lend-lease naval guns to Dutch

Nuyt,

>...the lendlease documents point out that 4 pieces 6-inch Navy Type guns were delivered to the Dutch. These must be the Surinam guns...<

Yes, very possibly so. What else do the lend-lease documents reveal? Are there listed any of the putative 7-inch guns (if not, then either any 7-inch guns in place on the Suriname River were part of the pre-war sale, or—as I suspect—there were no 7-inch guns at Suriname).

Perhaps far more importantly, did the Dutch receive any ex-USN Mark IX 4-inch/50cal guns AS PART OF LEND-LEASE? It is important, I think, to establish whether the three 4-inch guns in Batterij Purmerend originated from the original pre-war sale or a later wartime deal. To date, of the pre-war sale, we know only that the 7-inch guns were transferred to the Dutch. IF all 20 guns were transferred, then the lion’s share were lost in the NEI.

What we have yet to confirm is whether the sale of the 60 Mark IX 4-inch guns and 80 Mark III 3-inch guns was ever finalized in whole or in part. Or whether the Batterij Purmerend guns came out of a lend-lease arrangement. I think there is the basis for both beliefs:

1. The sale of the 4-inch guns was pending, so if finalized, that could well be the source of Batterij Purmerend’s guns. Or the sale of the smaller guns may not have been completed when the NEI were lost, so the deal was halted.

2. If, as you suggest, the four ex-USN 6-inch guns installed at Fort Nieuw Amsterdam were lend-lease, then the three ex-USN 4-inch guns across the Suriname River could easily have been lend-lease as well.

Or there could be some middle ground, where the original sale, put on hold, was re-negotiated.

What more is revealed from the lend-lease documents you have located? WHEN, for example, did this acquisition take place?

The two photos of Batterij Purmerend described as new have actually appeared previously.

Nelson