Date of birth:

December 24th, 1889 (Arnhem/Gelderland, Netherlands)

Date of death:

January 27th, 1941 (Bristol Channel)

Nationality:

Dutch

Captain ss Beemsterdijk

On the way from Greenock to Cardiff, the Beemsterdijk was struck by a mine in the Bristol Channel on January 26, 1941. The entire crew left the ship with the lifeboats. However, when it turned out that the Beemsterdijk remained afloat, they went back on board. The engine room was flooded. Tug assistance was requested using the emergency transmitter. To prevent the ship from drifting away due to the heavy tidal current, it was anchored.
As the wind became stronger, the sloops were hoisted. The crew spent the night awake, standing by the sloops. Tugboats sent out failed to find the Beemsterdijk. The next morning everything indicated that the ship, which was pitching heavily behind the anchors, would not hold out much longer. Captain Wijers had just given the order to raise the boats when the Beemsterdijk suddenly sank very quickly, taking with it the boats in which the crew had already taken place.
Only three drowning people managed to reach one of the rafts that had remained afloat. After enduring tremendous hardship, they reached the Irish coast and were rescued moments before the raft crashed on the rocks. 36 people lost their lives in this disaster.

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• - POLDERMAN, K. & RUITER, H. DE, IN MEMORIAM, VOK, Amsterdam, 2020.
  - Dirk Cornelis Wijers | Oorlogsgravenstichting
  

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