HNLMS Holland (D808)

For other ships of the same name, see HNLMS Holland.

HNLMS Holland (D808)
File:Hr. Ms. Jager Holland naar Chatham, Bestanddeelnr 920-3948.jpg
Career (Netherlands)
Name:	Holland
Namesake:	Holland
Operator:	Royal Netherlands Navy
Ordered:	2 January 1948
Builder:	Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij
Yard number:	RDM-266
Laid down:	21 April 1950
Launched:	11 April 1953
Commissioned:	30 December 1954
Fate:	Sold to Peruvian Navy in 1978
Career (Peru)
Name:	Garcia y Garcia
Acquired:	1978
Identification:	DD75
Status:	decommissioned 1986
General characteristics
Type:	Holland-class destroyer
Displacement:	2,150 long tons (2,185 t) standard 2,600 long tons (2,642 t) full load
Length:	113.1 m (371 ft 1 in)
Beam:	11.4 m (37 ft 5 in)
Draught:	5.1 m (16 ft 9 in)
Propulsion:	2 shaft geared turbines, 2 boilers, 45,000 hp (33,556 kW)
Speed:	32 knots (37 mph; 59 km/h)
Range:	4,000 nmi (7,400 km) at 18 kn (33 km/h)
Complement:	247
Armament:	4 × Bofors 120 mm guns (2×2) 1 × 40 mm Bofors AA gun 2 × quad 357 mm (14.1 in) anti-submarine mortars 2 × depth charge racks

HNLMS Holland (D808) (Dutch language: Hr.Ms. Holland ) was the lead ship of her class of four destroyers built for the Royal Netherlands Navy in the early 1950s. HNLMS Holland is named after a former province of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and was the twentieth ship with this name. In 1978 the ship was taken out of service and sold to Peru where it was renamed Garcia y Garcia. The ship's radio call sign was "PAOP".

History

The provisional building contract for the HNLMS Holland was issued on 2 January 1948. The keel was laid on 21 April 1950 and the ship was launched on 11 April 1953. Mrs. A.J. Moorman - Wijtenburg, wife of the State Secretary for Marine, H.W.C. Moorman, performed the baptism ceremony. A powerful ax hit the ship smoothly to the water. A large number of invitees, including senior navy authorities, including from America, England and Canada, witnessed this. Between 16 and 19 January 1954 The field trips took place, while the official test tours began on 2 March 1954 in Den Helder and lasted until 15 April 1954.

The "great test trip" - as the RDM called it - took more than six weeks and made the HNLMS Holland visit several locations. It began on 2 March 1954 when Holland sailed via Den Helder to Scotland for a week full of speed trials. On the way there the sea was rough and according to the staff magazine of the Rotterdam yard "many promptly made the famous sacrifice". In order to measure the exact speed, speed tests were carried out on the island of Arran, because the nautical mile was precisely measured and visualized on the basis of markings on land. After some tourist trips in Scotland, ship, shipyard personnel and crew set sail once again for the south to test the ventilation systems. After the Holland had left Scotland, it was again in a storm. The speed had to be limited to 4 to 5 knots, while life on board was seriously hindered because the ship made large swings.

As Las Palmas was approached, the thick coats were exchanged by deck chairs. Then the Holland steamed up to Dakar (Senegal) where again several tests were done. During these tests the destroyer was only docked for a short time. On the way to Casablanca (Morocco), the surging turned out to be too much for the new naval ship to keep pace. After three hours in Casablanca the sea was chosen again, this time to the north. At the height of Portugal, the Holland was placed transversely to the waves for pendulum tests. Three days later it was back in Den Helder where it was subjected to tests at the Rijkswerf. On 15 April the Holland moored again at the RDM in Rotterdam. In addition to speed and ventilation, issues such as sailing behavior, controllability, operation of the equipment and housing were also examined. After these tests, the HNLMS Holland was put into service on December 30, 1954 and was the twentieth ship in the Royal Netherlands Navy at the time.

In July 1978 Holland, together with the frigates Tromp, Van Nes, Van Galen, the destroyer Zeeland, the submarine Dolfijn and the replenishment ship Poolster visited New York in commemoration of the city’s 200 years anniversary.

HNLMS Holland was sold to Peru in 1978 as the BAP "Garcia y Garcia" (DD75), which was taken out of service by Peru in 1986.

Design

The ship was completely electrically welded and assembled on the slope from sections produced in the RDM workshops. There are no portholes in the hull, so that all rooms are artificially illuminated and ventilated. The main armament consists of 4 12 cm guns, arranged in two double towers, which can be used for both sea and air targets. Furthermore, there are 1 machine gun of 40 mm, 2 rocket depth bombers, 2 depth bomb racks and no helicopters. The crew consists of 246 heads.

References

Notes

Sources

• Gardiner, Robert (ed.) (1995). Conway's all the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. London: Conway Maritime. ISBN 0-85177-605-1. OCLC 34284130.  Also published as Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen; Budzbon, Przemysław (1995). Conway's all the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7. OCLC 34267261. 
• Amstel, W.H.E. van (1991). De schepen van de Koninklijke Marine vanaf 1945. Alkmaar: De Alk. ISBN 9060139976. 
• Brobbel, Henk (2008). Hr. Ms. Holland: de parel van het eskader. Soest: Boekscout VOF. ISBN 9789088342820. 
• Mark, Chris (2005). Onderzeebootjagers van de Holland- en Friesland-klasse. Amsterdam: Stichting Vrienden van de Koninklijke Marine. ISBN 9051230044.