HNLMS Koningin Wilhelmina der Nederlanden

HNLMS Koningin Wilhelmina der Nederlanden (Dutch: Hr.Ms. Koningin Wilhelmina der Nederlanden) was a unique protected cruiser[lower-alpha 1] of the Royal Netherlands Navy built by the Rijkswerf in Amsterdam.

Koningin Wilhelmina der Nederlanden in 1894
History
Netherlands
NameKoningin Wilhelmina der Nederlanden
BuilderRijkswerf, Amsterdam
Laid down1891
Launched22 October 1892
Commissioned17 April 1894
Decommissioned5 March 1910
FateScrapped in 1910
General characteristics
Class and typeUnique protected cruiser
Displacement4,530  tons
Length99.8 m (327 ft 5 in)
Beam14.91 m (48 ft 11 in)
Draught6.07 m (19 ft 11 in)
Propulsion4,600 ihp (3,400 kW)
Speed15.8 knots (29.3 km/h)
Complement296
Armament
  • 1 × 11 in (28 cm) guns
  • 1 × 8.2 in (21 cm) guns
  • 2 × single 6.7 in (17 cm) guns
  • 4 × single3 in (7.6 cm) guns
  • 6 × single 1 pdr (0.45 kg) guns
  • 4 × 14 in (36 cm) torpedo tubes
Armour5 cm (2.0 in) deck

Design

The ship was 99.8 metres (327 ft 5 in) long, had a beam of 14.91 metres (48 ft 11 in), a draught of 6.07 metres (19 ft 11 in), and had a displacement of 4,530 tons. The ship had engines rated at 4,600 ihp (3,400 kW) which produced a top speed of 15.8 knots (29.3 km/h). It had 5 cm (2.0 in) deck armour.

The ship's main armament consisted of a single 28 cm A No. 2 gun (11 in L/30). Secondary armament was a single 21 cm A No. 2 gun (8.2 in L/35) and two single 17 cm A No. 2 guns (6.7 in L/35).[1][2]

Service history

The ship was built at the Rijkswerf in Amsterdam and named after Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, who attended the launch ceremony and christened the ship on 22 October 1892. After the liquidation of the original builder, the Koninklijke Fabriek van Stoom- en andere Werktuigen in Amsterdam, construction of the ship was taken over by the Rijkswerf.[3]

She entered service on 17 April 1894. From 14 July to 2 August she carried out see trials in the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean. During these trials she ran aground on the island of Harssens on 19 July while leaving the harbor of Den Helder, due to a broken steam engine. Before the ship left for the Dutch East Indies, Queen Wilhelmina and her mother visited the ship on 12 September 1894.[4]

On 10 December 1896 she left for a journey from Batavia to China, Korea, Japan and the Philippines to show the flag.[5]

In 1900 the ship together with the coastal defence ship Piet Hein and the protected cruiser Holland was sent to Shanghai to safeguard European citizens and Dutch interests in the region during the Boxer Rebellion. A landing party from the cruiser Holland assisted in the defense of the Shanghai French Concession where many Dutch citizens where present.[6] Koningin Wilhelmina der Nederlanden and Holland returned to the Dutch East Indies on 9 October. On this journey they visited Amoy and Swatow. They arrived in Tanjung Priok on 6 November.[7]

The ship started its last journey on 29 December 1909 from Sabang to IJmuiden, where she arrived on 14 February 1910. Later that year, on 5 March, she was decommissioned and on 14 October was sold to Frank Rijsdijk's Scheepssloperij for scrapping at Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht.[8][9]

Notes
  1. In the Dutch navy the ship was classified as "pantserdekschip" literally translated: armored deck ship.
  1. Prinses Wilhelmina 1891, p. 40.
  2. "navalhistory". Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  3. "scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1892". Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  4. "scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1894". Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  5. "scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1896". Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  6. "scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1900". Retrieved 2014-03-24.
  7. Staatsbegrooting voor het dienstjaar 1902. 2. VI. 2., p. 9
  8. "scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1910". Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 2018-08-18.
  9. "News". Lloyds's List. No. 22794. London. 15 October 1910. p. 11. Retrieved 18 August 2018.

References
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