HNLMS Noord-Brabant (D810)

The HNLMS Noord-Brabant (D810) (Hr.Ms. Noord-Brabant) was a Holland-class anti-submarine destroyer. The ship was from 1955 to 1974 in Dutch service. On January 9, 1974, the HNLMS Noord-Brabant was rammed amidships by an English merchant. The damage was estimated to be expensive so the Royal Netherlands Navy decided to not repair the damage but instead decommission the ship earlier than planned. The ship's radio call sign was "PAIP".

Commissioning
The HNLMS Noord-Brabant was one of four Holland-class destroyers and built at the Koninklijke Maatschappij de Schelde (KMS) in Vlissingen. The keel laying took place on 1 March 1951 and the launching on 28 November 1953. The ship was put into service on 1 July 1955. The Queen's Commissioner Mr. de Quai was present on behalf of the province North Brabant at her commissioning. The first commander of the HNLMS Noord-Brabant was LTZ. S. de Boer.

Taken out of service
On 9 January 1974 the HNLMS Noord-Brabant was on the Westerschelde when a British bulk carrier was on course to ram the Dutch navy ship, the helsman of the Noord-Brabant tried his best to avoid the ramming, however, it was to no avail since the bulk carrier rammed the ship in the middle section which resulted in a 3.5 meter gap. In the collision two crew members of the Noord-Brabant were killed and there were numerous wounded. The destroyer was towed to the ship repair yard Scheldepoort were the damage was deemed to be expensive and the Royal Netherlands Navy deemed it better to decommission the ship earlier than pay for the repairs. As a result the Noord Brabant was put out of service early on 8 March 1974.