Jonkheer Frans de Blocq van Kuffeler, RNN

Born  4 Jun 1919Scheveningen, Holland
Died  22 Aug 2005(86)Cambridge, England


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Ranks

4 Jun 1940 luitenant ter zee 3e klasse (S.Lt.)
4 Jun 1942 luitenant ter zee 2e klasse (Lt.)
1 Apr 1951 luitenant ter zee 1e klasse (Lt.Cdr.)
1 Jul 1965 kapitein-luitenant ter zee (Cdr.)

Retired: 16 Mar 1972


Decorations

  Mentioned in Despatches (MID)

Warship Commands listed for Frans de Blocq van Kuffeler, RNN


ShipRankTypeFromTo
HNMS Gruno (F 81)luitenant ter zee 2e klasse (Lt.)Gunboat1 Apr 194412 Apr 1944
HNMS Ameland (FY 231)luitenant ter zee 2e klasse (Lt.)Motor minesweeper9 Sep 19449 Oct 1945

Career information

He joined the Naval Collage in Den Helder, the Dutch Naval base on 3 Sept 1937.

On 10 May 1940 he evacuated to England from the Nook of Holland on the Dutch motor torpedo boat TM51, after having helped defend Rotterdam until out of ammunition.

On 30 Sep 1942 he was assigned to the gunboat HMNLS Gruno and from 20 March 1944 to 12 April 1944 he was its Acting Commander. He joined the HMNLS Shockland on 21 June 1944 and then was appointed Acting Commander of the minesweeper HMNLS Ameland on 9 Sep 1944. With this ship he returned to Holland in May 1945.

After the War

On 9 Oct 1945 he was appointed Commander of the HMNLS Overflakkee (120ft wooden minesweeper) and on the 20th departed for Indonesia to clean up mines after the war. He was assigned to the minelayer HMNLS Abraham Crijnssen on 11 June 1946 but in Nov he transferred to the aircraft carrier HMNLS Karel Doorman (ex. HMS Nairana). With this ship he left Indonesia on 20 Dec 1946 and arrived at Amsterdam via Capetown on 18 Feb 1947. For the next years he served on various ships but on 2 Jan 1950 he again departed for the West Indies, returning to Holland on 4 May 1950.

On 6 June 1950 he was appointed Liaison Officer to the Commander in Chief Fleet having been promoted to Lieutenant Commander on 1 April.

He retired on 16 March 1972 after serving as the Naval Attache and Naval Attache for Air to the Court of St James in London from Sept 1968.

In retirement de Blockq can Kuffeler fulfilled the function as chief adviser to the editor of Janes Fighting Ships until 1990.

Sources

Special thanks to his son, Christian, for his help with information on his father.

Events related to this officer

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