- 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.
Today I’m going to suggest a patrol vessel class of the Dutch Navy.
This is the P5-class patrol vessel
The blueprint of the P5-class patrol vessel
Source: | Nationaal Archief
A photo of one of the P5-class patrol vessels after the war. It’s unclear what happend to the ship but here it seems to be getting repaired
Source: Foto's
History
Spoiler
In the late 1930’s the Dutch Navy didn’t have any dedicated patrol vessels. Instead older minelayer or similar larger vessels were used for this purpose, and they got the job done but something smaller and specific for the patrol role was desired.
That’s when the Navy decided to built four different classes of patrol boats. These were the P1, P5, P9 and P17-class boats. Each class was a little bigger and better armed then the previous. The P5-class was an huge improvement over the previous P1-class. The P5’s were bigger, more stable and better armed.
Four ships of the P5-class would be made. These being HNLMS P5, P6, P7 and P8. All of which would be completed in 1939. Sadly during the war the ships didn’t see any action. All four ships would be sunk by their own crews to avoid them getting captured by the Japanese.
One source says that all four ships were never raised afterwards, but then another historical photos source has a photo of one after the war. Finding exact information on these ships is very hard, so my best guess is that the ship on the photo was raised, repaired and maybe even used during the Indonesian National Revolution. Her most likely final fate is that she was given to the Indonesians in 1950. The exact same thing was done with the older P1-class patrol vessels.
Design
Spoiler
The P5-class patrol vessel was 18,5 metres long, had a beam of 3,7 metres and a draft of 1,15 metres, and displaced 26 tons. She had a crew of 10 men and was able to reach a top speed of 12,5 knots.
The main weaponry of the ship consisted of two single 12,7mm Colt-Browning machine guns. The ship had one at the front and one at the rear.
There was also a large searchlight just behind the bridge.
Ingame
Spoiler
The P5-class could be a nice BR 1.0 gunboat ingame. It’s not very special or powerfull in any way, but it’s just a cool little boat. I quite like the way it looks.
As usualy with my Dutch vehicle suggestions, I ofcourse want to see this ingame in a Dutch or BeNeLux techtree. Ofcourse the BeNeLux has been added to France, so this is now the only option where Dutch vessels 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.
Specifications
Spoiler
Displacement: 26 tons
Length: 18,5 m
Beam: 3,7 m
Draft: 1,15 m
Powerplant: 2 x 150 hp Buda Lanova diesel engines
Maximum speed: 12,5 knots (23,15 km/h)
Crew: 10 menArmament:
2 x 1 12,7mm Colt-Browning machine guns
A photo taken of the rear of one of the P5-class patrol vessels
Source: Foto's
And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed reading about this little boat.
See you on the battlefield!
Sources
Spoiler
Main sources:
Photos:
Blueprints: