MBT 10.20.024 cargo-passenger ship MS "Tegelberg" (1937), "Ruys", "Boissevain" - KJCPL

The Tegelberg was built in 1938 at the Nederlandse Scheepsbouw Maatschappij in Amsterdam, construction number 204, as a passenger ship for the Nederlandse Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij (KPM).

Dimensions L x W x H: 170.99 x 22.86 x 12.50 metres. Engine: 3 x 2-stroke 8-cylinder Sulzer (650x1200) engines of 10,800 hp. It had 3 propellers and could reach a speed of 17 knots.

The Tegelberg had two sister ships, the Boissevain and the Ruys. Before the war, the three ships were known as ‘The White Dutch Yachts’, named after three well-known Rotterdam shipowners. The Tegelberg entered service in 1938 and could accommodate 654 passengers.

In 1942, the Tegelberg was chartered by the Ministry of War and converted into a troop transport ship in Liverpool. In this capacity, it was involved, among other things, in the 1943 invasion of Sicily.

1946

In early 1946, the Tegelberg repatriated 2,000 passengers from Tandjung Priok in the Dutch East Indies. The master was Captain Zandhuyzen. Upon boarding, all passengers were examined by a doctor. Japanese prisoners of war carried the luggage on board. On 15 February, shortly after midnight, the Tegelberg sailed out of the harbour.
Before reaching the Suez Canal, the ship docked at the port of Attaka on 27 February. The passengers disembarked and were taken by a narrow-gauge train to a warehouse where they were given food and where, at a Red Cross clothing depot, they received winter clothing and food parcels for the onward journey. On 1 March, a pilot came on board and the voyage continued. At the end of the Suez Canal, they encountered the Oranje, which was transporting troops to the Dutch East Indies. The Mediterranean was stormy;the ship had to proceed slowlythrough the Suez Canal due to the minefields, but eventually, on 12 March, the Tegelberg passed through the IJmuiden locks and the journey ended atthe Prins Hendrikkade in Amsterdam.
The soldiers were demobilised at Austerlitz.

1947

From 7 January to 3 February 1947, the Tegelberg transported Boreel’s Hussars (1st Squadron, 1st Regiment) to Batavia. The hussars were stationed in Buitenzorg and transferred to Sukabumi on 21 July. After this voyage, the Tegelberg was returned to its original owner.

In 1947, the Tegelberg was converted back into a passenger ship in Hong Kong. Thereafter, the Tegelberg operated scheduled services between the Far East, South Africa and South America. In 1962, it was modernised, again in Hong Kong. In 1968, the Tegelberg was scrapped in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Specifications: