Abraham Johannes de Smit van den Broecke | |
---|---|
Minister of the Navy | |
In office 8 February 1855 – 1 August 1856 | |
Monarch | William III |
Preceded by | H.F.C. Forstner van Dambenoy |
Succeeded by | Johannes Servaas Lotsy |
Personal details | |
Born | 13 May 1801 Aardenburg |
Died | 1 January 1875 Oost-Souburg |
Nationality | Dutch |
Abraham Johannes de Smit van den Broecke (Aardenburg, 13 May 1801 - Oost-Souburg, (1 January 1875) was a career officer of the Royal Dutch Navy and a conservative minister for the navy.
Abraham Johannes de Smit van den Broecke was born on 13 May 1801. His parents were Abraham van den Broecke (1768-1840), mayor of Aardenburg and Adriana Jacoba de Jonge (1777-1835). Abraham's eldest brother Servaas (1798-1863) would become a notary like his father. The second brother Jacobus Cornelis (1799-1870) would become famous as a medical doctor. The third older brother Hendrik (1800-1866) became a merchant. A younger brother Philippus made career as a lawyer.
At age 13 Abraham went to the Kweekschool voor de Zeevaart in Amsterdam in 1814. This was a boarding school for naval education. It's remarkable that Abraham was sent to the navy so young instead of going to university like his brothers. Early on he would succeed in making everybody refer to him by the double name De Smit van den Broecke, using his third given name as part of a new family name. This instead of simply being named Van den Broecke like his more successful brothers.
Already in November 1848 de Smit van den Broecke had got a lot of votes to become a candidate for the House of Representatives.[15] One can therefore assume that next to being interested in politics, he did have some charisma. However, he declined to be on the list. Instead he continued his career in the navy.
In early January 1855, only a few week after returning to the Netherlands with the Doggersbank, rumors that De Smit van den Broecke would become the next minister of the navy became public.[16] On 8 February 1855 De Smit van den Broecke became minister for the navy instead of minister of war lt-general Forstner van Dambenoy, who had held the office ad interim.[17]
In early May 1855 de Smit van den Broecke presented the final budget for 1855, proposing to raise the budget by 2,116,645 guilders to 7,575,963 guilders. Of the budget increase 1,457,157 was earmarked for materiel, construction and repair of ships.[18] The final budget was presented together with a memo called 'Stelsel voor de Nederlandsche Marine',[19] translated as 'Plan 1855'. According to the previous minister and many members of the House of Representatives, the navy had been in serious decline for years. There was also a feeling that several ministers for the navy had spent money on very different priorities,[20] and that without prioritization and consistent planning the navy would not recover. The memo was called a 'stelsel' or system, and was a plan also meant to alleviate these worries.
Plan 1855 was an overall plan for the fleet at home and in the East Indies. In times of peace the fleet would consist of 4 screw steam frigates with auxiliary power of 400 hp, 50 guns and 500 men, to be stationed in the Netherlands. The standard fighting warship for the East Indies would be a screw corvette of 250 hp, 12 30-pounders and 125 men, of which 17 were needed. For policing the many outposts in the Indies 15 sloops of 100 hp, 12 guns and 85 men were required.[21] These would be supplemented by small paddle ships that would navigate rivers and shallow waters. For times of war 16 more screw frigates, 5 screw corvettes and 3 more sloops should be kept in reserve.[22]
Naval construction would not adhere to plan 1855 for more than a few years. Five years later the concept of auxiliary steam power was outdated. The first sloops were built with 119 hp. They would soon be found to be too expensive for their designated tasks and so a class of sloops significantly lighter than 100 hp was built. Furthermore the concept of nominal hp did not give a good indication of power. Finally the advent of the Ironclad warship during the Battle of Kinburn (1855) would soon make the wooden warship obsolete. Nevertheless the plan was successful in securing funds and political consensus to start and continue regular construction of a respectable fleet of screw steam ships. On 19 December 1855 de Smit van den Broecke was promoted to rear admiral effective 1 January 1856.[23]
By early 1856 the Dutch navy had a serious problem with dry dock capacity. Hellevoetsluis Dry Dock was too small for the screw corvettes and old sailing frigates. Vlissingen Navy Drydock could be used for these, but was not fit for the screw frigates of Plan 1855. Willemsoord Dry Dock I could be perhaps be used for these screw frigates, but then only by unloading them. The acute problem was that Willemsoord Dry Dock I was out of order since 1849. Despite doubts about the suitability of the grounds, De Smit van den Broecke's predecessors had spent much money in a failed attempt to repair it.
In April 1856 De Smit van den Broecke then proposed a budget law requesting 200,000 guilders for a new dry dock in Willemsoord, the later Willemsoord Dry Dock II. The reason for the new dry dock was that all exisintg dry docks were too small for the new screw frigates. The house of representatives wanted the minister to buy a floating dock, partly out of worry that a dug-out dry-dock would lead to a repetition of the problems of the existing leaky Willemsoord Dry Dock I. (Which would later indeed prove to be the case.)
After the minister refused to withdraw the bill, it was refused by 38 to 14 votes.[24] De Smit van den Broecke then tendered his resignation to the king,[25] but was persuaded to remain in office for the moment. On 23 June 1856 Donker-Curtius, De Smit van den Broecke and two more ministers were dismissed. On 1 July the cabinet Van Hall-Donker Curtius fell, and was replaced by the Cabinet Van der Brugghen. De Smit van den Broecke stayed on as minister for the navy ad interim, but did not take part in the meetings of the council of ministers, and could no longer be considered a minister. He was replaced by J.S. Lotsy on 1 August.
On 14 September 1838 De Smit van den Broecke married Catharina Christina Abrahams.[26] They got a son on 16 March 1843. On 31 May 1849 they got a daughter.