The Admiralen class was built to replace the Wolf-class destroyers. Their design was derived from that of the destroyer Ambuscade, an experimental British ship designed after the First World War. The ships had an overall length of 98.15 meters (322 ft), a beam of 9.53 meters (31 ft 3 in), and a draft of 2.97 meters (9 ft 9 in).[1] The first batch of four ships displaced 1,310 metric tons (1,290 long tons) at standard displacement while the second-batch ships were 30 long tons (30 t) heavier at full load at 1,640 metric tons (1,610 long tons). Their crew consisted of 143 men.[2]
The Admiralens were powered by two geared Parsonssteam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by three Yarrow boilers. The turbines were designed to produce 31,000 shaft horsepower (23,000 kW) which was intended give the ships a speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph).[1] One of the differences from the first-batch ships was that the second-batch ships carried additional fuel oil which gave them an extra 100 nautical miles (190 km; 120 mi) of range,[3] for a total of 3,300 nautical miles (6,100 km; 3,800 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[2]
The main armament of the Admiralen-class ships consisted of four 120-millimeter (4.7 in) guns in single mounts, one superfiring pair fore and aft of the superstructure. The guns were designated 'A', 'B', 'X' and 'Y' from front to rear and only 'A' and 'Y' were fitted with gun shields. The first-batch ships were equipped with two 75-millimeter (3 in) anti-aircraft (AA) guns that were positioned between the funnels. The second-batch ships had only a single 75 mm AA gun and four 2-pounder (40 mm (1.6 in)) AA guns; these were on single mounts amidships. All the ships were fitted with four 13 mm (.5 in) Browning machine guns on single mounts. All of the Admiralens were equipped with two rotating, triple mounts for 533-millimeter (21 in) torpedo tubes. They were able to carry a Fokker C.VII-Wfloatplane that had to be hoisted off the ship to take off. While the first batch of Admiralens were fitted to lay mines, the second-batch ships could be equipped with minesweeping gear.[3]
Based in the Netherlands at the start of World War II, the ship was dispatched to help with the defence of Rotterdam. Targeted by German bombers in the narrow river she suffered bomb damage and sank on 10 May 1940. The wreck was salvaged and scrapped by the Germans.
Damaged by Japanese bombers and scuttled in Surabaya dockyard. Salvaged by the Japanese, but not repaired and returned to the Dutch after the war. Sunk as a target in September 1949.
Cox, Jeffrey (2014). Rising Sun, Falling Skies: The Disastrous Java Sea Campaign of World War II. Osprey Publishing. ISBN978-1-4728-1060-1.
Goossens, A.M.A. (2007), Het Staatsbedrijf der Artillerie Inrichtingen, p. 9
Mark, Chris (1997). Schepen van de Koninklijke Marine in W.O. II (in Dutch). De Alk. ISBN90-6013-522-9.
McMurtrie, Francis E., ed. (1940). Jane's Fighting Ships 1940. London: Sampson Low.
Noppen, Ryan K. (2020). The Royal Netherlands Navy of World War II. New Vanguard. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN9781472841926.
Roberts, John (1980). "The Netherlands". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Conway Maritime Press. pp. 385–396. ISBN0-85177-146-7.
van Willigenburg, Henk (2010). Dutch Warships of World War II. Emmen: Lanasta. ISBN978-90-8616-318-2.
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