Military Wiki
HNLMS Koningin Wilhelmina der Nederlanden
Career (Netherlands)
Name: HNLMS Koningin Wilhelmina der Nederlanden
Builder: Rijkswerf in Amsterdam
Laid down: 1891
Launched: 22 October 1892
Commissioned: 17 April 1894
Decommissioned: 5 March 1910
Fate: Scraped in 1910
General characteristics
Class & type: Unique protected cruiser
Displacement: 4,530  tons
Length: 99.8 m (327 ft 5 in)
Beam: 14.91 m (48 ft 11 in)
Draught: 6.07 m (19 ft 11 in)
Propulsion: 4,600 ihp (3,400 kW)
Speed: 15.8 knots (29.3 km/h)
Complement: 296
Armament: 1 × 11 in (28 cm)
1 × 8.2 in (21 cm)
2 × 6.7 in (17 cm) (2 × 1)
4 × 3 in (7.6 cm) (4 × 1)
6 × 1pdr (6 × 1)
4 × 14 in (36 cm) torpedo tubes
Armour: 5 cm (2.0 in) deck

HNLMS Koningin Wilhelmina der Nederlanden (Dutch language: Hr.Ms. Koningin Wilhelmina der Nederlanden ) was a unique pantserdekschip (protected cruiser) of the Royal Netherlands Navy built by the Rijkswerf in Amsterdam.

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 4,600 ihp (3,400 kW) engines 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 was a 11 in (28 cm) single gun. Secondary armament included a single 8.2 in (21 cm) gun and two 6.7 in (17 cm) single guns.[1]

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 . The original builder, the Koninklijke Fabriek van Stoom- en andere Werktuigen in Amsterdam, was taken over by Rijkswerf after the liquidation of the company.[2]

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.[3]

On 10 December 1896 she left for a journey from Batavia to China, Korea, Japan and the Philippines to show the flag.[4]

Boxer Rebellion[]

To protect the Dutch citizens in China during the Boxer Rebellion, the protected cruiser Holland was ordered to steam to Shanghai. She left port on 23 June 1900. However due to technical problems she had to stop for repairs in Hong Kong. On 14 July she left for Shanghai. In the meantime the situation had worsened after the failed expedition led by the British Vice-Admiral Edward Hobart Seymour and the murder of the German envoy in Peking. On 5 July a telegram was sent to the queen asking for as many troops as possible to assist. This meant that on 12 July Koningin Wilhelmina der Nederlanden and the Evertsen class coastal defence ship HNLMS Piet Hein steamed from Tanjung Priok to Shanghai where they joined the Holland to form the so called Java Division. A Dutch landing party assisted in the defense of the Shanghai French Concession where many Dutch citizens where present. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs was satisfied with the impression the warships had made and felt little need for further involvement under British command. The 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 7 November.[5]

Fate[]

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 sold for scrapping on 14 October.[6]

References[]

External links[]


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