SS Van Heemskerk was a passenger steamship that was launched in the Netherlands in 1909 and sunk by enemy action off New Guinea in 1943.

She spent most of her career with Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij (KPM, the "Royal Packet Navigation Company"), based in the Dutch East Indies.

In the Second World War she escaped the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies, and became part of the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) command's permanent local fleet.

[12] On 20 March 1918 President Woodrow Wilson issued Proclamation 1436, authorising the seizure under angary of Dutch ships in US ports.

She was vested in the UK Shipping Controller, who appointed the British India Steam Navigation Company to manage her.

[20] Van Heemskerk and Japara, escorted by Arunta, were due in Milne Bay on the evening of 11 September, days after the surface raid that had sunk Anshun.

Reports of another possible surface raid developing caused the convoy to hold until the morning of 12 September when it entered Milne Bay at about 06:00 hrs.

[21] The ships finished unloading, and on 15 September left for Townsville escorted by Arunta and HMAS Stuart.

[24] Small vessels transporting supplies in the early stages and survey vessels found that route and convoys code named Operation Lilliput were put into place to run two large ships under escort of one or two corvettes to Oro Bay in what were termed "flights" and given numbers.

[27] Van Heemskerk Bontekoe, and the motor ship Balikpapan, escorted by the destroyer HMAS Vendetta, formed Convoy TN67, which left Townsville on 6 April 1943.

[28] Van Heemskerk disembarked her troops, but had cargo of ammunition and fuel to be unloaded, and not enough time to clear the bay.