HNLMS Karel Doorman (R81) in the mid-1950s |
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| Career (United Kingdom) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Venerable (R63) |
| Ordered: | 7 August 1942 |
| Builder: | Cammell Laird |
| Yard number: | 1126 |
| Laid down: | 3 December 1942 |
| Launched: | 30 December 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 27 November 1944 |
| Decommissioned: | April 1947 |
| Fate: | Sold to the Netherlands 1 April 1948 |
| Career (Netherlands) | |
| Name: | HNLMS Karel Doorman (R81) |
| Namesake: | Karel Doorman |
| Acquired: | 1 April 1948 |
| Commissioned: | 28 May 1948 |
| Decommissioned: | 29 April 1968 |
| Refit: | 1955-1958 1965-1966 |
| Fate: | Sold to Argentina 15 October 1968 |
| Career (Argentina) | |
| Name: | ARA Veintcinco de Mayo (V-2) |
| Namesake: | Date of the May Revolution |
| Acquired: | 15 October 1968 |
| Commissioned: | 12 March 1969 |
| Decommissioned: | 1997 |
| Out of service: | Inoperable by 1990 |
| Refit: | 1969 |
| Homeport: | Puerto Belgrano Naval Base |
| Fate: | Provided spare parts for NAeL Minas Gerais and remainder was scrapped in 2000 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Colossus class light aircraft carrier |
| Displacement: | 19,900 tons |
| Length: | 192 m (630 feet) |
| Beam: | 24.4 m (80 feet) |
| Draught: | 7.5 m (24.4 feet) |
| Propulsion: | 4 boilers with steam turbines 2 shafts 40,000 shp |
| Speed: | 24 knots |
| Complement: | 1,300 |
| Armament: | 12 x 40 mm AA guns |
HNLMS Karel Doorman (R81) was a Colossus-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The ship was the British HMS Venerable before she was sold in 1948 to the Netherlands as a light attack carrier. In 1960 she was involved in the decolonization conflict in Western New Guinea with Indonesia. In the mid 60's the role was changed to anti-submarine warfare carrier and only ASW aircraft and helicopters were carried. An engine room fire took her out of service in 1968, she was sold to Argentina and renamed Veinticinco de Mayo.
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Built at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead on 3 December 1942, Venerable was launched just over a year later, and commissioned on 17 January 1945.
In 1948, Venerable's short career in the Royal Navy came to an end, when it was sold to the Netherlands and recommissioned as the Karel Doorman, replacing a smaller Nairana-class escort carrier of the same name while in Dutch service.
In 1955-58 she was rebuilt with an 8° angled flight deck, new elevators, new island, 40 mm anti-aircraft cannons, steam catapult, and all new aviation facilities and electronics were fitted, including a Dutch-built new radar. A similar Dutch rebuild was done to her sister ship the Brazilian aircraft carrier Minas Gerais at the same time.
The Karel Doorman, frigate Johan Maurits van Nassau, and light cruiser Jacob van Heemskerck made a voyage to the Dutch Antilles on 2 January 1950. Embarked on the Karel Doorman was Prince Bernhard. The ships return to Holland on 4 May.[1]
In 1954 during a North American cruise she visited Montreal, Canada for an airshow appearance.[2]
Early in 1959 the ship made a trip to the United States (Newport, Rhode Island and Fort Lauderdale, Florida), after that again to the Antilles.
In 1960 during the Dutch decolonization and planned independence of Western New Guinea, a territory which was also claimed by Indonesia, the Karel Doorman set sail along with two destroyers and a modified oil tanker to "show the flag". In order to avoid possible problems with Indonesian ally Egypt at the Suez Canal she instead sailed around the horn of Africa. She arrived in Fremantle, Australia where the local seamen's union struck in sympathy with Indonesia, the crew used propeller thrust of aircraft chained down on deck to nudge the carrier into dock without tugs. In addition to her air wing she was ferrying twelve Hawker Hunter fighters to bolster the local Dutch defense forces, which she delivered when she arrived at Hollandia, New Guinea. The Karel Doorman was also to have visited Yokohama, Japan during this Asian cruise to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the establishment of Japanese-Dutch diplomatic relations but due to Indonesian and local protests Japan withdrew its invitation.[3]
After the 1964 refit, the Karel Doorman served the rest of her career mostly conducting NATO anti-submarine patrols in the north Atlantic, no longer carrying strike or fighter aircraft as part of her regular air wing.
The Karel Doorman also regularly conducted various exercises near Scotland during its career.
During the 1960 crisis, Indonesia prepared for a military action named Operation Trikora (in the Indonesian language, "Tri Komando Rakyat" means "The Three Commands of the People"). In addition to planning for an invasion, the TNI-AU (Indonesian Air Forces) hoped to sink this aircraft carrier with Soviet-supplied Indonesian Tupolev Tu-16KS-1 Badger naval bombers using AS-1 Kennel / KS-1 Kometa anti-ship missiles (six planes were intended for the attack on the Karel Doorman). This strike plan was cancelled because of the implementation of the cease-fire between Indonesia and the Netherlands which lead to a temporary UN peacekeeping administration and then occupation by Indonesia.[4]
In 1964, following the settlement of issues threatening its former colonial territories and changes in the mission for the Royal Netherlands Navy within NATO coupled with the huge costs for operating and maintaining an aircraft carrier, it was decided to withdraw her from the operational fleet by the early 1970s. This was to coincide with the arrival of long range maritime patrol aircraft that were to take over the ASW role Karel Doorman had been tasked to perform ever since the start of the 1960s.
A boiler room fire on 26 April 1968 removed her from Dutch service.[5] To repair the fire damage new boilers were transplanted from the incomplete HMS Leviathan. In 1969 it was decided that the costs for repairing the damage in relation to the relatively short time Karel Doorman was still to serve in the fleet proved to be her undoing and she was sold to the Argentine Navy and renamed ARA Veinticinco de Mayo where she would later play a role in the 1982 Falkland Islands Conflict.
In the late 1960s, the NATO anti-submarine commitment was taken over by a squadron of Westland Wasp helicopters operated from six Van Speijk class anti-submarine frigates and two squadrons of shore based maritine patrol aircraft. These were one squadron of Breguet Atlantique sea-reconnaissance aircraft[6] and one of P-2 Neptunes.
First deploying as an attack carrier with 24 WW-II era propeller driven Fairey Firefly strike fighters and Hawker Sea Fury fighter/antiship aircraft, for sea rescue a Supermarine Sea Otter flying boat was carried, it was replaced by a Sikorsky S-51 helicopter.
From 1955-58 she operated with a ASW/Strike profile with up to 14 TBF Avenger ASW/torpedo bombers, 10 Hawker Sea Hawk fighters and 2 S-58 ASW helicopters.
In 1960 the Royal Netherlands Navy received 17 Canadian built S-2 Trackers ASW aircraft formerly used by the Royal Canadian Navy. Changing roles to a dedicated NATO Antisubmarine warfare carrier, a wing of 8 Grumman S-2 Trackers and 6 S-58 ASW helicopters served aboard until the 1968 shipboard fire and removal from Dutch service.
The Hawker Sea Hawk jet strike aircraft, a first generation naval jet fighter considered by the larger naval powers to be undersized and nearly obsolete at the time of delivery to the Dutch, from 1959 on they were equipped with Sidewinder missiles significantly enhancing and extending their air to air combat capabilities. The Dutch Sea Hawks never engaged in combat but were present as a carrier based deterrent during the 1962 New Guinea Indonesia crisis.[7] They served aboard between 1957 to 1964 until the Doormans overhaul after which the attack role was eliminated, 22 aircraft were then transferred to land based reserve storage, they were all retired from service by the end of the 1960s after the sale of the Karel Doorman to Argentina.[8]
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