- Yes.
- No.
- In a future Dutch/BeNeLux techtree.
- In the French BeNeLux sub-tree
- Other (Please explain in the comments).
- I said “No” in the first question.
- As completed (Full gun cruiser)
- 1962 refit (Missile cruiser with reduced guns)
- I said “No” in the first question.
Today I want to suggest one of the De Zeven Provinciën-class light cruisers!
This is the light cruiser HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802)
HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) in 1966
Source: Foto's
History
Spoiler
HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) in 1956
Source: Foto'sThe story of the De Zeven Provinciën-class light cruiser actually starts back in 1937. At this time the Dutch Navy started work on a new class of light cruiser, known as the Eendracht-class.
Two ships were being constructed, but all work stopped when Germany invaded the Netherlands during WW2.Thankfully the two hulls of the cruisers remained intact throughout the war, the Germans even continued work on them a bit in the hopes of using them for themselves.
When Germany was defeated and the Netherlands started to rebuild the two hulls were ofcourse still there. In desperate need to rebuild their Navy, the Dutch government continued work on the two hulls again.The new technologies available after the war meant that the original design from 1937 wasn’t going to cut it anymore, so while the hulls were already finished, the entire superstructure and weaponry loadouts could still be changed, and so around1946 many different redesigns were proposed. But eventually they settled on a four turret, eight gun, light cruiser design, using some of the most brand new equipment available to them at the time.
These two newly redesigned cruisers would know be known as the De Zeven Provinciën-class.
HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) in Malta, 1962
Source: Foto'sFun fact HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën was actually the first ship laid down all the way back in 1939. The ship was launched on the 22nd of August 1950, and would be put into service on the 18th of November 1953 and given the identification name C802.
The service carreer of HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) was sadly quite uneventfull. She would participate in several NATO exercises, and would also frequently be used as a flagship for different naval task forces.
HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) in the Netherlands Antilles, 1965
Source: Foto'sAround 1960 HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) would be taken out of service for some time to undergo a refit. The refit was done by the Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij, and would be finished in 1962. The refit turned HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) into the first and only guided missile cruiser the Dutch Navy would ever operate. Her rear turrets were removed and in their place a RIM-2 Terrier SAM system was installed. Furthermore some of her secondairy guns were reduced, and all her systems modernized.
Interestingly due to a lack of funds the same refit could not be done to her sister ship HNLMS De Ruyter (C801), making the two ships completely unique from eachother after this.
A nice colorized photo of HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802)
Source: Foto's
Fate
Spoiler
BAP Aguirre (CH-84) passing through Sint Anna Bay in 1978
Source: Foto'sIn the early 1970’s HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) was starting to show her age, and with the ever improving missile technology the Dutch Navy saw no need for a large cruiser anymore. In 1976 the ship was sold to the Peruvian Navy, and renamed to BAP Aguirre (CH-84).
But there is one cool thing that happend before she went into service with the Peruvian Navy. She was refitted into a Helicopter Cruiser. The rear of the ship that housed the RIM-2 Terrier SAM system was redesigned. The SAM system was removed and a new large hanger was added to the rear of the ship. The 15cm, 57mm and 40mm guns remained on the ship, but now she had room to carry three heavy helicopters.
She would continue to serve with the Peruvian Navy till 1999, and she was sadly scrapped in 2000.
Design
Spoiler
A nice side view of HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) in her as completed configuration
Source: Foto'sHNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) was 185,7 metres long, had a beam of 17,3 metres and a draft of 5,6 metres, and displaced 9.529 tons at standard displacement, and 11.850 tons at full. She had a crew of 973 men and was able to reach 32 knots.
Here's a fun little fact about the two ships of the De Zeven Provinciën-class. When Germany had captured the hulls during the second world war, they continued work on them as mentioned before. One of the hulls was given an "Atlantic bow". This is a more pointed bow that would disperse waves better, and was quite common on German ships of WW2. However the other hull was not given this bow, and so now skipping to the 1950's, the two ships of the De Zeven Provinciën-class have slightly different bows. HNLMS De Ruyter (C801) used the hull WITH the "Atlantic bow". HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) used the hull WITHOUT the "Atlantic bow".The main weaponry of the ship was eight 15cm No. 15 guns, mounted in four twin turrets These guns were the Bofors 15,2 cm kanon m/42 guns that were made in the Netherlands by Wilton-Fijenoord.
The guns had a firerate of around 15 rounds per minute per gun, which would lower to 10 round per minute as soon as the ready ammunition in the lifts ran out.
Ammunition for the 15cm guns consisted of an AP, HE and Starshell rounds.
A blueprint of HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) after the 1962 refit
Source: | Nationaal ArchiefThe secondairy guns consisted of eight 57mm No. 1 guns Bofors mounted in four twin turrets. These were the Bofors 57 mm/60 SAK Model 1950 autocannons. Two turrets were placed on either side of the ship, and one turret at both the front and back of the ship, superfiring over the 15cm turrets. These 57mm autocannons had a rate of fire of 125 rounds per minute per gun.
Lastly HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) was armed with eight 40mm No. 6 autocannons. These were the Bofors 40 mm/70 Model 1948 autocannons mounted in the SAK-40/L70-315 single mountings. The guns were spread around the superstructure of the cruiser, with two at either side of the bridge, and two at either side of the rear superstructure.
Around 1960 HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) went in for a refit. Both her rear 15cm turrets were removed and replaced with a RIM-2 Terrier SAM system. This is a two-stage medium-range naval surface-to-air missile system that fired a 540kg missile with a 99kg warhead at a range of 32 km.
During this refit the rear 57mm No. 1 turret was also removed, together with the four 40mm No. 6 turrets that were around the bridge of the ship.
Firing of a Terrier missile onboard HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) in 1967
Source: Foto's
A blueprint of the RIM-2 Terrier SAM system mounted on HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) during the 1962 refit
Source: | Nationaal ArchiefProtection of the ship was pretty standard for a light cruiser. The belt armour of the ship was a 75 mm armored belt, which would lower to 50mm at the ship ends. The armoured deck was 20 mm thick. The internal armoured citadel was 30 mm thick all around.
And finally the barbettes of the turrets were protected by 100 mm of armour, while the turrets themselves were 50 - 125mm thick.
A blueprint of the armour plan of the ship after the 1962 refit
Source: | Nationaal Archief
Ingame
Spoiler
The De Zeven Provinciën-class light cruiser would be amazing to see ingame. It’s a post WW2 cruiser with very high firerate guns and deadly secondairy weapons. We have just a few post WW2 cruisers ingame, so seeing this area expanded upon would be really nice.
HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) would be really nice to see ingame in her 1962 refit. She was the only ship of the class to be given this refit so that makes her pretty unique. Also her overall reduced weaponry compared to the original layout makes her a little less overpowered compared to WW2 era cruisers.
My first choice would be to have this ship be added into a independent BeNeLux techtree. But ofcourse the BeNeLux has been added to France, so this is now the only option where Dutch vehicles will go to. But it must be said that the Netherlands and France have nothing in common, and do not make sense to combine together ingame.
In the French tree HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) would fit right at home. The French Navy has many post WW2 cruisers of their own that we could see ingame, and HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) would simply be another ship of that type, although HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) has a more powerfull main gun battery then most French post WW2 cruisers.
But for an independent BeNeLux tree HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) would serve as the most powerfull light cruiser you can unlock in the tree, and it would also be the last ship you would unlock.
Specifications
Spoiler
A side view cutaway of the De Zeven Provinciën-class
Source: | Nationaal ArchiefStandard Displacement: 9.529 tons
Full Displacement: 11.850 tons
Length: 185,7 m
Beam: 17,3 m
Draft: 5,6 m
Installed powerplant: 2 x De Schelde/Parsons steamturbines, 4 x Werkspoor-Yarrow boilers (85.000 hp)
Maximum speed: 32 knots
Crew: 973 menArmor:
Belt: 50 - 75 mm
Armoured Deck: 20 mm
Citadel: 30 mm (Roof and sides)
Conning tower: 10 mm
Barbettes: 100 mm
Turrets: 50 - 125 mmArmament: (As completed)
4 x 2 15cm No. 15 guns (15,2 cm kanon m/42)
4 x 2 57mm No. 1 guns (57 mm/60 SAK Model 1950)
8 x 1 40mm No. 6 autocannons (SAK-40/L70-315)Armament: (1962 refit)
2 x 2 15cm No. 15 guns (15,2 cm kanon m/42)
3 x 2 57mm No. 1 guns (57 mm/60 SAK Model 1950)
4 x 1 40mm No. 6 autocannons (SAK-40/L70-315)
1 x RIM-2 Terrier two-stage medium-range naval surface-to-air missile launcher
A top-down view of the ship after the 1962 refit
Source: | Nationaal Archief
HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) around 1966, giving us a great view of the RIM-2 Terrier SAM system
Source: Foto's
And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed reading about this amazing machine.
See you on the battlefield!
Sources
Spoiler
Main sources:
- “Schepen van de koninklijke Marine in woord en beeld, Hr. Ms. De Zeven Provinciën 1939 - 1976” PDF, by Chris Mark
- “Vlootrevue, Kruisers De Ruyter en de Zeven Provinciën”, book by A.J.C. Veenstra
- De Zeven Provinciën class Cruisers (1944)
Extra sources:
- Kruisers De Ruyter (C801) en De Zeven Provinciën (C802)
- Zeven Provinciën C 802 - ONZE MARINE VLOOT
- De Zeven Provincien class cruiser - Royal Netherlands Navy - Koninklijke Marine
- De Zeven Provinciën-class cruiser - Wikipedia
- HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (C802) - Wikipedia
Photos:
Blueprints: