The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the maritime service branch of the

Netherlands Armed Forces The Netherlands Armed Forces () are the military, military forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (mainland Netherlands in Europe and islands of the Dutch Caribbean). The armed forces consist of four service branches: the Royal Netherlands Nav ...

. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centuries, the

Dutch States Navy The Dutch States Navy (, ) was the navy of the Dutch Republic from 1588 to 1795. Coming into existence during the Eighty Years' War, the States Navy played a major role in expanding and protecting the Dutch colonial empire, in addition to partici ...

was one of the most powerful navies in the world and played an active role in the Anglo-Dutch Wars,

Franco-Dutch War The Franco-Dutch War, 1672 to 1678, was primarily fought by Kingdom of France, France and the Dutch Republic, with both sides backed at different times by a variety of allies. Related conflicts include the 1672 to 1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War and ...

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...

and

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

. However, by the late 18th century it had declined through neglect and was no longer a match for either the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

or French navies. The

Batavian Navy The Batavian Navy () was the navy of the Batavian Republic which existed from 1795 to 1806. Founded in May 1795 after the Dutch Republic was Low Countries theatre of the War of the First Coalition, overrun by France during the French Revolutionar ...

and

navy of the Kingdom of Holland The navy of the Kingdom of Holland () existed from 1806 to 1810. Founded in June 1806 after Napoleon transformed the Batavian Commonwealth into a kingdom ruled by his brother Louis Bonaparte, the Dutch navy inherited its ships from the Batavian ...

played an active role in the

French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (sometimes called the Great French War or the Wars of the Revolution and the Empire) were a series of conflicts between the French and several European monarchies between 1792 and 1815. They encompas ...

, though both were repeatedly yoked to French interests. Officially formed in 1813 after the

Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands The Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands () was a short-lived sovereign principality and the precursor of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, in which it was reunited with the Southern Netherlands in 1815. The principality was procl ...

was established, the Royal Netherlands Navy played an important role in protecting the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

, and would play a minor role in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, where it fought against the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

. Since

, the Royal Netherlands Navy has taken part in several peacekeeping missions, and frequently participates in

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

operations and exercises.

Ship prefixes

The international prefix for ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy is HNLMS (''His/Her Netherlands Majesty's Ship''). The Netherlands navy itself uses the prefixes Zr.Ms. () when a King is on the throne, and Hr.Ms. () when there is a Queen. Changes happen automatically at the end of a monarch's reign.

History

The modern Netherlands Navy dates its founding to a "statute of admiralty" issued by Maximilian, King of the Romans (future Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I), and his son

Philip the Fair Philip IV (April–June 1268 – 29 November 1314), called Philip the Fair (), was King of France from 1285 to 1314. By virtue of his marriage with Joan I of Navarre, he was also King of Navarre and Count of Champagne as Philip I from ...

, the ruler of Burgundian lands (a minor at that time) on 8 January 1488.

Netherlands Golden Age

The Netherlands 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 during the Anglo-Dutch Wars. During the 17th century the

was one of the most powerful navies in the world. As an organization, the Dutch navy consisted of five separate admiralties (three of them in

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

, and one each in

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

and

Zeeland Zeeland (; ), historically known in English by the Endonym and exonym, exonym Zealand, is the westernmost and least populous province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the southwest of the country, borders North Brabant to the east ...

), each with its own ships, personnel, shipyards, command structures and revenues.

World War II

At the start of WW2 the Dutch had five cruisers, eight destroyers, 24 submarines, and smaller vessels, along with 50 aircraft. The Netherlands was conquered in 1940 by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

in a matter of days, and two Dutch

light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...

s and one

destroyer leader Destroyer leader (DL) was the United States Navy designation for large destroyers from 9 February 1951 through the early years of the Cold War. United States ships with hull classification symbol DL were officially frigates from 1 January 1955Blac ...

and three

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

s that were under construction were captured in their

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...

. For the rest of the war, the Dutch navy was based in Allied countries: the Dutch navy had its headquarters in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and smaller units in

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

(modern day

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

) and

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. Around the world Dutch naval units were responsible for transporting troops, for example during

Operation Dynamo Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

at Dunkirk and on

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

, they escorted convoys and attacked enemy targets. Dutch submarines scored some victories, including one on a ''

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

, which was sunk by , but during the war the Dutch Navy suffered heavy losses, particularly in the Pacific Theatre. A small force of

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

s based in Western Australia sank more Japanese ships in the first weeks after Japan joined the war than the entire British and American navies together during the same period, 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. But during the relentless Japanese offensive of February through April 1942 in the Dutch East Indies, the Dutch navy in Asia was virtually annihilated, particularly in the

Battle of the Java Sea The Battle of the Java Sea (, ) was a decisive naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Allied navies suffered a disastrous defeat at the hand of the Imperial Japanese Navy on 27 February 1942 and in secondary actions over succ ...

(27 February 1942) in which the commander, Karel Doorman, went down with his fleet along with 1,000 sailors. The Navy sustained losses of a total of 20 ships (including two of its three light cruisers) and 2,500 sailors killed in the course of the campaign. 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 sank the light cruiser .

Netherlands New Guinea

After the war, the relations between the Netherlands and its colonies changed dramatically. The establishment of the

Republic of Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, two days after the Japanese surrender, thwarted the Dutch plans for restoring colonial authority. After four years of conflict the Netherlands acknowledged the independence of Indonesia. Part of the Dutch Navy was next stationed in

Netherlands New Guinea Dutch New Guinea or Netherlands New Guinea (, ) was the Western New Guinea, western half of the island of New Guinea that was a part of the Dutch East Indies until 1949, later an overseas administrative territorial entity, overseas territory of ...

until that, too, was turned over to the

Indonesian government The term Government of the Republic of Indonesia (, GOI, sometimes also referred to as Government of Indonesia or the Central Government () especially in laws) can have a number of different meanings. At its widest, it can refer collectively ...

in 1962. This followed a campaign of infiltrations by the

Indonesian National Armed Forces The Indonesian National Armed Forces (; abbreviated as TNI) are the military forces of the Republic of Indonesia. It consists of the Indonesian Army, Army (''TNI-AD''), Indonesian Navy, Navy (''TNI-AL''), and Indonesian Air Force, Air Force ('' ...

, supported by modern equipment from the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, that was nevertheless successfully repulsed by the Dutch navy. These infiltrations took place after the order of President

Sukarno Sukarno (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of the Indonesian struggle for independenc ...

to integrate the territory as an Indonesian province.

European Union cooperation

The Navy has participated in joint European Union naval operations and exercises. Ten separate Dutch vessels have contributed to the EU Naval Force Operation Atalanta, combating Somali piracy forces in the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean since 2009. The last vessel was sent in 2018; since then the Navy has only contributed staff and advisors to the mission.

NATO cooperation

With the creation of the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermat ...

, the military focus was on the army and air force; it was not until the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

(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 An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

the Dutch navy consisted of two

s (two ), 12

s (four , eight ), eight

s, six

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

s (s), and a considerable number of

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

s. As a member of

, the Netherlands developed its security policy in close cooperation with other members. The establishment of the

Warsaw pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...

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 A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear exp ...

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 Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) is one of NATO's standing naval maritime immediate reaction forces. SNMG1 consists of four to six destroyers and frigates. Its role is to provide NATO with an immediate operational response capability. H ...

Structure

The constituent parts of the Royal Netherlands Navy are:

Naval squadron

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

Submarine service

Houses the submarines and a support vessel.

Mine Detection and Clearing Service

Contains various minehunters.

Hydrographic Service

The Hydrographic Service is responsible for relevant hydrographic surveys.

Social Medical Service

Provides healthcare to personnel of the Royal Netherlands Navy.

Directorate of Materiel Sustainment

The Directorate of Materiel Sustainment is responsible for the maintenance of ships, submarines and systems.

Naval aviation

Two squadrons equipped with NH90 NFH helicopter based at

De Kooy Airfield De Kooy Airfield () is an airfield south of Den Helder, Netherlands, named after the nearby hamlet De Kooy. It serves as both a civilian airport under the name Den Helder Airport and a naval airport under the name Naval Air Station De Kooy (Du ...

Netherlands Marine Corps

* Two 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) * 32 Raiding Squadron (permanently stationed at

Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...

) * Rotterdam Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy

Dutch Caribbean Naval Command

Command Command may refer to: Computing * Command (computing), a statement in a computer language * command (Unix), a Unix command * COMMAND.COM, the default operating system shell and command-line interpreter for DOS * Command key, a modifier key on A ...

of the Royal Netherlands Navy that is responsible for national defense and international law enforcement in the

Dutch Caribbean The Dutch Caribbean (historically known as the Dutch West Indies) are the New World territories, colonies, and countries (former and current) of the Dutch Empire and the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea, mainly the norther ...

Netherlands & Dutch Caribbean Coastguard

Although the

Netherlands Coastguard The Netherlands Coastguard () is a civil organisation that carries out tasks on the Netherlands North Sea for six Ministries under administration of the Royal Netherlands Navy. Its operational command falls under the Ministry of Defence (Netherl ...

is not an official part of the Navy, it is under its operational control. Also the

Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard (DCCG) ( (''KWCARIB'')) is the coast guard of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Dutch Caribbean. The unit is a joint effort of all constituent countries within the Kingdom. Prior to the dissolution of the Neth ...

is under the operational control of the Navy and is commanded by the commander of the Navy in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

Bases

The main naval base, Nieuwe Haven Naval Base is situated in

Den Helder Den Helder () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula. It is home to the country's main naval base. From here the Royal TESO fe ...

North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...

. Secondary bases are situated around Den Helder, as well as in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, and

Willemstad Willemstad ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that is a Countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was the cap ...

on the Caribbean island of (

Curaçao Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela. Curaçao includ ...

), Usage rights are also in place for port facilities in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

Vlissingen Vlissingen (; ) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an importan ...

and

Eemshaven Eemshaven (; ) is a seaport in the province of Groningen in the north of the Netherlands. In 1968, the Dutch government declared the Ems estuary (Eemsmond) to be an economic key region. One of the key developments for the region was the constr ...

. The

Netherlands Marine Corps The Royal Netherlands Marine Corps () is the elite naval infantry corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy, one of the four Netherlands Armed Forces, Armed Forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The marines trace their origins to the establishme ...

has barracks in Rotterdam,

Doorn Doorn is a town in the municipality of Utrechtse Heuvelrug in the central Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. The town is famous for being the final residence of Wilhelm II. History In a document from 885 to 896 the settlement is called ...

Texel Texel (; Texels dialect: ) is a municipality and an island with a population of 13,643 in North Holland, Netherlands. It is the largest and most populated island of the West Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea. The island is situated north of Den ...

and Den Helder, as well as in the Caribbean at Suffisant on Curaçao, and

Savaneta Savaneta is a town and region in southeastern Aruba. Until 1797, it was the island's capital city. It is home to the island's oldest surviving home, a 150-year-old '' cas di torto'', or mud hut. The Savaneta region has an estimated area of 27.76 ...

. There is also

Pointe Blanche Naval Support Point Pointe Blanche Naval Support Point ( Dutch: Marinesteunpunt Pointe Blanche; MSTPPB) is a base of the Royal Netherlands Navy that is located on Sint Maarten. Since 2014 a detachment of the Netherlands Marine Corps is permanently stationed at the ba ...

in Sint Maarten.

Officer training

Officers of the Nederland Navy are trained at the Royal Naval Institute (), which is part of the Netherlands defence academy () in

. Around 100-120 people start training every year.

Ships of the 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 The Royal Netherlands 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

Inventory

The total tonnage will be approx. 140,000 tonnes. Next to these ships a lot of other smaller vessels remain in the navy. 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 A green-water navy is a maritime force that is capable of operating in its state's littoral zones and has limited competency to operate in the surrounding marginal seas. It is a relatively new term, and has been created to better distinguish ...

, 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 A brown-water navy or riverine navy, in the broadest sense, is a naval force capable of military operations in inland waters (rivers, lakes and inland seas) and nearshores. The term originated in the United States Navy during the American Ci ...

capabilities.

Other equipment of the Royal Netherlands Navy

Naval aviation - Maritime helicopters

* 19

NH90 The NHIndustries NH90 is a European medium-sized, twin-engine, multirole military helicopter. It was the first production helicopter to feature entirely fly-by-wire flight controls.Perry, Dominic"Rotor club: Our top 10 most influential helico ...

, 11 NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) and eight transport version of the NATO Frigate Helicopter (TNFH) for Marine Corps Air Lift Helicopter Squadron. One NFH was lost on 19 July 2020 as result of a crash in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

near the island of

, killing two of the four crew on board. In 2024 3 additional NH90 helicopters were ordered to supplement the current inventory and increase availability. Since the retirement of the Westland Lynx, the Royal Netherlands Air Force fills the gap of the Lynx's amphibious task with Airbus AS-532U2 Cougar helicopters. The Cougar's main task is to support the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps on board of the LPD's and JSS. Other tasks are to provide Medical air transport to and from these ships, but also support SOF units in amphibious missions and trainings. In 2012 an

AH-64D Apache The Hughes/McDonnell Douglas/Boeing AH-64 Apache ( ) is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. Nose-mounted sensors help acquire targets and provide night vis ...

attack helicopter from the

Royal Netherlands Air Force The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF; , "Royal Air Force") is the military aviation branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It was created in 1953 to succeed its predecessor, the ''Luchtvaartafdeling'' () of the Dutch Army, which was founded ...

made a deck landing on board for the first time as part of an initial study into the possibilities for wider use of the helicopters as these will be upgraded to the AH-64E standard which has specific features for maritime operations. The Dutch amphibious support ship and the JSS HNLMS ''Karel Doorman'' are designed to handle Royal Netherlands Air Force CH-47F

Chinook helicopter The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem-rotor helicopter originally developed by American rotorcraft company Piasecki Helicopter, Vertol and now manufactured by Boeing Defense, Space & Security. The Chinook is a Military transport helicopter, heav ...

s but still require additional anti corrosion measures (part of the ongoing upgrade of the CH-47F).

Drones

Vehicles

Royal Netherlands Marine Corps equipment

Future changes

In April 2018, the Dutch Government approved a multi-year investment program and allocated funds for the 2018–2030 period, including: * The s replacement with new boats planned for initial service entry in 2034. The subs are currently undergoing a Service-life Extension Program (SLEP), including new sonar, new optronic periscope and weapon upgrades for near shore operations. The Royal Dutch Navy is evaluating Saab/Damen (A-26), TKMS (Upgraded 212), Navantia S-80 and a Naval Group (SSK version of Barracuda) proposal. In 2019 the S-80 option was dropped, originally with plans to place an order for the winning design in 2022 and having the first boat in service in 2028 and the first two by 2031. However, in October 2021 it was reported that this timeline was no longer feasible. Instead, the Dutch Ministry of Defence signalled that the envisaged dates would have to be "substantially adjusted". In April 2022 it was announced that the revised schedule for the construction of the new replacement boats would likely see the first two replacement vessels entering service in the 2034 to 2037 timeframe. On 15 March 2024 State Secretary for Defence

Christophe van der Maat Christophe van der Maat (born 29 October 1980) is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). From January 2022 until July 2024, he served as State Secretary for Defence. Early life and education Van der Maat was ...

officially announced that

Naval Group Naval Group is a major French industrial Corporate group, group specializing in navy, naval defense industry, defense design, development and shipbuilding, construction. Its headquarters are located in Paris. Heir to the French naval dockyards ...

has been selected as the winning bid. * Upgrading the ''De Zeven Provinciën''-class LCF frigates Theatre Ballistic Missile Defense, acquisition of

RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 The RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) is a ship-based surface-to-air missile used by the United States Navy to intercept ballistic missiles as a part of Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. Although primarily designed as an anti-ballistic mis ...

(SM-3), a new OtoMelara 127/64 LW canon, ESSM-2 and SLCM

BGM-109 Tomahawk The BGM-109 Tomahawk () Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is an American long-range, all-weather, jet-powered, Subsonic flight, subsonic cruise missile that is primarily used by the United States Navy and Royal Navy in ship and submarine-based land-att ...

and expanding the Mk41 VLS with an additional 8 cell unit. * Acquisition of initially two

Multifunctional Support Ship The Multifunctional Support Ship (MSS), also known as the MSS (formerly TRIFIC & MICAN) is a project of the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN, Dutch: Koninklijke Marine). it was announced on 23 November 2022 by Captain (E) Paul Flos, head of maritim ...

s to supplement existing LCF Frigates with extra container based AAW Barak-ER missiles and

IAI Harop The IAI Harop is a loitering munition (LM) developed by the MBT Missiles Division of Israel Aerospace Industries. It is designed to hover or loiter above the battlefield, waiting for targets to be exposed, and attack upon the operator's command ...

loitering munition A loitering munition, also known as a suicide drone, kamikaze drone, or exploding drone, is a weapon with a warhead that is typically designed to Loiter (aeronautics), loiter until a target is designated, then crash into it.''Karel Doorman''-class M frigates in the 2028/2030 period by 4 ships(plus another 2 for the Belgian Navy), designed & built by Damen Shipyards. See Future Surface Combatant for more information. * Replacement of the 6 ''Alkmaar''-class MCM ships from 2025 including MCM Drones. 6 units each will be built for both the Belgian and Dutch navies for a total of 12 ships. The contract was won by

on 15 March 2019 for the construction of 12

City-class mine countermeasures vessel The Netherlands and Belgium are doing a joint procurement for the replacements of the Tripartite-class minehunter, ''Tripartite''-class/''Alkmaar''-class minehunters. Each of the two countries is procuring six new mine countermeasure vessel, mine ...

s. * Increasing the size of the

Royal Netherlands Marine Corps The Royal Netherlands Marine Corps () is the elite naval infantry corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy, one of the four Armed Forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The marines trace their origins to the establishment of the on 10 Decembe ...

to remain highly integrated with the British Royal Marines. In 2017 the Ministry of Defence announced the formation of a Fleet Marine Squadron for the protection of merchant ships. * In June 2023, the British and Dutch governments announced that the two countries would "explore opportunities" to jointly develop new specialist amphibious warships which for the Royal Netherlands Navy would likely replace the ''Rotterdam''-class landing platform docks. * The German Navy Seebatallion (Marines) will be integrated into the

. * Cooperation with the

German Navy The German Navy (, ) is part of the unified (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Marine'' (German Navy) became the official ...

regarding Submarine & Amphibious Operations. * Acquisition of a new Combat Support Ship to replace the former Zr.Ms. Amsterdam, designed & build by Damen Shipyards. This ship will be based on the JSS Karel Doorman design to improve type commonality (architecture & components) and is expected to be delivered in 2024. The ship will be named Zr.Ms. Den Helder after the city of Den Helder, with the pennant A834. First steel was cut in December 2020 and the ship was launched in October 2022. * Replacement of Zr.Ms. Mercuur, Zr.Ms. Pelikaan, the four diving support vessels, the diving training vessel Zr.Ms. Soemba, the hydographic vessels Zr.Ms. Snellius en Zr.Ms. Luymes and the training vessel Van Kinsbergen from 2024 onwards. * Acquisition of new landing craft from 2025 with additional capacity to support amphibious operations and the integration of the German Navy Marines (Seebatallion). In March 2023, a report to the Dutch Parliament outlined a plan for 12 Littoral Assault Craft (LAC) and 8 Littoral Craft Mobility (LCM) to replace the 12 existing light landing craft (Landing Craft Vehicles and Personnel - LCVP) and improve on their capability. * Main Naval Ship Based Weapons will be replaced by acquiring ESSM-2, new 127mm canons, Harpoon ASuW replacement, SM-3, SM-2 IIIC SAM, Goalkeeper CIWS replacement, MK 46 & MK 48 Torpedo replacement and SLCM.

Theater ballistic missile defence

Together with the United States and several other

members, the Dutch Navy is testing and updating its ships for

Tactical ballistic missile A tactical ballistic missile (TBM), or battlefield range ballistic missile (BRBM), is a ballistic missile designed for short-range battlefield use. Typically, range (aeronautics), range is less than . Tactical ballistic missiles are usually mo ...

defense capability. Although tests conducted concerning the capability of the APAR (

Active Phased Array Radar Active Phased Array Radar (APAR) is a shipborne active electronically scanned array multifunction 3D radar (MFR) developed and manufactured by Thales Nederland. The radar receiver modules are developed and built in the US by the Sanmina Corp ...

) have been very successful, in 2018 the Dutch Government approved plans to acquire the SM-3 missiles for integration into the existing weapon suite of the LCF frigates. The four LCF ships will be fitted out with eight SM-3 missiles each (they are provisioned for this VLS extension) through Foreign Military Sales (under discussion between the US and The Netherlands).

Historic ships

* Several ships by the name of * Several ships by the name of * , 18th century

fourth rate In 1603 all English warships with a complement of fewer than 160 men were known as 'small ships'. In 1625/26 to establish pay rates for officers, a six-tier naval ship rating system was introduced.Winfield 2009 These small ships were divided ...

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactics in the Age of Sail, naval tactic known as the line of battl ...

* , 17th century ship of the line and

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

Michiel de Ruyter Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter (; 24 March 1607 – 29 April 1676) was a Dutch States Navy officer. His achievements with the Dutch navy during the Anglo-Dutch Wars earned him the reputation as one of the most skilled naval commanders in ...

* , the navy's largest warship in the 19th century * , ironclad from the 1860s Surviving historic ships * * * * HNLMS ''Onverschrokken'' * HNLMS ''Abraham Crijnssen''

Ranks and insignia

Royal insignia

Insignia worn by the

Monarch of the Netherlands The monarchy of the Netherlands is governed by the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, country's charter and Constitution of the Netherlands, constitution, roughly a third of which explains the mechanics of succession, accession, and a ...

when wearing the uniform of the Royal Netherlands Navy.

Notes

Citations

References

* * *

External links

* {{Authority control 1488 establishments in Europe Articles containing video clips Netherlands Armed Forces Organisations based in the Netherlands with royal patronage