BV 3-class patrol ship


HNLMS BV 3 was a Royal Netherlands Navy patrol boat. Originally laid down as the tugboat Amsterdam in 1938, she would soon after be commandeered and militarized.
One of many militarized tugs, she was the only tug to be armed with a cannon. BV 3 was an acronym for Bewakingsvaartuig 3, Dutch for Guard vessel 3.

Service history

BV 3 collided with the submarine on 6 March 1940. Three crewmembers of the submarine were killed in the collision. Additionally, O 11 was still being repaired when the invasion of the Netherlands occurred. As a result, the crew of O 11 scuttled the submarine, but the wreck was captured by the Germans.
On 14 May 1940 HNLMS BV 3 escaped to England together with the torpedo boat. Once arrived, most of her weaponry was removed. The vessel was renamed Amsterdam and served out the remainder of the war as a tugboat in the Rescue Tug Section of the Royal Navy.
After the end of World War II, Amsterdam returned to the Netherlands and was eventually sold to Union de Remorquage et de Sauvetage S.A. of Antwerp, in 1947.