HNLMS De Ruyter (C801)

Light Cruiser Warship

Netherlands | 1953

"Before becoming the Almirante Grau for the Peruvian Navy in 1973, HNLMS De Ruyter served the Dutch fleet after commissioned for service in 1953."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/12/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Prompted by the Empire of Japan's rapid expansion across the Pacific during the 1930s, and fearing for its overseas holdings in that region of the world, the nation of the Netherlands initiated a new shipbuilding program in the latter part of the decade that resulted in the two-strong De Zeven Provincien-class of light cruisers. The cruiser as a warship remained en vogue during this period of naval history and all major naval powers fielded some form of the ship type into the Cold War years (1947-1991). The light classification merely indicated a lightened displacement and, in some cases, more compact size while retaining the armored belts and decks of their full-fledged armored cruiser cousins.

The two ships of the De Zeven Provincien-class became HNLMS De Zeven Provincien (C802) herself and sister-ship HNLMS De Ruyter (C801). The latter warship had her keel laid down on September 5th, 1939 by Wilton-Fijenoord of Schiedam just as World War 2 (1939-1945) opened with the German invasion of Poland on September 1st of that year. She was launched on December 19th, 1941 but the fall of the Netherlands in May of 1940 meant that De Ruyter was too late to take part in its defense - as such she was not to be commissioned until well after the war, this occurring on November 18th, 1953.

The class was used to succeed the old Tromp-class consisting of two "flotilla leader" surface ships and these appeared in the middle of the 1930s. The De Zeven Provincien-class was, itself, succeeded by the newer Tromp-class frigates that arrived in the mid-1970s.

As built, De Ruyter was given a displacement of 12,040 tonnes and held a running length of 614.5 feet, a beam of 56.5 feet, and a draught of 22 feet. Power was served from 4 x Werkspoor-Yarrow 3-drum boiler units feeding 2 x De Schelde Parsons geared-steam turbines developing 85,000 horsepower to 2 x Shafts under stern. Maximum speed in ideal conditions reached 32 knots and range was out to 8,100 miles.

Aboard was a crew of 973. Armor protection ranged from 3" at the belt to nearly 5" at the conning tower. Armament included 8 x 152mm turreted main guns, 8 x 57mm Anti-Aircraft (AA) autocannons, and 8 x 40mm AA guns.

All this led to a very conventional, no-nonsense warship with excellent speed and range and projectile-based ranged firepower.

HNLMS De Ruyter operated with the Royal Netherlands Navy service until decommissioned on October 16th, 1972. During this time, she actively partook in several NATO naval exercises with allies. She did not receive the RIM-2 "Terrier" surface-to-air missile (SAM) system modification that was given to her sister during the early-1960s simply for budgetary reasons. With her time in Dutch service ultimately complete, the warship was sold off to the Peruvian Navy where she became the "Almirante Grau" (detailed elsewhere on this site). Under this name and foreign naval banner, she served as the last "gun cruiser" in naval history until finally given up for good on September 26th, 2017. De Ruyter's sister, De Zeven Provincien, was scrapped in 2000.

In Peruvian Navy service, the Almirante Grau was the recipient of a broader modernization program handled by the Dutch (Amsterdam Naval Services) from 1985 to 1988. During this period, she took on more advanced weapons, systems, and sensors to keep her a viable frontline warship for the foreseeable future.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one sea-going vessel design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for HNLMS De Ruyter (C801).

4 x Werkspoor-Yarrow 3-drum boiler units feeding 2 x De Schelde Parsons geared-steam turbines developing 85,000 horsepower to 2 x Shafts.
Propulsion

32.0 kts
36.8 mph
Surface Speed

7,039 nm
8,100 miles | 13,036 km
Range

Structure
The bow-to-stern, port-to-starboard physical qualities of HNLMS De Ruyter (C801).

653
Personnel
Complement

614.5 ft
187.30 meters
O/A Length

56.5 ft
17.22 meters
Beam

22.0 ft
6.71 meters
Draught

13,300
tons
Displacement

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of HNLMS De Ruyter (C801).

8 x 6" (152mm) main guns in four twin-gunned turrets.
8 x 57mm Anti-Aircraft (AA) guns.
8 x 40mm Oerlikon AA guns.

Ships-in-Class (2)
Notable series variants as part of the HNLMS De Ruyter (C801) family line as relating to the De Zeven Provincien-class group.

HNLMS De Zeven Provincien (C802); HNLMS De Ruyter (C801)

Operators
Global operator(s) of the HNLMS De Ruyter (C801). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national naval warfare listing.

[ Netherlands; Peru ]

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to seaborne requirements.

BLUE WATER SERVICE

OFFSHORE BOMBARDMENT

LAND-ATTACK

MARITIME PATROL

AIRSPACE DENIAL

FLEET SUPPORT

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War period

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Going Further...
HNLMS De Ruyter (C801) Light Cruiser Warship appears in the following collections:

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2025 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks U.S. DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols US 5-Star Generals WW2 Weapons by Country

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Part of a network of sites that includes Global Firepower, WDMMA.org, WDMMW.org, and World War Next.

©2024 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2024 (21yrs)