HNLMS Van Kinsbergen (1939)
Encyclopedia
HNLMS Van Kinsbergen was a unique sloop
of the Royal Netherlands Navy
build by Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij
. She served in the Dutch West Indies in 1940. Later, she served as escort vessel and survived the war
. She was decommissioned on 29 May 1959 and was sold for scrap on 19 May 1974.
port to meet with the Dutch submarine O-13 in the English Channel
. After meeting with O 13, which returned from the West Indies, both ships returned to the Netherlands. On 2 October, Van Kinsbergen left Den Helder port with the submarines O 20 and O 14 accompanying her to the West Indies, where she was to relieve the sloop and to train new gunners. She arrived in Curacao
on 31 October.
On the evening of 1 November, Van Kinsbergen left port to intercept a British
destroyer
that had entered territorial waters; this was forbidden because of the Netherlands′ declaration of neutrality in September 1939. A similar incident occurred when a British cruiser
entered the territorial waters. Both incidents where resolved without using force.
On 10 May 1940, war with Germany
broke out, and boarding parties from Van Kinsbergen captured seven German merchant ships which were present at Curacao. As the war continued, she took part in several other missions to capture merchant ships and rescue survivors of torpedoed ships.
On 1 November 1955, her conversion to accommodation ship was completed. She was decommissioned on 29 May 1959 and was sold for scrap to the Belgian
company Van Heyghen for 515,000 guilders on 19 May 1974.
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
of the Royal Netherlands Navy
Royal Netherlands Navy
The Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
build by Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij
Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij
The Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij , was a shipbuilding and repair company in Rotterdam in the Netherlands from 1902 to 1996.-History:RDM was established on 23 January 1902 in the Heijplaat district, located on the banks of the river Meuse...
. She served in the Dutch West Indies in 1940. Later, she served as escort vessel and survived the war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was decommissioned on 29 May 1959 and was sold for scrap on 19 May 1974.
Construction
Van Kinsbergen was laid down on 11 September 1937. She was launched on 5 January 1939 and commissioned on 24 August 1939.Service history
On 26 August 1939, Van Kinsbergen left Den HelderDen Helder
Den Helder is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula...
port to meet with the Dutch submarine O-13 in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. After meeting with O 13, which returned from the West Indies, both ships returned to the Netherlands. On 2 October, Van Kinsbergen left Den Helder port with the submarines O 20 and O 14 accompanying her to the West Indies, where she was to relieve the sloop and to train new gunners. She arrived in Curacao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
on 31 October.
On the evening of 1 November, Van Kinsbergen left port to intercept a British
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
that had entered territorial waters; this was forbidden because of the Netherlands′ declaration of neutrality in September 1939. A similar incident occurred when a British cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
entered the territorial waters. Both incidents where resolved without using force.
On 10 May 1940, war with Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
broke out, and boarding parties from Van Kinsbergen captured seven German merchant ships which were present at Curacao. As the war continued, she took part in several other missions to capture merchant ships and rescue survivors of torpedoed ships.
On 1 November 1955, her conversion to accommodation ship was completed. She was decommissioned on 29 May 1959 and was sold for scrap to the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
company Van Heyghen for 515,000 guilders on 19 May 1974.