36. Turning a Ship Into an Island
The main detection threat faced by the Abraham Crijnssen was getting spotted from the air by Japanese planes. So to effectively camouflage the ship, its crew needed to cover its entire surface area with tropical vegetation and foliage. The result was one of the more fascinating WWII survival stories.
It was hard and backbreaking work, but where there is a will, there is a way. With their lives on the line, if the Japanese spotted them, the Dutch crew had all the incentive in the world to do whatever it took to avoid detection. The Crijnssen’s deck was totally covered with vegetation, which was arranged in such a way so as to imitate a jungle canopy.