HNLMS Tromp (1937)

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Career

Laid down:	17 January 1936
Launched:	24 May 1937
Fate:	Decommissioned 1955 Scrapped 1969
General Characteristics
Displacement:	4000 tons
Length:	132 m
Beam:	12.4 m
Draft:	4.8 m
Propulsion:	56,000 shp, Parsons geared steam turbines, 2 screws
Speed:	32,5 knots
Complement:	449 max
Armour:	Side belt, 2-2.5 in., deck, 1.5 in.
Armament:	6 × 150 mm (5.9 in) (3 × 2); 4 × 75 mm; 8 × 40 mm. (4 × 2); 2 × 20 mm; 6 × 21 in torpedo tubes (2 × 3)

HNLMS Tromp was a Tromp-class light cruiser (originally named flotilla leader or torpedo cruiser) of the Royal Netherlands Navy, named after Admirals Maarten Tromp and Cornelis Tromp.

She was laid down at Amsterdam (Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Mij.) in 1936 and commissioned on 18 August 1938.

Tromp was the lead ship of a class of two ships. The other was the Jacob van Heemskerk.

See HNLMS Tromp for other ships of this name.

[edit] Service

The Tromp sailed to Asian waters before the outbreak of World War II. She was assigned to ABDA Command in January 1942 for the defence of the Dutch East Indies. Badly damaged off Bali on 18 February 1942 (Battle of Badung Strait) the ship was then sent to Australia for repairs. Later she served with the US 7th fleet and the British Eastern Fleet. The ship participated in raids on Sabang in April and Soerabaya in May of 1944. During the war she was repeatedly reported as having been destroyed by the Imperial Japanese Navy, earning her the reputation of being one of 'the most reportedly sunk ship' of the war. Because she kept showing up despite being declared sunk by the Japanese she was given the nickname the ghost ship.