Dutch O boats expose the logistics of an exiled fleet

The Dutch initially separated O boats for home defense from K boats for colonial duty, then moved toward a common design. Wartime escape created a severe maintenance problem because Dutch engines and spares were unavailable, sometimes making transfer to a British-built submarine more practical than rebuilding an old hull. Experienced crews could therefore be more valuable than the aging submarines they escaped aboard. O 16 attacked Japanese transports before its loss, and its wreck was later reportedly disturbed for valuable low-background steel, exposing the vulnerability of underwater war graves.