BAP ''Almirante Grau'' (CLM-81) was a

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 ...

that served in the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

and

Peruvian Peruvians (''/peruanas'') are the citizens of Peru. What is now Peru has been inhabited for several millennia by cultures such as the Caral before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Peruvian population decreased from an estimated 5–9 ...

navies. Completed for the Dutch in 1953 as HNLMS ''De Ruyter'' (C801), she was acquired by Peru in 1973 and served as fleet flagship. ''Almirante Grau'' underwent a major modernization program between 1985 and 1988 during which she was fitted with new weapons and electronics. She was the last gun cruiser in service in any navy before being decommissioned on 26 September 2017. In 2019, it was to be said that she would be preserved as a museum ship. However, it was later announced on 14 February 2022 that the ship would put up for sale with an asking price of 4,180,000 soles (1,112,520 USD).

Construction

''De Ruyter'' was laid down by the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...

on 5 September 1939 as the

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

HNLMS ''De Zeven Provinciën'' at the

Wilton-Fijenoord Wilton-Fijenoord was a shipbuilding and repair company in Schiedam, Netherlands from 1929 to 1999. Presently, the shipyard of Wilton-Feijnoord is part of Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam. Merger of Wilton and Fijenoord (1929) Wilton-Fijenoord had two ...

shipyard at

Schiedam Schiedam () is a large town and municipality in the west of the Netherlands. It is located in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, west of the city Rotterdam, east of the town Vlaardingen and south of the city Delft. In the south, Schi ...

. She and her sister-ship, later ', were intended to replace the two s in 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 ...

. She was named after Dutch

naval hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such things for the sake of ...

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 ...

. At the

German invasion of the Netherlands The German invasion of the Netherlands (), otherwise known as the Battle of the Netherlands (), was a military campaign, part of Case Yellow (), the Nazi German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) and Fran ...

in May 1940 little had been constructed. The

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 ...

intended to complete her as the training cruiser ''KH 1'' but construction was slow and she was not launched until 24 December 1944, with the intent by then to use her as a

blockship A blockship is a ship deliberately sunk to prevent a river, channel, or canal from being used as a waterway. It may either be sunk by a navy defending the waterway to prevent the ingress of attacking enemy forces, as in the case of at Portland ...

in the

Nieuwe Waterweg The Nieuwe Waterweg ("New Waterway") is a ship canal in the Netherlands from Scheur, het Scheur (a branch of the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta) west of the town of Maassluis to the North Sea at Hook of Holland: the #Maasmon, Maasmond, where the Nieu ...

, the approaches to

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 ...

. After the liberation of the Netherlands, the Navy completed ''De Zeven Provinciën'' with modifications. She was commissioned as HNLMS ''De Ruyter'' (C801) on 18 November 1953, in the presence of Her Majesty Queen

Juliana of the Netherlands Juliana (; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980. Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Sh ...

. The first captain of the new cruiser was

W. J. Kruys Willem Jan Kruys (1906–1985) was a vice admiral in the Royal Netherlands Navy and later director-general of the Dutch National Aviation Authority (Dutch language, Dutch: Rijksluchtvaartdienst). Early life Willem Jan Kruys was a member of a we ...

Royal Netherlands Navy service

In Dutch service both ships participated in several NATO exercises, and were frequently used as flagships for different naval task forces. Between 1962 and 1964, ''De Zeven Provinciën'' underwent a refit which included the removal of the two aft turrets and the installation of a

RIM-2 Terrier The Convair RIM-2 Terrier was a two-stage medium-range naval surface-to-air missile (SAM), among the earliest SAMs to equip United States Navy ships. It underwent significant upgrades while in service, starting with beam-riding guidance with a r ...

SAM system, but lack of funds precluded the same modifications from being carried out in ''De Ruyter''. In 1968 it was reported that the completion of the ''Tromp''-class frigates would mean that the ''De Ruyter'' would be taken out of service. After two decades in service, she was decommissioned on 16 October 1972.

Peruvian Navy service

The

Peruvian Navy The Peruvian Navy (, abbreviated MGP) is the branch of the Peruvian Military of Peru, Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to from the Peruvian littoral. Additional missions include ...

bought ''De Ruyter'' on 7 March 1973 as a counter to the acquisition of the Swedish

by the

Chilean Navy The Chilean Navy () is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense (Chile), Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso. History Ori ...

. Commissioned on 23 May 1973 as ''Almirante Grau'', in honor of the

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

vian

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Miguel Grau Miguel María Grau Seminario (27 July 1834 – 8 October 1879) was a Peruvian Navy officer and politician best known for his actions during the War of the Pacific. He was nicknamed "Gentleman of the Seas" for his kind and chivalrous treatment ...

, the ship arrived at her new homeport of

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists ...

on 11 July 1973. She was designated fleet flagship in succession to another cruiser of the same name (the former ), which was renamed .

Modernization

From 1985 until 1988, she underwent a major modernization program by Amsterdam Naval Services (ANS) at its shipyard 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 ...

, during which she was denominated ''Proyecto de Modernización 01'' (Modernization Project 01) or PM-01. Her role as

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 ...

was assumed by her sistership as ''Almirante Grau''. Both ships regained their former names when the former ''De Ruyter'' returned to

on 15 February 1988. The upgrade program carried out in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

included the following: * Fitting of the Signaal SEWACO Foresee PE combat management system * Fitting of a Signaal DA-08 surface-search

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

* Fitting of a Signaal LW-08 air-search

* Fitting of a

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

1226

navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the motion, movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navig ...

* Fitting of a Signaal STIR-24

fire-control radar A fire-control radar (FCR) is a radar that is designed specifically to provide information (mainly target azimuth, elevation, range and range rate) to a fire-control system in order to direct weapons such that they hit a target. They are someti ...

* Fitting of a Signaal WM-25

* Fitting of two Signaal LIROD-8 optronic directors * Fitting of the Signaal Rapids ESM system * Fitting of the CME Scimitar

ECM ECM may refer to the following: Economics and commerce * Engineering change management * Equity capital markets * Error correction model, an econometric model * European Common Market Mathematics * Lenstra's Elliptic curve method for factor ...

system * Fitting of two Matra Défense Dagaie decoy launchers * Fitting of one Matra Défense Sagaie decoy launcher * Fitting of a Link Y

data link A data link is a means of telecommunications link, connecting one location to another for the purpose of transmitting and receiving digital information (data communication). It can also refer to a set of electronics assemblies, consisting of a t ...

* Fitting (towers) of two

Bofors AB Bofors ( , , ) is a former Swedish arms manufacturer which today is part of the British arms manufacturer BAE Systems. The name has been associated with the iron industry and artillery manufacturing for more than 350 years. History Locate ...

signal amplifiers, including aiming and firing limitation * Removal of four twin

57/60 mm gun mountings * Removal of the CWE-610

hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances ( ranging), communicate with or detect objects o ...

Further work was carried out by SIMA dockyards in

as follows: * Eight Otomat Mk 2 SSMs were fitted in 1993 * Two

OTO Melara OTO Melara was a subsidiary of the Italian company Finmeccanica, today Leonardo, active in the defence sector, with factories in Brescia and La Spezia. From 1 January 2016, the activities of OTO Melara merged into Leonardo's Defence Systems ...

Twin 40L70

DARDO DARDO ("Dart" in Italian) originally known as Breda Type-70, also marketed as the OTO Twin 40L70 Compact, is a close-in weapon system (CIWS) built by the Italian companies Breda and Oto Melara. It is composed of two Breda-built Bofors 40 mm firi ...

compact gun mountings were fitted in 1996, replacing four single Bofors 40/70 mm gun mountings The LW-08 radar was later replaced by an AN/SPS-6, the former being installed in the frigate (FM-51) in 2003.

Decommissioning

''Almirante Grau'' was decommissioned on 26 September 2017. She was the last gun

in service in any navy, although its main armament was supplemented with

Otomat The Otomat is an anti-ship missile, anti-ship and Surface-to-surface missile, coastal defence missile developed by the Italian company Oto Melara jointly with Matra and now made by MBDA. The name comes, for the first versions, from the name of ...

anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM or ASM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea-skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. ...

s. She was replaced by the BAP ''Montero'', now known as BAP ''Almirante Grau.'' On 9 August 2019, the Peruvian Navy announced that she would be preserved as a museum ship in

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

, though in February 2022, the ship was placed on sale. In July 2022 it was reported that she was to be scrapped.

Gallery

File:Marine Beneluxdagen in Amsterdamse Haven, aankomst Hr Ms Kruiser De Ruyter, Bestanddeelnr 914-3312.jpg, HNLMS ''De Ruyter'' 1962 Image:US Navy 040703-N-1464F-001 The Peruvian cruiser Almirante Grau CLM-81 fires one of its 15.2 cm caliber cannons.jpg, ''Almirante Grau'' firing her guns File:BAP Almirante Grau 2007.jpg, A stern view of BAP ''Almirante Grau'' from Image:PERU-CM-81-2.JPG, BAP ''Almirante Grau'' 1993 File:Kruiser Hr.Ms. De Ruyter (C801) (2097 097 041973).jpg, ''De Ruyter'' at sea with guns elevated. File:Kruiser Hr.Ms. De Ruyter (C801) (2097 097 041977).jpg, ''De Ruyter''; view from the stern.

References

Sources

* Baker III, Arthur D., ''The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 2002-2003''. Naval Institute Press, 2002. * Rodríguez Asti, John, ''Cruceros. Buques de la Marina de Guerra del Perú desde 1884''. Dirección de Intereses Marítimos, 2000. * * * Jane's Fighting Ships 2011-2012. * Unexpected end: old cruiser De Ruyter on its way to scra

from MarineSchepen

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Almirante Grau (CLM-81) De Zeven Provinciën-class cruisers of the Peruvian Navy 1944 ships Ships built by Wilton-Fijenoord Naval ships of the Netherlands captured by Germany during World War II Cold War cruisers of the Netherlands