Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij

KPM

SS Utrecht: Captain's Ashvin Grootenhuis Logbook

Date: 3/4/1917

Sea: Rippled.

Wind: 6 knots NE

Latitude: 9°07'51.2"N 89°47'56.2"E

11:15

Sighting of the SS-Berwyn around noon, radio contact. Bad news: SS-Perseus was sunk by a mine, just 600 miles from where we are; may God have mercy on her souls. The war is advancing, we are neutral but who knows? maybe its horrors will reach us soon.

13:20

I have put Mr. Knobben on an administrative sanction, full name and rank: Seppe Knobben, 1st class Sailor, motorman. It seems Mr. Knobben has been intimidating other colleagues, particularly Mr. Lachman because of his... condition. My Chief Officer, Mr. Havelaar has confirmed it.

Mr. Knobben has fully accepted his fault and vowed he would not insist in such inappropriate behavior again. This is doubtful: I recommend to evaluate his behavior soon as we return home and before renewing his contract.

15:45

Mr. Harteveld reports leaks on line 23 of the primary boiler; The cause is salt corrosion in the re-entry valves. So far Mr. Knobben has been able to seal them with brass but upon arrival in Singapore, I will assess if a full replacement can wait until Rotterdam; it will be more expensive to change the lines in a foreign [port], but the risk [of being] adrift or exploding through the air is considerable.

15:45

Mr. Klaassen suffered a stomach infection; the problem was traced to cans of corned beef. I issued orders to Mr. Lachman to destroy the batch August-September, 1913. In all, 58 units were thrown overboard; Without a doctor, the risk of botulism is not worth it. Mr. Klaassen's problem was not serious, but I post this in the Log to emphasize the importance of having a certified physician on board. It is difficult to treat this type of poisoning inside the ship and it is even more so in Southeast Asia, where it is already difficult to find Western medicine.