Royal Netherlands Navy

This article is about the Royal Navy of the Netherlands. For other Royal Navies, see Royal Navy (disambiguation).

Royal Netherlands Navy Koninklijke Marine
The Navy jack of the Royal Netherlands Navy.
Country	Netherlands
Branch	Armed Forces of the Netherlands
Type	Navy
Size	10,500 active duty personnel 850 reserve personnel 6 frigates 4 offshore patrol vessels 6 minehunters 1 support ship (Karel Doorman) 2 landing platform docks 4 submarines 40 other ships 8 helicopters and 20 on order/being delivered
Part of	Ministry of Defence
Headquarters	Den Helder
Motto	"Veiligheid op en vanuit zee." Security on and from the sea.
Engagements	Eighty Years' War Dutch–Portuguese War Anglo-Dutch Wars War of the Spanish Succession War of the Quadruple Alliance World War II
Commanders
Commander	Lieutenant general Rob Verkerk
Deputy commander	Vice Admiral Rob Bauer
Notable commanders	Michiel de Ruyter, Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp, Jan van Speyk, Karel Doorman
Insignia
Naval Ensign
Naval Jack
Aircraft flown
Patrol	NH90

The Royal Netherlands Navy (Dutch: Koninklijke Marine, Royal Navy) is the navy of the Netherlands. Its origins date back to the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) the war of independence from the House of Habsburg who ruled over the Habsburg Netherlands.

During the 17th century the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world and played an active role in wars against England, France, Spain and several other European powers. The navy of the later Batavian Republic (1795–1806) and Kingdom of Holland (1806–1810) played an active role in the Napoleonic Wars, though mostly dominated by French interests. After the establishment of the modern Kingdom of the Netherlands (founded 1815) it served an important role in protecting Dutch colonial rule, especially in Southeast Asia, and would play a minor role in World War II, especially against the Imperial Japanese Navy.

After World War II, the Royal Netherlands Navy has taken part in expeditionary peacekeeping operations.

Bases

The main naval base is located at Den Helder, North Holland. Secondary naval bases are located at Amsterdam, Vlissingen, Texel, and Willemstad (Curaçao). Netherlands Marine Corps barracks are found in Rotterdam, Doorn, Suffisant on Curaçao, and Savaneta on Aruba.

Officer training

Officers of the Netherlands Navy are trained at the Koninklijk Instituut voor de Marine ("Royal Naval Institute"), which is part of the Nederlandse Defensie Academie ("Netherlands defence academy") in Den Helder. Around 100–150 people start training every year.

Ship prefixes

An international prefix for Dutch navy ships is HNLMS (His/Her Netherlands Majesty’s Ship). HNMS is also used, although this can also refer to Royal Norwegian Navy ships. The Dutch navy itself uses the prefixes Zr. Ms. (Zijner Majesteits, His Majesty's) when a king is on the throne, and Hr. Ms. (Harer Majesteits, Her Majesty's) when there is a queen.

History

Main article: Naval history of the Netherlands

The modern Netherlands Navy dates its founding to a "statute of admiralty" issued by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I on January 8, 1488. Naval historians trace the origins of an independent Dutch navy to the early stages of the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) while the formation of a "national" navy is dated to the establishment of the Dutch Republic in 1597.

Dutch Golden Age

The battle of Scheveningen in 1653 during the First Anglo–Dutch War

The Dutch navy was involved in several wars against other European powers from the late 16th century, initially for independence against Spain in European waters, later for shipping lanes, trade and colonies in many parts of the world, notably in four Anglo-Dutch wars against England. During the 17th century the Dutch navy was one of the most powerful navies in the world. As an organization, the navy of the Dutch Republic consisted of five separate admiralties (three of them in Holland, and one each in Friesland and Zeeland), each with its own ships, personnel, shipyards, command structures and revenues.

World War II

HNLMS Java, c. 1941

Elements of the Royal Netherlands Navy on manoeuvres, 1936

Piet de Jong commanding officer of HNLMS Gelderland in 1958.

During the Second World War, the Dutch navy was based in Allied countries after the Netherlands was conquered by Nazi Germany in a matter of days: the Dutch navy had its headquarters in London, England, and smaller units in Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka) and Western Australia.

Around the world Dutch naval units were responsible for transporting troops, for example during Operation Dynamo at Dunkirk and on D-Day, they escorted convoys and attacked enemy targets. During the war the navy suffered heavy losses, especially in defending the Dutch East Indies, most notably the Battle of the Java Sea in which the commander, Dutchman Karel Doorman, went down with his fleet along with 1,000 of the ships' crew. One Dutch light cruiser that was under construction was captured in its shipyard by Nazi Germany.

During the relentless Japanese offensive of February through April 1942 in the Dutch East Indies, the Dutch navy in Asia was virtually annihilated, and it sustained losses of a total of 20 ships (including its only two light cruisers) and 2,500 sailors killed—as much as the Americans at Pearl Harbor. The Dutch navy had suffered from years of underfunding and came ill-prepared to face an enemy with more and heavier ships with better weapons, including the Long Lance-torpedo, with which the cruiser Haguro sank the light cruiser HNLMS De Ruyter.

A small force of submarines based in Western Australian sank more Japanese ships in the first weeks of the war than the entire British and American navies together during the first few weeks of the war, an exploit which earned Admiral Helfrich the nickname "Ship-a-day Helfrich". The aggressive pace of operations against the Japanese was a contributing factor to both the heavy losses sustained and the greater number of successes scored as compared to the British and Americans in the region.

Both British and American forces believed that the Dutch admiral in charge of the joint-Allied force was being far too aggressive. Later in the war, a few Dutch submarines scored some remarkable hits, including one on a Kriegsmarine U-boat in the Mediterranean Sea.

Netherlands New Guinea

After the war, the relations between the Netherlands and its colonies changed dramatically. The establishment of the Republic of Indonesia, just two days after the Japanese surrender, thwarted the Dutch plans for restoring colonial authority. It took four years of war before the Netherlands acknowledged the independence of Indonesia.

Part of the Dutch Navy was next stationed in Netherlands New Guinea until that, too, was turned over to the Indonesian government in 1962. This followed a campaign of infiltrations by the Military of Indonesia, supported by modern equipment from the Soviet Union, that was nevertheless successfully repulsed by the Dutch navy. These infiltrations took place after the order of President Sukarno to integrate the territory as an Indonesian province.

NATO cooperation

The Standing NRF Maritime Group 1 in 2007 with HNLMS Evertsen second from the right

With the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the military focus was on the army and air force; it was not until the Korean War (1950–53) that the navy got more recognition. The government allowed the creation of a balanced fleet consisting of two naval squadrons. Apart from the aircraft carrier HNLMS Karel Doorman the Dutch navy consisted of two light cruisers (two De Zeven Provinciën-class), 12 destroyers (four Holland-class, eight Friesland-class), eight submarines, six frigates (van Speijk-class frigates), and a considerable number of minesweepers.

As a member of NATO, the Netherlands developed its security policy in close cooperation with other members. The establishment of the Warsaw pact in 1955 intensified the arms race between West and East. Technical innovations rapidly emerged, the introduction of radar and sonar were followed by nuclear weapon systems and long-range missiles. The geopolitical situation allowed for a fixed military strategy. Beginning in 1965, the Dutch Navy joined certain permanent NATO squadrons like the Standing Naval Force Atlantic.

Current structure

Lieutenant general Rob Verkerk is the current Commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy

The constituent parts of the Royal Netherlands Navy are:

Naval squadron

Contains all surface combatants, replenishment ships, and amphibious support ships.

Submarine service

Contains the submarines and a support vessel.

Mine Detection and Clearing Service

Contains various minehunters.

Hydrographical Survey

Contains ships which map the oceans.

Naval aviation

• Two helicopter squadrons

Netherlands Marine Corps

• One Marine Training Command (MTC) (formerly known as GOEM: Groep Operationele Eenheden Mariniers)
  • Two Operational Marine Combat Groups (1 MCG AND 2 MCG)
  • One Maritime Special Operations Force (NLMARSOF)
  • One Surface Assault and Training Group (SATG)
  • One Seabased Support Group (SSG)
  • One rifle company (32e Compagnie.)is permanently stationed at Aruba

Coast Guard

Although the Coast Guard is not an official part of the Navy, it is under its operational control. Also the Dutch Caribbean Coastguard is under the operational control of the Navy and is commanded by the commander of the Navy in the Caribbean.

Equipment

Main article: List of active Royal Netherlands Navy ships

The Royal Netherlands Navy currently operates 7 main classes of vessels:

_{Note: in the Royal Netherlands Navy frigates are interchangeable with destroyers as there is no separate class}

Type ship	Defensenote 1974	Defensenote 1984	Priority Document 1993	Navy study 2005	Economize 2011
LC frigates				4	4
M frigates	4	8	8	2	2
GW frigates	2	2	2
L frigates	1	2	2
S frigates	12	10	6
MLM frigates	6
Frigates	25	22	18	6	6
Patrol ships				4	4
Submarine	6	6	4	4	4
Supply ships	2	2	2	1
ATS			1	2	2
JSS				1	1
Minehunters	15	15	15	10	6
Minesweepers	11	11
Total ships	59	56	40	29	23
LRMP Aircraft	21	13	13
Helicopters	36	30	20	20	20
Total aircraft	57	43	33	20	20

* The Dutch Royal Navy classifies the De Zeven Provinciën-class as frigates, but internationally they are most comparable to destroyers (due to their size and weapon capability) platform for Sea Based Anti-Ballistic Missile defence

Naval aviation – maritime helicopters

• 20 NH90, 12 NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) and eight transport version of the NATO Frigate Helicopter (TNFH) for Marine Corps Air Lift Helicopter Squadron

File:Royal Netherlands Navy NH-90 NFH.jpg

Royal Netherlands Navy NH-90 NFH at De Kooy Naval Air Station.

In 2012 an Apache attack helicopter from the Royal Netherlands Air Force made a deck landing on board HNLMS Rotterdam for the first time as part of an initial study into the possibilities for wider use of the helicopters.

The Dutch amphibious support ship HNLMS Johan de Witt and the HNLMS Karel Doorman JSS are designed to handle Royal Netherlands Air Force CH-47 Chinook helicopters. But these are not capable of sustained maritime operations due to lack of anti-corrosion measures.

Armored vehicles (Marine Corps)

• 156 BV206S armored all-terrain personnel carriers (127 will get a Mid-Life Update, the rest will be disposed of or sold)
• 74 BVS10 armored all-terrain personnel carriers
• 20 Bushmaster Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected
• 4 Leopard 1 BARV beach armored recovery vehicles

Unarmored vehicles (Marine Corps)

• Land Rover Defender
• 40 Mercedes-Benz 280 CDI
• 17 Unimog 1.2-ton truck
• Various DAF trucks

Artillery (Marine Corps)

• L16A2 81 mm mortar
• Brandt MO-60-V – 60 mm commando mortar

Personal weapons

• Colt Canada C7NLD – 5.56×45mm NATO assault rifle
• Colt Canada C8NLD – 5.56×45mm NATO carbine
• Glock 17M – 9×19mm Parabellum semi-automatic pistol (the M in Glock 17 stands for Maritime)
• FN MAG – 7.62×51mm NATO general purpose machine gun
• M2HB-QCB – .50 BMG heavy machine gun
• Steyr SSG – 7.62×51mm NATO sniper rifle
• Accuracy International AWM – .338 Lapua Magnum sniper rifle
• Barrett M107 – .50 BMG anti-materiel sniper rifle
• Heckler & Koch MP5 – 9×19mm Parabellum submachine gun
• FN P90 – 5.7x28mm submachine gun
• Mossberg M590A1 – 12 gauge shotgun
• AT4 – anti-tank weapon
• Panzerfaust 3 – anti-tank weapon
• GILL – anti-tank missile
• FIM-92C Stinger – man-portable surface-to-air missile

2012 future naval inventory

In 2012 the new fleet plan of the Royal Netherlands Navy was completed, consisting of these ships:

Class	Photo	Type	Number	Dates	Details
De Zeven Provinciën-class frigate		Frigate	4	2002	Mainly Anti-Air Warfare with ABM capability, ASW and with extensive Command & Communication Facilities. Type identified by the Dutch as frigates but internationally are considered destroyers.
Karel Doorman-class frigate		Frigate	2	1994	8 initially built for the Dutch navy, pairs of ships subsequently sold to the Belgian Navy, Portuguese Navy and Chilean Navy. Belgian and Dutch M-Class frigates recently received extensive upgrades such as an extended helicopter deck and new advanced sensors and improvements in stealthiness.
Holland-class offshore patrol vessels		Offshore Patrol Vessel	4	2011	Ocean patrols
Alkmaar-class		Minehunter	6	1989	Minehunting/Minesweeping (combined), Initial class of 15 ships
Karel Doorman-class support ship		Joint Logistic Support Ship	1	2014	Combined Amphibious Operations/Seabased Helicopter Platform & Fleet Replenishing, capable of supporting CH-47/AH-64/NH-90 Operations.
Rotterdam-class		Landing Platform Dock	2	1998/2007	Troop & Equipment Transport, Helicopter Platform with Command & Communication & Hospital Facilities
Walrus-class submarine		Submarine	4	1994	Multi-purpose Diesel-electric powered hunter-killer submarines for Deep Ocean Operations and Brown Water & Special Force Operations.
Cerberus-class		Diving Support Vessel	4	1992	Multi-purpose Diving Support Vessels & Harbour Protection
Pelikaan-class		Logistic Support Vessel	1	2006	Multi-purpose Logistic Support Vessel Based in Dutch Caribbean
Mercuur-class		Submarine Support Vessel	1	1987	Submarine Support Vessel. Under modification (2015–2017)
Snellius-class		Hydrographic Survey Vessel	2	2004	Multi-purpose Hydrographic Survey Vessel

The total tonnage will be approx. 140,000 tonnes. Next to these ships a lot of other smaller vessels remain in the navy like the Snellius class hydrographical survey vessels.

With these changes the Royal Netherlands Navy will have 10 large oceangoing vessels ranging from medium/low to high combat action ships. The renewed Dutch Navy will be a green-water navy, having enough frigates and auxiliaries to operate far out at sea, while depending on land-based air support, and, with the large amphibious squadron, they will have significant brown-water navy capabilities.

Future changes

• The Walrus-class submarines are currently undergoing a Mid-Life Update, including new sonar, new optronic periscope and weapon upgrades for near shore operations. Plans to replace the current 4 subs in 2025 were announced in November 2014. The Royal Dutch Navy is evaluating international cooperation.
• Upgrading the De Zeven Provinciën class LCF frigates Theatre Ballistic Missile Defense and considered SLCM integration.
• Replacement of the Karel Doorman class M frigates by 2023.
• Replacement of the Alkmaar class MCM ships by mid 2020s.
• Increasing the size of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and further integration with the British Royal Marines.
• Cooperation and possible integration with the German Navy regarding Submarine Planning, Operations, Training and Building Future Replacements, MPA's and Marines.

Theater ballistic missile defense

Together with the United States and several other NATO members, the Dutch Navy is testing and updating its ships for Tactical ballistic missile defense capability. Although tests conducted concerning the capability of the APAR (Active Phased Array Radar) have been very successful, no decision has been made by the Dutch Government in purchasing SM-3 missiles—mainly because the SM-3 is not operational yet. Four ships are being fitted out for tactical ballistic missile defense. If purchased (after US export approval) the four LCFs will be fitted out with only eight SM-3 missiles each, due to the high costs for each missile (approximately $2.5–$5 million).

Gallery

• 

  HNLMS Rotte, Coastal tugboat

• 

  HNLMS Urania, Sail training ship

• 

  HNLMS Snellius, Hydrographic Survey Vessel

• 

  HNLMS Nautilus, Dive Support Vessel

• 

  HNLMS Mercuur, Torpedo Recovery Vessel

• 

  Landing Craft Utility MKII NL

Historic ships

• several ships by the name of HNLMS De Ruyter
• several ships by the name of HNLMS Tromp
• HNLMS Bonaire
• HNLMS Schorpioen
• HNLMS Buffel
• Delft, 18th century fourth rate ship of the line
• De Zeven Provinciën, 17th century ship of the line and flagship of Michiel de Ruyter

Koninklijke Marine, KM (Royal Netherlands Navy, RNLN)

Officers

NATO Code	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1		OF(D)	Student Officer
Netherlands (Edit)												Adelborst/Korporaal-Adelborst/Sergeant-Adelborst
	Admiraal	Luitenant-Admiraal	Vice-Admiraal	Schout-bij-Nacht	Commandeur	Kapitein ter zee	Kapitein-luitenant ter zee	Luitenant ter zee der 1ste klasse	Luitenant ter zee der 2de klasse oudste categorie	Luitenant ter zee der 2de klasse	Luitenant ter zee der 3de klasse
Abbreviation (stnd)	Adm of the Fleet1	Adm	VAdm	RAdm	Cdre	Capt	Cdr	Lt Cdr	Lt	SLt or S/Lt	Mid	OCdt
1 (due to tradition; actual rank abandoned in 1956)

Enlisted ranks

NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5		OR-4				OR-3		OR-2		OR-1
(Navy and Marine Corps) (Edit)
	Adjudant- onderofficer								Sergeant- majoor		Sergeant								Korporaal						Matroos/ Marinier der 1e klasse	Matroos/ Marinier der 2e klasse	Matroos/ Marinier der 3e klasse
Abbreviation	WO1								CSgt		Sgt									Cpl						L/Cpl		Mne
English equivalent	Warrant Officer								Chief Petty Officer		Petty Officer 1st Class									Petty Officer 2nd Class						Leading Seaman /Seaman				Seaman recruit
English equivalent (marines)	Warrant Officer								Sergeant Major		Sergeant									Corporal						Lance corporal/Marine 1st Class				Marine

See also

• Netherlands Naval Aviation Service
• Ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy
• Military history of the Netherlands
• Military ranks of the Dutch armed forces

External links

• Royal Netherlands Navy homepage (Dutch)
• Dutch Submarines