On September 1, 2017, the handover of museum ship Mercuur to the Vlissingen Maritime Heritage Foundation (SMEV) took place. Since then, with the help of many volunteers, the museum ship has been restored step by step and has become a fully-fledged and lively museum at a beautiful location in the Dock of Perry in Vlissingen. Several participants of the Family Day in 2022 took the opportunity to visit the ship.
In 2024, it has been 70 years since museum ship Mercuur entered service with the Royal Netherlands Navy as ‘Hr.Ms. Onverschrokken’ (Undaunted). On this occasion, the richly illustrated book “Undaunted Survivor. From ocean minesweeper Hr.Ms. Onverschrokken to museum ship Mercuur” was published.
The book was written by Mr Drs Paul Goossen, webmaster, documentalist, guide and PR officer of the SMEV. The book covers in words and images the history of the ship, starting from its construction as a wooden ocean minesweeper in the early 1950s in the United States of America to the commissioning in 2017 of the Mercuur as a museum ship in Vlissingen in the historic Perry Dock.
For his nearly two years of research, Mr Goossen consulted sources from the National Archives, the Dutch Institute for Military History and the National Archives in Washington. He also spoke to dozens of former sailors and surviving relatives and conducted interviews with those involved from the Ministry of Defence’s Materiel Organisation and the Royal Dutch Navy.
Combined with often unique visual material, this has resulted in a fascinating and well-founded overview of the ship’s adventures over the years, from ocean minesweeper Hr.Ms. Unverschrokken to – after conversion – torpedo workboat Hr.Ms. Mercuur and now as a museum ship. Written for a wide audience, the book also offers interesting background information with several specials. It comes with a beautiful poster showing a cross-section of the ship. Never before has there been a publication about this ship or class of ship.
Now available on board and in any bookstore. See also the museum’s website.
The Hurgronje Family Fund made a financial contribution to the production of this publication.
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