HNLMS Jacob van Heemskerk
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Career | |
---|---|
Builder | Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Mij., Amsterdam; completed in British yard |
Laid down: | 31 October 1938 |
Launched & commissioned |
16 September 1939 |
Completed: | 10 May 1940 |
Fate: | Decommissioned 1969 Scrapped 1970 |
General Characteristics | |
Displacement: | 4000 tons |
Length: | 433 ft o/a (132 m) |
Beam: | 40.7 ft (12.4 m) |
Draft: | 17.5 ft (4.8 m) |
Propulsion: | 56,000 shp, Parsons geared steam turbines, 2 screws |
Speed: | 32.5 knots |
Complement: | 393 or 420 |
Armour: | Side belt, 2-2.5 in., deck, 1.5 in. |
Armament: | 10 × 4 in (102 mm) (5 × 2); 8 × 40 mm (4 × 2); 4 × 20 mm AA guns |
HNLMS Jacob van Heemskerk was a Tromp-class light cruiser of the Royal Netherlands Navy, named after Admiral Jacob van Heemskerk (1567–1607). She was commissioned on May 10, 1940, when Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands. However, as she was not armed she escaped to the UK, where she was refitted as an air defence cruiser since only these kind of guns were available.
The Hull was also known as Argonaut 601. She saw extensive action during World War II, mostly in convoy duties, where she earned the loving nickname 'Old Jacob' or 'Old Jack' and received the reputation that not a single convoy ship would be lost when she was on duty.
Jacob van Heemskerk was the last of the two Tromp-class cruisers. The other ship was the Tromp.
Tromp-class cruiser |
Tromp | Jacob van Heemskerk |