De Ruyter class cruiser
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | Wilton Fijenoord, Rotterdam |
| Operators: | Royal Netherlands Navy |
| Preceded by: | Java class cruiser |
| Completed: | 1 |
| Lost: | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Light cruiser |
| Displacement: | 7,822 tons full load |
| Length: | 170.92 metres (560 ft 9 in) |
| Beam: | 15.7 metres (51 ft 6 in) |
| Draught: | 5 metres (16 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion: | 3 Parsons geared steam turbines, 6 Yarrow boilers, 2 shafts, 66,000 shp |
| Speed: | 32 knots (59 km/h) |
| Range: | 6,800 nautical miles (12,600 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h) |
| Complement: | 437 |
| Armament: | 7 × 150 mm (3×2;1×1) 10 × Bofors 40 mm guns (5×2) 8 × Browning .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns |
| Aircraft carried: | 2 × Fokker C-11W floatplanes |
The De Ruyter class was a class of light cruisers of the Royal Netherlands Navy, named after the famous Dutch admiral Michiel de Ruyter. It was designed during the Great Depression, which, in addition to being a period of economical depression, was also a period in which pacifism was widespread in the Netherlands. For these reasons, the design was officially called a flottieljeleider (flotilla leader) instead of a cruiser, and every effort was made to cut costs.
The class consisted of only one ship: HNLMS De Ruyter, launched in 1935. Its function was to aid the two existing cruisers of the Java class in the defence of the Dutch East Indies; the idea was that with three cruisers, there would always be two cruisers available, even if one cruiser had to be repaired.
However, due to the cost-cutting policy that went into her design, De Ruyter was not quite up to her task. Her main battery (7 × 150 mm guns) was underpowered in comparison to other light cruisers of the time (for example the British Leander class), and the class had inadequate armour as well. However, her fire control system was excellent, as well as her anti-aircraft battery.
De Ruyter was sunk in the Battle of the Java Sea in 1942.
