- 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 laid down [1 x 28 cm]
- 1890’s [1 x 28 cm - 3 x 3.7 cm]
- 1910’s [1 x 28 cm - 3 x 3.7 cm - 1 x 12.7 mm]
- Minelayer (1910’s) [2 x 5 cm - ~30 mines]
- Gunboat (1920’s) [1 x 12 cm - 3 x 3.7 cm - 1 x 12.7 mm]
- I said “No” in the first question.
Hello everyone, today I’ve got a very unique and interesting class of river gunboats to show you.
The Dutch Thor-class river gunboats!
A model of HNLMS Wodan in the original configuration with the colossal 28cm L/27 gun
Source: Unknown
HNLMS Hefring after her 1920’s refit, now armed with a 120mm No. 1 cannon
Source: Foto's
History
Spoiler
Hr. Ms. Braga with her original 28cm gun still fitted.
Source: https://www.tracesofwar.nl/articles/7425/Nederlandse-Kanonneerboot-Hr-Ms-Braga-1878.htmThe Thor-class river gunboats were the oldest ships of this type still in service by World War II. The first ship of this class, “Thor”, was laid down on the 19th of September 1876!
Starting from 1876, the Dutch started making huge quantities of steam-gunboats to devend the Dutch rivers and ports. Thirty new ships were build and split up in two different classes. The first group of 14 ships were armed with a 23cm gun and were known as the “Ever-class gunboat”. The second group of 16 ships were armed with a 28cm gun and was known as the “Thor-class” (Or the Wodan-class).
These ships were of the so-called “Rendell” type, and like said above share the same design as the “Ever-class gunboat”. They are based on the British Staunch-class ships. These boats were build by many different ship builders, those being: “Christie, Nolet & De Kuyper” in Delfshaven, “Koninklijke Fabriek van Stoom- en andere Werktuigen” in Amsterdam and “Nederlandse Stoomboot Mij Feijenoord” in Rotterdam.
These ships were build for the Dutch navy to patrol rivers, and engage enemy forces.For some reason the Dutch decided to mainly name the ships of this class after Germanic deities. In total there were 16 ships build of this class, those being:
To make it look a bit easier on the eyes I’m going to shorten the ship builder names:
“Christie, Nolet & De Kuyper” → “Christie”
“Koninklijke Fabriek van Stoom- en andere Werktuigen” → “Koninklijke”
“Nederlandse Stoomboot Mij Feijenoord” → “Feijenoord”
- Balder, built by “Christie” and laid down on the 31st of May 1878.
- Braga, built by “Christie” and laid down in 1877.
- Bulgia, built by “Christie” and laid down on the 21st of March 1879.
- Dufa, built by “Koninklijke” and laid down in 1879.
- Freyr, built by “Christie” and laid down on the 15th of Febuari 1877.
- Hadda, built by “Koninklijke” and laid down in 1879.
- Hefring, built by “Feijenoord” and laid down on the 15th of April 1879.
- Heimdall, built by “Christie” and laid down in 1879.
- Njord, built by “Christie” and laid down in 1878.
- Thor, built by “Christie” and laid down on the 19th of September 1876.
- Tyr, built by “Christie” and laid down on the 4th of October 1877.
- Udur, built by “Koninklijke” and laid down in 1879.
- Ulfr, built by “Koninklijke” and laid down in 1879.
- Vali, built by “Feijenoord” and laid down in 1879.
- Vidar, built by “Feijenoord” and laid down on the 9th of August 1878.
- Wodan, built by “Christie” and laid down in 1877.
Hr. Ms. Freyr on the river “Waal”.
Source: Hr.Ms. 'Freyr' bij de Grebbeberg, mei 1940 - De Slag om de Grebbeberg en Betuwestelling in mei 1940By the time World War II broke out, only 9 of these ships were left: Balder, Braga, Bulgia, Freyr, Hadda, Hefring, Thor, Tyr and Vidar. Two of which (Bulgia and Vidar) had been converted to auxiliary minelayers during their career. Some other ships of the class has also been turned into auxiliary minelayers, but they were either scrapped by now or converted back into gunboats.
The 9 still in service had been modernized over time (these changes made to the ships will be covered in the Weaponry refits section) and were now stationed on the rivers connecting Germany with Holland. The minelayers served mainly in Zeeland or Den Helder.Sadly the 9 remaining ships were all taken out in a span of 6 days as soon as Germany attacked the Netherlands.
- Balder was captured by the Germans on the 14th of May, 1940, and was broken up and scrapped.
- Braga ran aground on the river “Waal” on the 15th of May, 1940, and was broken up and scrapped.
- Bulgia was sunk by a German aircraft on the 12th of May, 1940, which resulted in 13 men losing their lives. She was raised by the Germans on the 31st of July, 1940, and was broken up and scrapped.
- Freyr was scuttled at Amsterdam on the 14th of May, 1940, and was raised by the Germans in September, 1940. In 1944 she was scuttled as breakwater at Den Helder. She was raised again and broken up and scrapped in 1947.
- Hadda was captured by the Germans on the 14th of May, 1940, and was broken up and scrapped.
- Hefring was scuttled at Amsterdam on the 14th of May, 1940, and was raised by the Germans on the 23rd of September, 1940, and then, under one source, used as guard ship, but under another one broken up and scrapped.
- Thor was captured by the Germans at Den Helder on the 14th of May, 1940, and sunk by British aircraft at Vlissingen in February of 1941.
- Tyr was captured by the Germans on the 14th of May, 1940, on the river “Waal” and was commissioned by the Kriegsmarine as auxiliary minelayer under her own name. She was abandoned in 1945 and was broken up and scrapped after the war.
- Vidar was captured by the Germans on the 18th of May, 1940, and was broken up and scrapped.
In the end only Bulgia was attacked by enemy forces. Freyr, Thor, Tyr and maybe Hefring were used by the Germans. And only Freyr and Tyr were (sort of) in one piece when the war ended.
Hr. Ms Bulgia being recovered after being attacked by a German aircraft.
Source: Unknown
Hr. Ms. Tyr under German service.
Source: Unknown
Design
Spoiler
The Thor-class gunboats were made according to the so-called “Rendell” type. Their overall design is based of the British Staunch-class ships. The ships were made to patrol rivers, so their design is only made for calm waters.
The ships have a very low hull, the only things that stck out are the bridge, funnels and gun turret. While I’ve not seen it mentioned anywhere in sources, I think the ships hull is mostly made of wood.
Detailed shape of the hull, HNLMS Udur & HNLMS Bulgia.
Source: | Nationaal Archief
Compartment layout of the Thor-class.
Source: | Nationaal Archief
Full blueprint of the HNLMS Hefring.
Source: | Nationaal Archief
Weaponry and refits
Spoiler
The weaponry of the Thor-class is what makes these ships so unique. Originally they were armed with a single 28cm L/20 breech-loading gun! At the time this gun was powerfull enough to penetrate pretty much any enemy vessel. It fired 254kg armour piercing rounds, which must be very fun for the loaders to put into the gun.
The original Thor-class blueprint.Let’s go in depth a bit about the Main and Secondairy guns.
Original main gun: (1880 - 1920)
Spoiler
Here we see a Dutch Heiligerlee-class monitor with the No. 1 cannon.
Source: 28 cm A No. 1 gun - WikipediaOriginally the Thor-class ships were armed with a single 28 cm A No. 1 gun. The A in the name stood for “Achterlader” (The Dutch word for Breechloader). This naming system was dropped pretty soon after when all Muzzle loading guns got replaced with Breechloaders. So it’s just the 28 cm No. 1.
The No. 1 bit in the name means that this was the first gun of a 28 cm caliber in the Dutch Navy. The guns were build by Krupp, and they had length of 20 Calibers (L/20). On the Thor-class this massive gun was not mounted in a rotating turret, instead it was build into the upper structure of the ship. The gun is facing forwards and sticks out of a hole on the front.
A blueprint of the Thor-class that shows a piece of the 28 cm gun, looking at the barrel and the 1880 date in the bottom right corner makes me think this is a 28 cm No. 1 gun.
Source: | Nationaal ArchiefThe gun was mounted on a sliding carriage that would move forwards and backwards with the recoil of the gun. It is almost a certainty that the gun could not traverse to the left or right, it’s permanently stuck in the forward position. Just how much the gun could elevate is not known. Also balistics for this gun are unknown. This weapon is from 1880, so getting good details on it is really hard.
Soon after in the 1890’s the gun was replaced with the 28 cm No. 2 gun. This was a L/27 version of the gun, so it had a longer barrel.
Two photos of a model of the Hr. Ms. Wodan, the model here seems to have the 28cm L/27 gun.
Source: UnknownThe exact details of this gun are very faint, but this gun was also used on one of the old Dutch Ram Monitors, HNLMS Draak.
If we look at a blueprint of the HNLMS Draak we see the same gun again, mounted in it’s twin turret. But note the much longer barrel.
The 28cm gun as it was fitted on the HNLMS Draak.
Source: | Nationaal Archief
Minelaying equipment: (1906 - 1940
Spoiler
Between 1906 and 1910 the ships Balder, Bulgia, Hadda, Thor and Vidar would have their 28 cm gun removed and were re-equiped with minelaying equipment.
HNLMS Hadda was the first ship to be made into a minelayer, and would also become the first ship in the entire Dutch Navy to be a minelayer. She was first equiped with French Sautter-Harlé mines. These mines were released into the water with the use of a guide rail mounted above the mines.
Just how many mines were carried in this configuration is not known. If we look at the blueprint below, and we assume only the central rail had mines, then I’m guessing around 10 were carried.
The minelayer setup for the Sautter-Harlé mines. It says Hefring on the blueprint but I don’t know why since Hefring was never turned into a minelayer.
Source: | Nationaal ArchiefShortly after this a more simple rail system was used where there were two mine rails on the sides of the ships. The mines used were the now under license produced Sautter-Harlé mines, these were called the “Model 1907” mines. The mines sat on top of a small carriage that ran over the tails. The mines would be deployed in series, where the mines were connected to eachother with a chain.
Roughly counting the mines I can see on the photo below I’m guessing around 30 mines were carried on the rails, with around 15 per rail.
HNLMS Balder showing her minelaying equipment.
Source: Foto's
HNLMS Vidar dropping mines.
Source: Maritiem Digitaal NLFour of the five ships would continue as minelayers untill the second world war. Only Thor was rebuild back into a gunboat in 1928.
Main gun turrets: (1920 - 1940
Spoiler
During the 1920’s the ships that were still armed with the 28 cm gun (So not the onces that were rebuild into minelayers) had their gun removed and replaced with a 12 cm No. 1 cannon in a rotating turret. This gun was a standard issue gun for some Cruisers of the Dutch Navy around this time. I’m guessing the gun that were put on the Thor-class ships most likely came from some decommissioned vessels that no longer needed them.
HNLMS Hefring and HNLMS Tyr, now fitted with the 120mm No.1 cannon.
Source: Foto'sThere were two exceptions however.
- First is HNLMS Freyr, which was given a 7.5 cm No. 3 gun. Exactly why this was done is unknown.
- The other exception being HNLMS Thor, who had been turned into a minelayer around 1906. Thor was turned back into a gunboat in 1928 and was given a 15 cm gun. Sources say it was a No. 5 gun, but the No. 5 was mounted in an enclosed turret. The blueprint I’ve seen of the 15 cm turret on a Thor-class mentions a “2”, so I think it’s a No. 2 cannon.
HNLMS Freyr showing her 7,5 cm No. 3 cannon in a rotating turret.
Source: Foto's
The 150mm/37 Nr.2 cannon in a rotating turret, don’t ask me why it’s says HNLMS Njord & Tyr. These two ships didn’t have the 15 cm gun and I have no explanation for why this blueprint is for them.
Source: | Nationaal Archief
Secondairy weapons: (1890 - 1940
Spoiler
Now the secondairy weapons I can go into way to much detail and list every single different weapon used by each ship. But the thing is, this suggestion is just about the class as a whole, and the exact details of each ship and it’s secondairy guns is just not needed.
That’s why I’m going to list the basic secondairy loadouts that most of the ships had, or that the sources list.Starting in 1890 when the ships had their 28 cm No. 1 gun replaced with the No. 2 type the ships also recieved more of a proper superstructure around the bridge. And included with this was the addition of a 3.7 cm Hotchkiss cannon. According to sources this Hotchkiss gun was either the single barrel L/20 gun, or the five barrel L/17 revolving cannon. But five barrel revolving gun didn’t stay in service for very long, so when we’re talking around the 1920’s and later these were most likely not used anymore, On photos it seems this Hotchkiss gun was mounted towards the rear of the ships.
Other sources say that the ships had three 3.7 cm Hotchkiss guns onboard. Two being the single barrel L/20’s, and one five barrel L/17 revolving gun. If this is the case then I’m guessing the revolving gun was located at the rear, and the two L/20’s were on either side of the bridge. But I have yet to actually find a photo that shows this, since on all photos I’ve found there are no Hotchkiss guns next to the bridge. Altough on some I do see what seem to be mounting points for them, although the guns themselves are no longer present.
HNLMS Tyr and and two other ships near Nijmegen in May 1940. Note the 3,7 cm Hotchkiss gun with a gunshield located at the rear of the ship.
Source: Nederlandse torpedoboten - TracesOfWar.nlDuring the first world war most ships of the class were also given a single 12.7 mm machine gun for anti air defence. The exact location of this machine gun is unclear. My best guess is somewhere just behind the bridge, so in between the rear 3.7 cm gun and the bridge.
As for the minelayer variants we’ve got something interesting, that being a 5 cm gun. As far as 5 cm guns are concerned for the Dutch Navy we’ve got two options:
- 47 mm Hotchkiss 3-pdr
- 52 mm SK L/55
After cross referencing many photos of other Dutch ships that had a 5 cm gun and looking at blueprints of Thor-class ships with 5 cm guns, I have determined that the 5,2 cm SK L/55 is the more likely option. The Hotchkiss 3-pdr was quickly moved to training and saluting gun roles, and it really doesn’t show up much on many vessels. The 5,2 cm SK L/55 however has been used on many older torpedo boat types, and the blueprint seen below here is an almost perfect match with the SK L/55.
HNLMS Hadda in her minelayer configuration, with a 5,2 cm SK L/55 on either side of the bridge
Source: | Nationaal Archief
Specifications
Spoiler
HNLMS Hefring after her refit, with the 120mm/37 No.1 cannon.
Source: | Nationaal ArchiefLength: 27.8 m
Width: 8.2 m
Depth: 2.3 m
Displacement: 264 - 280 Tons
Engine: 2 x 2 cylindrical boilers, driving two propellors
Engine power: 101 - 171 hp
Max speed: 7 - 8.3 knots
Crew: 30 - 34
Armaments:
As laid down:
1 x 1 28 cm L/20 No. 1 cannon1890’s refit**
1 x 1 28 cm L/27 No. 2 cannon
2 x 1 3.7 cm L/20 Hotchkiss gun
1 x 5 3.7 cm L/17 Hotchkiss revolving gun1910’s refit***
1 x 1 28 cm L/27 No. 2 cannon
2 x 1 3.7 cm L/20 Hotchkiss gun
1 x 5 3.7 cm L/17 Hotchkiss revolving gun
1 x 1 12.7 mm machine gunAs minelayer (1910’s - 1940)
2 x 1 5,2 cm SK L/55 guns
~30 x Model 1907 Naval MinesAs gunboats (1920’s - 1940)
1 x 1 12 cm L/37 No. 1 cannon****
1 - 3 x 1 3.7 cm L/20 Hotchkiss gun*****
1 x 1 12.7 mm machine gun** Conflicting sources, this is one likely option, another would be just a single Hotchkiss gun at the rear of the ship
*** Again conflicting sources, we know a 12.7 mm machine gun was added, but details about the Hotchkiss guns are scarce
**** HNLMS Freyr had a 7,5 cm No. 3, and HNLMS Thor had a 15 cm No. 2
***** The exact number of Hotchkiss guns used at this time is unknown or was different per ship, but we can savely say the five barrel revolving gun was not used anymore
Ingame
Spoiler
Now why would we want these old slow ships ingame? I would love to see them ingame because they are among the oldest ships to have been active during the second world war. Ingame I would see these ships as a very funny and derpy Rank I ship.
The 28 cm gun versions of the ships would be an odd one to add ingame, so I wouldn’t mind just sticking to the 7.5, 12, and 15 cm gun versions. The 7.5 cm would be great against smaller ships with it’s higher firerate. The 12 cm is a nice punchy option to deal with some larger enemies. And the 15 cm one, while having the slower reload, can punch even the biggest targets back into the spawn menu!
The secondairy guns are not great ofcourse. The basic loadout of a few 3.7 cm guns and a 12.7 mm machine gun is a little weak. The five barrel revolving Hotchkiss gun would be fun to see ingame, but I doubt it’ll be a very powerfull weapon. And the slow speed and large size of these ships makes them an easy target for aircraft. So better make sure you have a German Flak Barge nearby to keep you safe!
I would have loved to see this class of ship in an 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.
HNLMS Tyr
Source: De Zeven Provinciën class Cruisers (1944)
And there we go, that was the Thor-class river gunboats!
Make sure to vote in the poll above, and put a comment down below! See you next time!
Sources
Spoiler
Dutch sources:
- “Nederlandse marineschepen 1939-1945” book, by Peter Kimenai
- https://www.tracesofwar.nl/articles/7424/Nederlandse-Kanonneerboten-van-de-Thor-klasse-1878.htm
Secondairy sources:
Photos:
Blueprints:
Weapons:
- 28 cm No. 1: 28 cm A No. 1 gun - Wikipedia
- 15 cm No. 2: 15 cm SK L/40 naval gun - Wikipedia
- 5 cm SK L/55: Germany 5.2 cm/55 (2.05") SK L/55 - NavWeaps
- 3.7 cm L/17: Hotchkiss gun - Wikipedia
- 3.7 cm L/20: NH 72905 Hotchkiss 37mm/20 (1-PDR) rapid-firing torpedo boat gun.
- Model 1907 mines: Mines of the Royal Netherlands Navy