on the task. He was hastily militarized and came aboard.

*Multiple bullet holes are visible in the hull upon arrival in England. These had been patched up at Gusto shipyard in Schiedam on May 11 and 12.*

Last Message from The Hague

Around four o’clock in the afternoon, the motor torpedo boat departed from Schiedam. At the Harwich Quay in Hoek van Holland, a brief consultation took place with the commanders of the Dutch and British units. There, HNLMS TM 51 received its final message from The Hague: “Destroy what you can and try to transfer as much personnel as possible to England.”

In a hectic hour, during which every soldier who wished to escape to England was allowed to come aboard, TM 51 set out to sea at dusk.

Together with three British naval vessels—present in Hoek van Holland to secure the Dutch gold reserve—the ship departed. Slowly, the crew of HNLMS TM 51 watched the Dutch coastline fade from view. In the early morning of May 14, the ships moored in Dover.

*Part of the crew, with Lieutenant Junior Grade Johannes van Staveren on the left.*

And Then?

HNLMS TM 51 was the only Dutch motor torpedo boat to make the crossing to England. The remaining boats, never destroyed due to miscommunication, were completed under orders of the occupying forces. During the Second World War, these vessels were used by the navies of Germany, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union. Lieutenant Junior Grade Van Staveren was awarded the Military Order of William after the war for his heroic actions in Rotterdam.

The story of HNLMS TM 51 marks the beginning of the short but intense history of the Dutch motor torpedo boats. The real fight, however, was still to come—this time from England.

Part two of the two-part series on the Dutch motor torpedo boats will follow later this month.

The forgotten history of the motor torpedo boats: Part I