(Redirected from Dutch Navy)
Royal Netherlands Navy Jack
The 'Koninklijke Marine' ('Royal Netherlands Navy' ) is the
navy of the
Netherlands.
History
Origins
Trade and merchants formed the basis of the Dutch economy. In order to protect national interests a navy was indispensable.
At first the
Dutch navy had a private character, wealthy merchants and regents in the many ports of the republic made their own decisions and took initiative, and incidentally attacked
pirates and foreign competitors. Defensive measures to protect the merchant ships could include sailing in a convoy and arming the
merchants themselves. Offensive actions could include taking enemy ships by force. This was actively supported by the Dutch authorities in times of war, who send out letters of the marquee which allowed Dutch captains to attack and, preferably, capture enemy
ships.
The central authorities tried, in vain, to increase supervision on these, in effect, private owned navies. By decree of Maximillian of Austria, on
8 January 1488 the present Dutch Navy was formed. The role of the navy was now arranged by law and the tasks of defending the country at sea was the responsibility of an admiral who now replaced the sovereign. However many provinces surreptitiously created small navies of their own, without the admiral ever knowing.
A World Power
The
Dutch revolt (1568-1648) resulted in a better command structure of the Dutch navy. The Dutch government now installed 5 admiralties (de Maze, Amsterdam, Zeeland, the Noorderkwartier, and Friesland) which had offices in
Rotterdam,
Amsterdam,
Middelburg,
Hoorn,
Enkhuizen, and
Dokkum (later
Harlingen).
During the 17th century the Dutch republic was involved in countless wars, many of them at sea. The main goal of the Dutch navy was to protect the trade routes and protecting Dutch soil.
Until 1648
Spain was the enemy, a republican fleet destroyed the main part of the entire Spanish navy at
Gibraltar in 1607. Other activities included blocking the Flemish coast (to prevent the Spanish troops there from getting supplies) and escorting the Dutch merchants in the
Baltic.
In the course of the 17th century Dutch wealth and maritime expansion was the source of much
envy across Europe, but especially in England. When they announced the act of navigation, which
damaged Dutch traders in
London, tensions became high. During the
First Anglo-Dutch War English fleet operations were fixed on blocking the Dutch merchant fleet, an example of this is the
battle of Dungeness in December 1652, in which
Maarten Tromp was able to keep the
channel open for Dutch trade. In the
second Anglo-Dutch War 5 major battles took place, nearly all of them on English territory. It was during this period that the
battle of Chatham (1667) took place, arguably the worst naval defeat in English history until this very day. The
third Anglo-Dutch war was in fact a conspiracy between France, England,
Cologne and
Munster to attack the Netherlands and destroy the Dutch republic as the world’s
superpower.
Although the Dutch fleet was the largest of the world at the time, the combined fleet of France and England quickly put the Dutch in a defensive position, but due to the tactical brilliance of
Michiel de Ruyter, they managed to inflict so much damage to both fleets during the Dutch nation's zero-hour that the offensive capabilities of
France and England were reduced to almost nothing. When the Peace of Westminster was signed it marked the end of the trade wars between the rivals. A new era arrived in which the Dutch stadholder
William III was proclaimed King of England in the following decades the Dutch and English successfully fought the ambitious French as allies. The war zone shifted from the North Sea and the channel to the French coast and
Mediterranean. At the end of the
War of the Spanish succession (1713) the series of wars ended.
At the start of the 17th century the
squadrons of the Dutch fleet were reinforced with merchant ships adapted for battle in earlier conflicts. The introduction of the
line-tactic increased the demand for ships with a great deal of
maneuverability, speed and crew experience.
In 1653 the Dutch government decided to build 60 ships, and a 10 years later they placed another order for 60 more. The flagship of the republic,
De Zeven Provinciën, was fitted with 96 guns, for comparison, the British
HMS Victory build over a century later had only 8 guns more.
With about 4000
sailors at peacetime the Dutch navy was a relatively small employer in the maritime section, except at times of war when thousands of men more were hired. Flag officers and captains were themselves responsible for hiring the ship's crew. Usually a ship's crew were hired for only one campaign, excluding the officers. Since the early 17th century, experienced captains were employed for long periods of time by the Dutch navy; they were responsible for the ships provisions, and when they bought supplies for less money than the government provided they could keep the change, and a smart captain could make a small fortune this way in peacetime.
The
crew itself were mostly natives or foreign inhabitants of the many Dutch
harbour towns. In 1665 regiments of soldiers came aboard the ships. These soldiers would later become famous and feared:
Dutch marines.
Decline and French domination
In the late 18th century the navy of the Dutch Republic could no longer withstand the navies of Great-Britain and France. An ambitious
shipbuilding program in 1780 could not prevent the disastrous
4th Anglo-Dutch War (1780-1784), and at the peace of Paris the Dutch had to allow free passage throughout the East Indies and effectively allowing the
British Navy to become the new power of the
seas.
Several naval
reforms concerning education and marine command structure took place after the
Batavian Revolution (1795) and made great changes within the Dutch navy. The federative decentralised naval command was now replaced by a central organisation in
The Hague.
The warships stayed in the
drydocks, although a number of ships managed to follow
William V to
Great-Britain; others, like the ships sailing in
East Asia, were later joined with the forces of William V.
After the
surrender of a naval squadron near the Saldaha bay (1796) and the defeat at the
battle of Kamperduin (1797), the surrender of the fleet near the Vlieter in 1799 proved to be the death of the Batavian navy. In the 3 years the Netherlands were a part of
Imperial France the navy was unable to operate independently.
Insurrection
The Netherlands regained their independence and on
December 7 1813, the Dutch navy was once again a part of the Dutch military. Finally in June 1815 France was defeated at the
battle of Waterloo by a combined Anglo-Dutch army and its
Prussian and German allies. In 1813 the present-day
Dutch monarchy, coming forth from the noble line of the stadholders, was installed allowing the Dutch navy to get the predicate "
royal", yet this did not happen until 1905.
The Dutch navy in the 19th century experienced a constant shortage of
manpower, forcing the government into hiring
crew from its
colonies; this increased the total employees from 5000 in 1850 to over 10,000 in 1900.
In 1917 the first
airplanes were added to the navy and the first women were employed in 1944, but were not exposed to
combat until 1980.
After the disappearance of the
ship of the line a whole array of ship classes and types were created. The invention of the
propeller launched the mass use of steam-propelled ships. Wood was replaced by iron. New developments in the field of
artillery increased a gun's range and improved its accuracy. Around 1900 torpedoes and mines created a new dimension in
naval warfare.
Between 1783 and 1789 naval squadrons were send to Asia to support the
Dutch East India Company. After the bankruptcy of the East India Company Dutch naval tasks shifted greatly towards East Asia, until some 60% of the entire navy was situated there around 1850. Apart from some minor skirmishes with the Southern Netherlands (
Belgium) and the
bombing of Algiers the Netherlands managed to remain neutral until the
second World War.
World War II
During the Second World War, the Dutch navy, due to the relatively quick conquest of the Netherlands by
Nazi-Germany, was based in Allied countries: the Dutch navy had their headquarters in
London and smaller counterparts in
Sri Lanka and
Australia.
Around the world Dutch naval units were responsible for troop transport, for example during
Operation Dynamo in Dunkirk and
D-Day, they escorted convoys and attacked enemy targets. During the war the navy suffered heavy losses, especially in defending the Dutch East Indies, most notably the
Battle of the Java Sea in which the commander, Dutchman
Karel Doorman, went down with his ships together with 1000 of his crew.
After the war, the relations between the Netherlands and its colonies changed dramatically. The establishment of the
Republic of Indonesia 2 days after the
Japanese surrender blocked the Dutch plans for recreating colonial authority. It took 4 years of war before the Netherlands acknowledged the independence of Indonesia. The Dutch navy was stationed in
New Guinea until it was turned over to the Indonesians in 1962, with the Indonesian promise that the native
Papuans would be given independence if a
referendum indicated that they wanted it, although the referendum never came.
Cold War and NATO cooperation
With the creation of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the military focus was on the army and air force; it was not until the
Korean War (1950-1953) that the navy got more recognition. The government allowed the creation of a balanced fleet consisting of 2 naval squadrons. Apart from the
aircraft carrier Hr. Ms. Karel Doorman the Dutch navy consisted of 2
cruisers(De Ruyter class cruisers), 12
destroyers( 8 Friesland, 4 Holland class Destroyer), 8
submarines, 6
frigates(van Spijek class frigates) and a large amount of
minesweepers.
As a NATO member the Netherlands developed its safety policy in close cooperation with other members. The establishment of the
Warsaw pact in 1955 intensified the arms race between West and East. Technical innovations rapidly emerged, the introduction of radar and sonar were followed by
nuclear weapon systems and long-range missiles. This clear enemy allowed for a fixed military strategy. From 1965 onwards the Netherlands joined certain permanent NATO squadrons like the
Standing Naval Force Atlantic.
The Current Navy
After the fall of the
Berlin wall in November 1989 the international military situation changed drastically. Globally new conflicts emerged and the borders between friend and foe seemed to gradually fade. NATO's reorientation of the organisations goals created a more prominent role for the
United Nations as international peacekeepers. From 1990 onwards navy units were engaged in conflicts in
Cambodia,
Eritrea,
Ethiopia,
Iraq,
Afghanistan,
Lebanon but also the
Gulf War and the
Yugoslavian conflict. The new goals of the Dutch navy were now changed to an expeditionary peacekeeping and peace enforcing force.
Current structure
The constituent parts of the Royal Netherlands Navy are:
'Naval squadron'
Contains all surface combatants, replenishment ships and amphibious support ships.
'Submarine service'
Contains the submarines and a support vessel.
'Mine Detection and Clearing Service'
Contains various minehunters.
'Hydrographical Survey'
Contains ships which map the oceans.
=== '
Naval Air Service'
★ 2 helicopter squadrons
'
Netherlands Marine Corps' ===
★ 1 Brigade (MTC: Mariniers Training Commando (formerly known as GOEM: Groep Operationele Eenheden Mariniers) consisting of 6 battalions
★
★ 3 operational marine battalions (MARNSBAT1,2,3)
★
★ 1 combat support battalion (GEVSTBAT)
★
★ 1 logistical battalion (LOGBAT)
★
★ 1 Amphibious support battalion (AMFOSTBAT)
3 MARNSBAT (consisting of 2 rifle companies) is permanently stationed at the
Netherlands Antilles and
Aruba
Coast Guard
Although the Coast Guard is not an official part of the Navy, it is under its operational control.
Equipment
The constituent Equipment of the Royal Netherlands Navy are:
'Surface combatants'
★ 4
F802 De Zeven Provinciën class air defence and command frigate (LCF, officially classified as frigates but in size and role they could be classified as destroyers)
★
★
HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (F802)
★
★
HNLMS Tromp (F803)
★
★
HNLMS De Ruyter (F804)
★
★
HNLMS Evertsen (F805)
★ 4
F827 Karel Doorman class multi-role frigates (also known as M-class)
★
★
HNLMS Van Speijk (F828)
★
★
HNLMS Van Amstel (F831)
★
★
HNLMS Van Nes (F 833)
★
★
HNLMS Van Galen (F 834)
In the period
2007-
2009, the (
F833 and
F834) are going to be transferred to the
Portuguese Navy.
'Amphibious assault ships'
★ 2 landing platform dock (LPD) / Amphibious Transport Ships
★
★
HNLMS Rotterdam (L800)
★
★
HNLMS Johan de Witt (L801)
'Submarines'
★ 4
S802 Walrus classDiesel/electric attack submarines. (currently being upgraded for operations well in the 21th century
★
★
HNLMS Walrus (S802)
★
★
HNLMS Zeeleeuw (S803)
★
★
HNLMS Dolfijn (S808)
★
★
HNLMS Bruinvis (S810)
'Mine detection and clearing ships'
★ 10
Tripartite (Alkmaar class) mine hunters
★
★
HNLMS Haarlem (M853)
★
★
HNLMS Hellevoetsluis (M856)
★
★
HNLMS Maassluis (M857)
★
★
HNLMS Makkum (M858)
★
★
HNLMS Middelburg (M859)
★
★
HNLMS Schiedam (M860)
★
★
HNLMS Urk (M861)
★
★
HNLMS Vlaardingen (M862)
★
★
HNLMS Willemstad (M863)
★
★
HNLMS Zierikzee (M862)
3 to be converted to control vessels for mine-sweep drones, 14 of which will be acquired)
★ 4
A851 Cerberus class diving support vessels.
★
★
HNLMS Cerberus (A851)
★
★
HNLMS Argus (A852)
★
★
HNLMS Nautilus (A853)
★
★
HNLMS Hydra (A854)
'Support ships'
★ 1
Improved Poolster class replenishment Ships
★
★
HNLMS Zuiderkruis (A832)
★ 1
Amsterdam class replenishment Ships
★
★
HNLMS Amsterdam (A836)
★ 1
A900 Mercuur class Torpedo recovery ship
★
★
HNLMS Mercuur (A900)
★ 1 A804 Pelikaan logistic support vessel for the Netherlands Antilles
★
★ HNLMS Pelikaan (A804)
★ 1 A887 Thetis class logship
★
★ HNLMS Thetis (A887)
★ 1 A8500 Tax class logship
★
★ HNLMS Tax (A8500)
'Hydrographical survey ships'
★ 2
A802 Snellius class hydrographical survey ship.
★
★
HNLMS Snellius (A802)
★
★
HNLMS Luymes (A803)
'Training ships'
★ 1
A902 Van Kinsbergen class training ship
★
★
HNLMS Van Kinsbergen (A902)
★ 1
Y8050 Urania class sailing naval training vessel
★
★
HNLMS Urania (Y8050)
'Landingcraft (Marine Corps)'
★ 5
L9525 LCU Mk2 class landing craft utility
★
★ L9525
★
★ L9526
★
★ L9527
★
★ L9528
★
★ L9529
All ships of the L9525 LCU class have been upgraded to Mk2. This upgrade meant enlarging the vessels and increasing their payload (being able to transport the
Leopard 2 A6 of the
Royal Netherlands Army).
★ 6
L9536 LCVP Mk3 class landing craft vehicle personnel
★
★ L9536
★
★ L9537
★
★ L9538
★
★ L9539
★
★ L9540
★
★ L9541
★ 6
L9530 LCVP Mk2 class landing craft vehicle personnel
★
★ L9530
★
★ L9531
★
★ L9532
★
★ L9533
★
★ L9534
★
★ L9535
The 12 LCVP's will be replaced by 12 LCVP Mk5c in the next years.
'Other ships'
★ 5
A874 Linge class large tugs.
★
★ HNLMS Linge (A874)
★
★ HNLMS Regge (A875)
★
★ HNLMS Hunze (A876)
★
★ HNLMS Rotte (A877)
★
★ HNLMS Gouwe (A878)
★ 2 Y8018 Breezand class harbor tugs
★
★ HNLMS Breezand (Y8018)
★
★ HNLMS Bergzand (Y8019
★ 5 Y8055 Schelde class harbor working boats
★
★ HNLMS Schelde (Y8055)
★
★ HNLMS Wierbalg (Y8055)
★
★ HNLMS Malzwin (Y8055)
★
★ HNLMS Zuidwal (Y8055)
★
★ HNLMS Westwal (Y8055)
★ 1 Y8536 Patria class inshore tanker
★
★ HNLMS Patia (Y8536)
★ 1 Y8005 Nieuwediep class touring boat
★
★ HNLMS Nieuwediep (Y8005)
★ 2 Y8200 harbor vessels
★
★ Y8200
★
★ Y8300
★ 1 WM1-9002 Jonge Jan class harbor vessel
★
★ Jonge Jan (WM1-9002)
★ 1 WM1-9003 Jonge Prins 3 class harbor vessel
★
★ Jonge Prins 3 (WM1-9003)
★ 3 patrol cutters for the Netherlands Antilles (HNLMS Jaguar P810, HNLMS Panter P811 and HNLMS Poema P812)
'Maritime helicopters'
★ 21
SH-14D Lynx anti-submarine warfare helicopters (2 helicopter squadrons) (to be replaced by 20
NH-90).
'Armored vehicles (Marine Corps)'
★
BvS10 armored personnel carriers (74 ordered, delivery started in 2006)
★ 20
XA-188 wheeled armored personnel carriers
★ 2
Leopard 1 BARV beach armored recovery vehicles
'Unarmored vehicles (Marine Corps)'
★ 156 BV206 all-terrain vehicles (107 to be modernised, 49 to be replaced by BVS10)
★
Landrover Defender
★
Unimog 1.2 ton truck
★ Various DAF trucks
'Artillery (Marine Corps)'
★
RT-120 (Habé Rayé) 120mm mortars
★
L16A2 81mm mortar
'Personal weapons'
★
M16 C7A1 assault rifle
★
Glock 17 9mm
★
M16 C7 LSW light machinegun
★
M240 Mag 7.62mm medium machinegun
★
M2HB 12.7mm (.50cal) heavy machinegun
★
SSG 7.62mm sniper rifle
★
MP5 submachine gun
★
P90 submachine gun
★
M590A1 shotgun
★
AT4 anti-tank rockets
★
Carl Gustav anti-tank rockets
★
M47 Dragon anti-tank missiles (being replaced with Gill)
★
Gill anti-tank missiles
★
FIM-92C Stinger man-portable surface to air missiles
2012 PLAN
In 2012 the new fleet plan of the Royal Netherlands Navy will be completed, the navy wil concist out of these ships:
★ 4
Future Dutch Navy OPV's
★ 4
F802 De Zeven Provinciën class
★ 2
F827 Karel Doorman class
★ 4
S802 Walrus class
★ 2
L800 Rotterdam class
★ 1
Zuiderkruis class JSS
★ 1
A836 Amsterdam class replenishment ship
★ 10
Tripartite (Alkmaar class)
★ And several other smaller vessels included the
A802 Snellius.
With these changes the Royal Netherlands Navy will have 10 large ocean going vessels ranging from medium/low till high combat action ships. The renewed Dutch Navy will be a
green water navy, having enough frigates and auxilleries to operate far out at sea, while depending on landbased support (e.g.
air cover). With the large amphibious squadron they will have significant
brown water navy (river) capabilities.
Future changes
★ Purchase of 4 Large Offshore Patrol Vessels
Future Dutch Navy OPV's. Due to budget cuts, the Dutch Ministery of Defence announced recently that these vessels will enter service a year later than planned.
★ Upgrading of the 2 remening
F827 Karel Doorman class, new SEWACO systems and lay-out of the ships. After these upgrades the ships can last till 2020-2025
★ Purchase of 20
NH-90 helicopters to replace the Lynx helicopters currently in use
★ Purchase New joint support ship to replace the Zuiderkruis
Zuiderkruis class JSS. Due to budget cuts, the Dutch Ministery of Defence announced recently that this vessel will enter service several years later than originally planned.
★ Heavy upgrading for Walrus class Submarines including new Sonar and AIP
★ Upgrading two Zeven Provinciën class LCF frigates Theatre Ballistic Missile Defense (after cancelling the Tactoms all 4 are probably fitted out with SM-3 missiles)
★ Increasing the size of the
Royal Netherlands Marine Corps. Currently, several units of the Marine Corps are being reorganized.
Tomahawks
On
October 14 2005, the Government of
the Netherlands decided to buy 30
Tomahawks from
Raytheon. The current minister of Defence said he had no interest in Tomahawks the coming 4 years, but the plan still stands.
Theatre Ballistic Missile Defense
Together with the Unites States and several other NATO members, the Dutch Navy is testing and updating its ships for "Theatre Ballistic Missile Defense" capability. Although tests conducted concerning the capability of the APAR radar have been very successful, no decision has been made by the Dutch Government in purchasing SM-3 missiles - mainly because the
SM-3 is not operational yet. First only two ships would be fitted out with SM-3 missiles, but because the tactoms are cancelled all 4 ships are being fitted out for Theare ballistic Missile Defense.If purchased (after US export approval) the four LCF's will be fitted out with a small number (eight for each ship) of SM-3 missiles, due the high costs for each missile (> 2,5 - 5 million USD)
Some ships
Historic ships
★
Hr.Ms ''Buffel''
★
Hr.Ms. ''Abraham Crijnssen''
★
Hr.Ms. ''De Ruyter''
★
Hr.Ms. ''Jacob van Heemskerk''
★
Hr.Ms. ''Kortenaer''
★
Hr.Ms. ''Java''
★
Hr.Ms. ''Tromp''
★
Hr.Ms. ''Bonaire''
★
Hr.Ms. ''Schorpioen''
★
Hr.Ms. ''Johan Maurits van Nassau''
★ De
Delft (1783-1797) 18th century ship of the line. Reconstructed in Rotterdam (Delfshaven)
★ De
Zeven Provinciën (1665-1694), 17th century
ship of the line and
flagship of
Michiel de Ruyter currently being reconstructed
at the Bataviawharf
★ Submarines:
★
★
''O-20''
See also
★
Dutch Naval Aviation
★
Ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy
★
Military history of the Netherlands
External links
★
Royal Netherlands Navy homepage (In Dutch.)
★
Dutch Submarines
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
