Hello all.
I've read this forum for the last few years to get help on some models I've built myself, and this particular thread today inspired me to make an account, as the ships during the dreadful ABDA campaign have always been of particular interest to me.
I've done a fair bit of research on Tromp during this time for a model I made, and I think I can possibly add a bit to the conversation on here. The photos in question of the Tromp are in a series of photographs taken from the HMAS Hobart in Oosthaven right before the debacle in the Gaspar Strait on either February 13th or 14th. Here is a link to a website with some of the original photos with their original captions
https://collections.museumsvictoria.com ... =Costhaven So the photos definitely show Tromp in the camouflage she had during the ABDA campaign.
A few thoughts on Dutch camouflage from the time as a whole. This is just my personal theory on their camouflage, but it seems to fit well with what sparse evidence we have, as a lot of the documents on this period were lost when the East Indies were lost. Anyway, it seems to me that the Dutch came up with camouflage designs in the NEI for their own ships. This would explain why Isaac Sweers and Jacob van Heemskerck both have radically different camouflages at the time, because they were stationed with the British navy not the Dutch navy, and thus got British pattern camouflages.
Best as I can tell, the Dutch came up with a basic camouflage design prior to the war. This design was in place, but not implemented until the start of the war, as the Dutch did not want to provoke the Japanese in anyway. The outbreak of war took the Dutch off guard and thus the basic angular camouflage design seems to have been implemented in several different ways as soon as possible depending on where the ships were based.
Thus De Ruyter, Sumatra, and Tromp which were all based in Soerabaja in December to early January 1941-1942 seem to have gotten a 3 tone version of the basic angular camouflage. It stands out the most in this photo of the Sumatra to me,
https://www.world-war.co.uk/rotate.php? ... a42_bombay. But De Ruyter and Tromp both seem to be in a triple tone camouflage based on their pictures from the time as well. I could be wrong about this, but Sumatra seems to be very much in a 3 tone, and De Ruyter and Tromp both seem to have that as well, which would make sense, as they were all operating out of Soerabaja when they got painted. This would present a possible reason for the wear on the camo of De Ruyter and Tromp, as if the paint was a last minute addition due to war, it likely would have been hastily applied, and might not have even been paint meant for use at sea, thus it would have probably worn quickly.
Java was not operating out of Soerabaja at the start of the war, but rather was escorting convoys out of Singapore, and thus from what I can tell was given a slightly different two tone camouflage at the start of the war. If it was British paint used to paint her in the Dutch style in Singapore, it could have been better paint from the British stocks, and thus the different wear from De Ruyter and Tromp. if I had to guess, she probably was using 507c on her peace war light grey to make her camo.
Edited to add: The Dutch cargo ship SS Abbekerk which was operating in the NEI at this time also has part of what seems to be the Dutch camouflage design for the NEI at the time. While she lacks any hull camouflage, she clearly has an upper works camouflage very reminiscent of the De Ruyter's funnel camouflage at the time, which would point further to a general idea of a camouflage pattern for Dutch ships in the NEI, with several variations in the main design.
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C241831Thus from what I can tell, the Dutch had a general plan of camouflage they implemented at the start of the war with Japan, but with a few variations depending on which yard their ships were operating out of. Most of the ships got the Soerabaja style of the camouflage, but at least Java seems to have gotten a slightly different version of it due to her being else where at the start of the war. That's just my two cents on the matter.
Sorry this post was so long winded, but it was the best way I could break down my thoughts on the matter. I could be totally wrong about this theory, but its the best one I can come up with given the info I've dug up. I'm curious to hear what you guys think about this, and for any feedback on this theory you might have.