In 1918, a Hansa-Brandenburg W-12 got stranded near Rottumeroog. The aircraft was interned and studied by the Marine Luchtvaartdienst (MLD, now known as the Navy). The MLD liked what they saw and wanted to license-build the aircraft. A suitable factory was sought and eventually they wound up at Van Berkel, who was/is more known for their scales and meat cutting machines. In 1919-1920, a total of 35 aircraft were built. 15 of them stayed in the Netherlands, the rest went to the Netherlands East Indies. The real W57 (c/n 1) was built in 1920 and written off after a crash near Den Helder.