The HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen, a Jan van Amstel-class minesweeper, found itself in a tight spot in 1942.

With Japanese forces advancing in the Pacific, the ship was stranded and vulnerable. Its captain and crew knew they had to act quickly and decisively. They developed a daring plan: to disguise the ship as a small, unassuming island. They used foliage and other materials to create a convincing camouflage, effectively turning their warship into a floating piece of the landscape.

By day, they remained still, mimicking the appearance of a stationary island. At night, under the cloak of darkness, they would cautiously move, navigating through the dangerous waters. This extraordinary tactic of deception allowed the Abraham Crijnssen to slip past enemy patrols and eventually reach the safety of Allied territory, a remarkable feat of naval ingenuity.